the butlers

eat your heart out...emma

2011-09-12T21:14:00.006-06:00

emma practically issued a full on challenge that I wouldn't post these pictures.

I don't want to.

I couldn't find the camera cord.

I am tired.

But I am still doing it out of spite. So there!

the test.

Which soft serve ice cream is mo' bettah?

Contestants:

Maceys or Sonic

the results: Maceys. Hands down.

Now we enjoy...

photography class assignment: favorite picture

2011-05-12T13:35:00.000-06:00

so i'm a bit behind in my class, but i'm still determined to post all of the assignments...

this assignment however, is our last so i'll have to do a little catch up later. we're supposed to link up our favorite photo...i had lots to choose from, not because they are excellent photos but because i've just had a lot of fun trying to work my camera.

here's one of my favs:

jane loves bunnies and she LOVES her bunny hat so it was perfect that easter morning was just cool enough for her to wear it to the easter egg hunt.

photography class assignment #6: LOUD

2011-04-21T14:24:00.003-06:00

this assignment is still in the works...i have so many LOUD moments or things i could take a picture of...this is a picture of elle at lunch time. meal times are always LOUD at our house.

photography class assignment #5: QUIET

2011-04-21T14:13:00.003-06:00

the only time my house is ever quiet is when everyone is asleep...i tried to sneak into rooms before they woke up. no such luck with this one being asleep, but she was just waking up and was very quiet... didn't move at all!

i was shocked that i was able to take a picture of jack sleeping. he is usually wide awake if he hears anyone breath. but we had been up late the night before and he just snoozed away as i tried to get pictures from different angles. it was fun playing with the different settings - still pretty dark in the bedrooms so i was using an iso of 1600. but i do like the light shining in the window behind jack. oh the joys of sleep - too bad kids don't ever realize how great sleeping in can be until it's too late.

photography class assignment #4: OUT

2011-04-21T14:01:00.002-06:00

this assignment took us OUTside...i tried forever to find a perfect day when the kids were all clean and dressed in nice clothes, hair done, completely cooperative...but the opportunity never seemed to surface so alas, here are the little raggamuffins playing OUTside. i was using an iso of about 100 or 200 - it was pretty cloudy. f 5.6 and around 1/640.

jane in her princess dress with her hair in a ponytail because sleeping beauty always has her hair in a ponytail, hmmm... jane's hair is obviously not meant for ponytails.

elle being her cute self...

little miss elle turned 1

2011-04-21T10:29:00.006-06:00

ok so while i'm waiting for the sun to come out to finish a few more photos for my class...i'll throw a few pictures in from elle's birthday party. i know this is over a month late, but THANK YOU to all who came. i really can not believe she is so old! we almost celebrated in the bathroom just for fun... :)

for dessert - cookies and milk

for games - guess the amount of candy in the jars and guess elle's age (in months)

some of the guests... we were lucky to have grammy and papa and g and pompom in town

elle and her birthday cake...

elle and her birthday cake without the fondant elephants - much better :)

elle and the family

photography class assignment #3: IN

2011-04-10T15:21:00.003-06:00

So this next assignment's theme was IN....i had a hard time deciding what to take a picture of so i just walked around the house taking random pics of anything. this first picture is funny because the sippy cup on the floor is not IN focus but the blanket in the background does seem to be IN focus. i didn't know i could do that! ha, ha...i need to practice!

and of course the next photo wins because it is a picture of an IN-n-out hat. works, right? I tried to keep the IN in focus, but i obviously got more of the palm trees :) This one was hard for me to find the good balance point. i think i had to make my shutter speed really fast for some reason. and the back ground is totally black. i really need to practice these INside photos some more!

iso400 f4.5 1/800

photography class assignment #2: NEW

2011-04-10T15:08:00.003-06:00

Our second assignment for the photography class was NEW... sooooooo i decide to take pictures of the NEW additions to my bedroom.

Jane:

i know this picture isn't the greatest - i actually thought it would turn out really blurry, but since i'm still in learning mode, i thought i'd post it anyway.

Jane's books and friends:

again, i completely forgot to write down what settings i used. i need to remember next time!

i'm thinking since it was a cloudy/snowy day outside and my bedroom doesn't have the best light, I probably used something like this:

iso 800

f 5.6

1/something (?)

photography class assignment #1: OLD

2011-04-07T15:07:00.005-06:00

(i know...shocking to see a post from the butlers... ha, ha. if anyone still reads this. )

So last christmas, I won a nice camera. (awesome, huh!?!) BUT i honestly have no idea how to work it -- so i decided to sign up for a free online photography class that a fabulous lady is teaching. As part of the class, we have assignments and today's theme: OLD. So here are my very first photographs:

DON'T JUDGE!

i don't remember any of the setting i used...still learning what they even do/mean!

i think something like:

iso 400 (or maybe 800)

f 5.6

1/60

hopefully i'll be learning a lot more over the next 30 days (and probably blogging a bit more too.)

christmas with the sorensens

2010-12-14T23:36:00.005-07:00

christmas party at julie and dereks beau-ti-ful casa.

fun, fun night with a lot of people...including the ghost of christmas present apparently.

every family was in charge of a talent or song. christian spontaneously jumped up to provide ours. for a moment, i thought we might have a child prodigy. turns out he is just brave. and cute.

12 days. local kine. tutu runs this show, ya.

cody's talents are so envious.

so are kims'

42 chocolate covered almonds: $3

Christian's face as he ran up after winning: you know.

Christian's real guess: 42 hundred.

Jenny guessing for him: permissable.

live nativity

2010-12-11T15:35:00.002-07:00

i haven't quite mastered the art of taking pictures using a "inside of a barn lighting,"

so in the words of our boys: " you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!"

blurry picture--a very-excited-to-see-lambs Jane

blurry jack. one of 5 chillin camels

some family in alpine hosted a live nativity at their home last weekend. i am sure you went because the line was 100s and 100s of people long. i thought they were waiting for the indiana jones ride at disney land. there were barn animals, bethlehem residents, singing "angels," roman soldiers, and a very reverent and sweet scene with the holy family.

if you know them...tell them thank you, thank you, thank you.

looking a lot like christmas

2010-12-08T19:34:00.002-07:00

i just love our tree!

the advent countdown...it is conditional upon non naughtiness--we haven't had many treats this year...

our first batch of mistletoe...cool, huh?

our new guest under the mistletoe...jane loves loves loves her.

mahalo.

2010-12-08T01:37:00.001-07:00

oh tanenbaum

2010-12-04T22:06:00.004-07:00

whoever invented christmas trees was a genius! we love having one in our house--I wish I could leave it up all year without people judging me. I wish blogs had smells--for this post only.

who besides the grinch doesn't just love this moment i caught?

i love that boy.

we haven't quite mastered the art of ornament spacing. That is a 200 level course.

hi jack.

isn't jenny cute?

jack wants to decorate for 8 nights. (he has religion confusion.)

oh...a funny face shot? I thought you said gag yourself. silly me.

soon it will be christmas day...

surprise!

2010-12-04T21:45:00.005-07:00

Back again.

Did you miss us?

the christmas lights at temple square.

not too crowded. not too cold.

the ladies...

p.s. haven't figured out the new camera yet--thats why the temple is floating in jenny's head (or maybe she is just that spiritual)

cold enough to stop for some hot choc. jackson is sporting his new shades...no comment.

jane wanted a picture by the pink trees. she is embracing the no-look. jenny is sporting the fabulous look.

jane sure stole this shot! (Marty!! If you got that you win 1000 points)

cheers!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

2010-11-24T18:58:00.002-07:00

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to:http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? A healthy and happy year!

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? New pajamas, picture on the stairs, Santa time! :)

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? iPad :)

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? Focus on a study of Christ's life.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? A lot of trampoline games.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Reading the Nativity story.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? Hawaii!!

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? Xbox accesories, Wii Lego Games, another Nintendo DS--two boys :)

So it begins. Jacks first day of school!

2010-09-01T20:50:00.002-06:00

IMG00021.jpg

2010-08-28T15:01:00.001-06:00

Christians new lightsaber.

2010-08-28T14:50:00.001-06:00

Testing it out

happy easter

2010-04-04T19:16:00.004-06:00

dying eggs

in themes the boys are obsessed with

easter table art

jane dies whenever she sees this picture...i have posted it as a solution to future meltdowns

fish and honeycomb :)

hope everyone had a great easter weekend.

fun fun

2010-03-28T14:03:00.004-06:00

everybody is so nice to you when you have a baby...

people have come out of the woodwork to be helpful.

thank you, thank you.

we got this super cool gift from one of our neighbors:

she owns a company called totalclasscreative

she sells fabulous crafty, felty things

they are all adhesive-backed-easy-do-it-yourself projects

that i am happy to be on the receiving end of :)

i am impressed by people's good ideas. can you tell?

other than that...life moves on.

march was crazy.

2010-03-10T21:04:00.008-07:00

The girl's name Elle \e(l)-le\ is a variant of Elaine (Greek), Elizabeth (Hebrew), and Helen(Greek)

the meaning of Elle is (among other things); God's promise; God is my oath;

to us-- her entrance and existence bring life to this meaning.

el--in Hebrew--is the part in Biblical names that means God--

we were particularly interested in the given names of some of history's prominent angels.

Michael

Gabriel

Raphael

the name of Israel has central significance as well

elle (or "L") reminds us of Elle's grammy, Lisa Elaine--(a variant of, and included letters)--

we want her to have the spiritual courage of her grammy--her passion for life, craving for adventure, memories and undying commitment to God and family

Patricia is her great-grandmother's name

Patricia means-- of noble birth.

we want her to have her great grandmother's perfect blend of tenderness and tenacity-- sensitivity, sacrifice and sass

both of her namesakes are bold, believing and beloved spiritual pioneers. Their lives and choices have changed the course of their family and are still causing ripples--we wish this for elle.

We fell in love with a lot of the significance of her name. We also think it is simple and elegant, some words "grammy" used to describe Jenny when she met her. It sounds cute coupled with Jane and darling on its own.

I wish everyone could feel what we felt the night elle was born. Picking her name was particularly difficult for us--the naming of a tender mercy. There is something special and everything miraculous about each baby's birth-- but particularly this one--for us.

special names for a special girl...

introducing...

2010-03-09T12:58:00.007-07:00

ms. elle patricia

isn't she perfect?

welcome home...again :)

p.s. sometimes i wish you could see her through my eyes-- and then other times i am glad that i'm the only one...if my eyes were cameras, though, you would see even cuter pictures of this little girl.

welcome home little girl

2010-03-08T15:27:00.004-07:00

Characters

doctor: david

hard worker: jenny

arriving too early: baby

arriving too late: paramedics

semi-helpful on the phone: 911 lady

shocked arrival before paramedics: mom

umbilical cord clamp: nike shoelace

Scene 1

at christy's house

jenny: i am having contractions

all the girls: (giddy with stopwatches) ya!

david: dang...i wanted it during school.

Scene 2

at home...on the bed

jenny: (having contractions) i wonder when we should go in...

david: should i page the midwife?

jenny: sure

midwife: how are you?

jenny: good...i think it will be tonight.

midwife: great, well why don't you get in a hot tub and relax.

Scene 3

in our bathroom, 20 minutes later

jenny: I feel nauseous

david: ok, I will call my mom to come be with the kids

kids: zzzzzzzzz

jenny: ok, good.

david: (calls mom and midwife)

jenny: ....

david: ok, lets go.

jenny: we are not going anywhere.

david: yes we are..come on.

jenny: i need to sit. i need to push.

david: jenny--do...not...push

(david dials 9-1-1)

semi-helpful 911 lady: 911, what's your emergency?

david: hi--my wife is in labor at home and we are having the baby.

911: what is your address?

jenny: david, i just caught the head.

(david then catches baby's body and pulls her out)

david: ma'am, i am holding my baby...in my arms...in my bathroom--in-credible.

911: is she breathing? how is mom?

baby: crying (the only of our 4 to cry at birth).

mom: (totally fine facial expression as if she delivers babies at home all the time).

david: they are both fabulous.

kids: zzzzzzz

Scene 4

enter mom--cue crying

enter police--cue semi awkwardness

enter 52 paramedics-- cue "grateful we don't have to deliver a baby" feelings

enter awesome neighbors

exit jenny and baby in ambulance

exit david following behind-- wondering what our ambulance coverage is... (just kidding, kinda)

Scene 4

at the hospital--with a new healthy baby, an amazing momma, and 3 ecstatic siblings

no signs...

2010-03-02T22:04:00.002-07:00

jenny says I have too much anxiety about the birth of this babe.

I kinda agree.

I don't have much more to write b/c she is standing here pressuring me not to write anything else...but i have to get this out of my system.

this is how i always feel a week before the due date...its like waiting for christmas without knowing when christmas is.

jenny says this is a good analogy--except for the fact that it is not hard to open christmas presents.

*sigh*

alright...

guess...

2010-02-28T22:41:00.005-07:00

ok--here is the incomplete official guesses for the arrival of baby.

THE CHEAT

March 4th-- 3:30 p.m.--7 lb 12 oz

CHRIS

March 5th-- 2:42 p.m.--7 lb 3 oz

JOSH

March 5th-- 11:30 pm -- 7 lb 13 oz

DAVID

March 6th -- 1:15 pm -- 6 lbs 14 oz (if i win, i am buying myself a prize!)

MOM

March 6th-- no time -- 7 lbs 6 oz

EMILY

March 7th -- 7:46 am -- 7 lbs 2 oz

EMMA

March 7th -- 3:44 pm -- 7 lbs 10 oz (born in a pool)

SUZ

March 8th -- 11:30 am -- 7 lbs 5 oz

DAD BUTLER

March 8th -- 10:09 pm -- 7 lbs 1 oz

JEFF

March 8th -- 11:00 pm -- 6 lbs 10 oz

RYAN H

March 9th -- 9:45 pm -- 7 lbs 3 oz

KASEY

March 11th -- 5 am -- 7lbs 9 oz

JOHN

March 12th -- high noon -- 7 lbs 12 oz

RYAN B

March 13 -- 3:30 pm -- 8 lbs 2 oz

get in your guesses! no post baby cheats.

noah's ark...

2010-01-28T19:20:00.003-07:00

i was trying to help my new classes feel comfortable asking questions in class...then I remembered this true experience from my life...

again...this is a true story.

once upon a time there was a guy...and it was me...and i was in a sunday school class as a high schooler. during the lesson (which i don't remember what it was about--perhaps noah's ark) i finally decided i should ask a question that had bothered me for years...

so i raised my hand. (i was a good student)

teacher: yes, david

me: ok, i have a question that has been buggin me.

teacher: go ahead

me: ok...noah's ark--there were tow of every animal on the ark, right?

teacher: yes, thats right.

me: so where did they put all of the whales, and dolphins, and fish? was there a giant tank in the

bottom? because 2 blue whales + 2 belugas + 2 dolphins makes for a HUGE ark.

my friend rob: dave.

me: what?

rob: you are an idiot. why did they build the ark?

me: because the earth flooded.

rob: with what?

me: oh.

(pause for ponder)

me: so did they tie ropes to them to keep them close?

teacher and rob: {no response.}

I propose the following picture for future gospel art kits. it will help many, many children in need.

p.s. concerning the ropes--

i found this in class (at the u) when i was bored...don't judge me.

i have cold feet.

2010-01-27T22:23:00.002-07:00

I have no decisions to make.

I am already married.

I literally have cold feet.

I think it runs in our family, because we all can remember my Mom rubbing her feet together while lying in bed. She probably has cold feet too.

Seriously--every night my feet are freezing and I need to move to a place of warm feet.

Maybe it is my lack of big toenails.

Who knows.

Just thought you all should know.

bye.

2010-01-25T09:19:00.003-07:00

don't have spell check)

2010-01-25T09:19:00.001-07:00

Sorry for all the random posts...it was all experimenting with my new fancy way of texting in posts. I am so saavy. (Is that how you spell that? Phones

Trying again

2010-01-24T23:34:00.001-07:00

Attempt no. 3 to post pics to my blog from my phone.

2010-01-24T23:01:00.001-07:00

I am trying to send this pic to my blog from my phone...more experimenting. This is the boys at lowes doing an activity.

2010-01-24T22:49:00.001-07:00

It worked

2010-01-24T22:48:00.001-07:00

I am testing this mobile blogging thing

happy birthday...to me

2010-01-24T13:11:00.004-07:00

heloha. so i had my birthday a few days ago, which i am very happy to report on.

most wives do a cute little birthday shoutout to their boys-- but jenny hasn't yet, so i am doing my own.

if jenny had done a birthday post,

jenny would've said:

"david is like the best husband ever.

he is a wonderful father.

we are so blessed to have him.

the kids love him--i simply adore him and i could not have asked for a

more wonderful and sexy man in all the whole wide world.

love you babe!"

then she probably would've left out the part about the fantastic 29 layer cake she made me...so i will take it from here jenny.

"ok lovey dovey...if you insist."

i do.

this is the cake in the middle of the process:

it had 14 cake layers, 14 chocolate ganache layers, and one outer layer made of buttercream frosting.

when we cut into it...it looked like this:

this image was borrowed, without asking from bakerella, where the recipe was borrowed with permission.

i had to go to school on my birthday...:(

but got out early :)

i had to work on my birthday :(

but the students were good :)

i came home to a house full of cute kids :)

we spent over an hour picking up 8,000,000 pixos :( :(

(we didn't take a picture of that--we are trying to erase it from our memory)

on a happier note--we went sledding on mlk day-- the weekend of my birthday.

i will now make an important announcement:

this was the first non-miserable sledding day of our married life.

sledding was so fun when I was single.

no carrying little people up a hill.

no crying after 2 seconds of being there.

no putting on the gloves for the 10,000th time.

no frozen snot to clean up.

i used to be anti-sledding...until mlk day 2010.

this picture is lame:

(but what you don't see, is christian is not crying, and jack is sledding and climbing alone...and the only complaints came when we left....what a dream--except for the snow)

and in conclusion (of my own birthday post), one of the items I scored on my birthday was an Aebleskiver pan. We used to have them at the Nielsens house growing up and i loved them. i can now report that i still do.

special thanks to kathy--our brilliantly beautiful secretary at work for the recipe.

and a special thanks again to her for this out-of-this-world delicious recipe for buttermilk vanilla syrup. wow. it is party candy.

there you go. come over and i will make you some...for free.

david--that was an amazing post!

just. like. you.

*blush*

what once was lost, but now is found...

2010-01-15T15:08:00.003-07:00

our camera cord... (and possibly a new found desire to blog about our lives...we'll see...) along with finding the cord, i found a whole lot of pictures from the past 6 months. the majority of them looked like this:

but i also found pictures from... the boys' first day of preschool

our trip to the pumpkin patch (and this particular picture just makes me laugh, i don't know why, but i think it's because of christian...)

our trip to zions and st. george

jack wore this ghost costume the entire time we drove there - like 5 hours. every time i turned around in the car and saw him buckled in and wearing a sheet, i just had to laugh...why?

one of maybe 3 family photos from the year...

in this picture, i had accidentally left david's phone in the tent and we forgot to get it out before rolling the tent up and shoving it into the tiny tent bag. when we realized what we had done, we were just about to start hiking and david was sooooo mad. so we had to unroll the whole thing and get it out right there in the middle of the parking lot. i thought it was kind of funny...

the boys were awesome hikers!

also found a bunch of pictures from thanksgiving point - the gardens, the farm, and the dinosaur museum (about 50 of them were of the big shark - jack loves that thing!) but i thought i'd include this one of cute jane peeking out the window since she could have done this ALL DAY LONG! she thought she was so funny...

carving pumpkins...

trick or treating with adam...i think the boys wore about 10 different costumes during the week, but these are the ones they chose for trick-or-treating... (nothing new at our house though...)

jack's birthday - he insisted on a shark cake...

christmas morning...

the boys enjoying the snow and dad being home during the break. isn't the snowman cute - david made it (i think his first) and he's soooo proud of it - everyday he comments on how awesome it is. so if you drive by the house, compliment david on his snowman and he'll be so happy.

so there you have it... our lives the past 6 months...

and hopefully i'll make a better habit of this...

the faces of jane...

2009-09-18T21:39:00.004-06:00

thank you! thank you! thank you! to the incredibly multi-talented holly of peasinourpod for the photos.

during the past few months, we have...

2009-09-07T11:54:00.005-06:00

spent lots of time with cousins...

even more time at the pool...

celebrated christian's 3rd birthday...

loved taking the kids to the oquirrah mountain temple...

tried to find ways to entertain two crazy boys (who only want to play outside in the heat and dirt and rocks that we call our yard - yes, those are mud masks - don't judge me)...

spent more time at the pool...

and enjoyed watching lots of fireworks...

goodbye summer...

happy 4th of july

2009-07-04T07:52:00.008-06:00

we thought we were the first ones up on the 4th of july.

balloon launch...6:30 am. Worth it?

ask the boys...you bet!

ask Jane...

oh...this will be published...well, I will grace the camera with a grin

that was fast...

2009-07-03T11:38:00.005-06:00

taken june 5...
boys room...

janes room...

taken june 21st

taken yesterday...all done...

closing on tuesday :)

happy birthday jane!!!

2009-06-09T09:30:00.004-06:00

our sweet little girl is 1!

...and i can't believe it!!!

our little optimist...

2009-06-09T02:32:00.000-06:00

poor christian fell and cut his head open just before jane's party. that's #2 for him so far.

...but a popsicle later, he was all smiles.

some funny things christian has said recently...

*after falling down the stairs and cutting his head open, he said, "mom, we should walk down the stairs, not fall. i'll do that next time."

*after watching jackson snap one of his toys in two, he got all excited and said, "oh good, now i have 2 toys."

*he came running out of his room at 2:00 in the morning and started yelling "i'm throw-uping, i'm throw-uping" (as he threw-up all down the hall). afterwards, he gave me the saddest look and just said, "mom, i'm so sorry i'm throw-uping".

*i made bread today and as i was pulling it out of the oven, he got really excited and started yelling "monkey bread! monkey bread! mom made monkey bread!" i had to tell him that it was just normal bread and not monkey bread. he stopped yelling for a minute, looked at the bread, then looked at me so sweetly and said, "mom, thank you for making norman bread."

call for boxes...!

2009-06-08T15:27:00.004-06:00

hey if anyone has any or knows a good place to get some, will you let me know, please!?

i'm starting to pack this week - i know...i know... we still have 6 weeks, but i want to be able to go through EVERYTHING and hopefully get rid of a lot of junk before moving day. i'm starting in the "dining room" and if you've seen our dining room then you'll know it's more like a junk room and it could very easily take me a month to go through it all and pack it up.

update on the house: it's being framed this week...quite possibly at this very moment!!!

2009-05-26T14:05:00.002-06:00

For the next 9 days at our house...we'll have a...

fiVe...

foUr...
thReE...
tWo...

and oNe year old.

fun, huh?!

our hole

2009-05-20T12:42:00.002-06:00

does this make it official? it sort of feels like it...and i'm so excited (and still a little bit sad...)

preschool par-tay

2009-05-20T10:25:00.002-06:00

jack had his end of the year preschool program on tuesday. it was fun to see him sing, dance and interact with all the kids from his class. he LOVED his teacher - miss denice. she gave all the kids a little memory book with pictures taken during the year - he's been carrying it around with him ever since...

happy birthday mom!!!

2009-05-20T10:22:00.002-06:00

we had a surprise 60th birthday party for my mom last weekend. it turned out to be really fun and she was totally surprised!!!

we tried to have a hawaiian theme...

since it is the hawaii reunion this year...

i thought i took a bunch of cute pictures, but when i loaded them onto the computer i realized i didn't really have ANY good ones.

this one isn't bad though...
at least it shows some of the group.
so fun!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!
WE LOVE YOU!

samuel the lamanite...

2009-05-20T10:19:00.003-06:00

have i ever posted pictures of our little samuel...? david had him dress up one night for FHE and he sort of fell in love with this "costume"... (so wierd!) but he LOVES wearing it. if it looks familiar - this may have been where you saw it...i even caught him painting himself... (i don't know...did samuel the lamanite wear war paint?)

sort of looks likes he's becoming more lamanite and less samuel...

my little girl is growing up!

2009-05-20T10:13:00.002-06:00

jane is turning one this week (on sunday) and i can't believe it!!!

for so long -11 months - she didn't roll over, she didn't crawl, she didn't scoot, she'd just sit and be sooooo content, so easy, and sooooo stinkin cute!!!

just look at her...

well, a couple weeks ago, she started sitting like this....

...and i knew things were about to change, but i still thought it was sooooo cute - when i started telling david why i love her in this pose so much, he made fun of me so i wont post about it, but just know that i LOVE this picture and the way her legs are positioned...

well, the pose led to the crawl position, the rock, and last week - the crawl. can't leave her anywhere any more! and i've already caught her getting into the plant, into the drawers, pulling down the curtains, and of course with little toys in her mouth!

...but she's still so stinkin' cute!!!

the good, the bad, and the ugly...

2009-05-06T09:39:00.004-06:00

THE GOOD...

a big thank you to grammy and papa for finding doggie! i still cant believe that diggie showed up on their doorstep in TEXAS! christian was sooooo happy and has hardly let him out of his sight since the happy reunion... (and christian doesn't seem to mind at all that on his way to texas, diggie seemed to have gained some fluff and somehow cleaned himself up.)

THE BAD...

jackson climbed onto the roof yesterday. at first i was so proud of him for climbing this tree in our front yard, but then i turned my back for a few minutes and this is what i saw...

...stretching his leg to reach the roof...

...and then, on the roof...
now, he thinks its so fun to climb up there whenever he wants. especially since he can stay up there for as long as he want without me reaching him and thus avoiding time-out for as long as he wants. (guess i need a new punishment since to him, his little stints on the roof seem to be worth the few minutes he sits in time-out!)

THE UGLY...

the little bugs that are eating all my ferns...

and the huge pile of yard waste that has been sitting on the lawn for 2 weeks! (thank you david for trying to move it yesterday.)

Christy, John and Josh...these are for you.

2009-04-27T22:19:00.001-06:00

REWARD!!!

2009-04-17T09:26:00.009-06:00

******************************

lost dog

i lost my doggie.

he is blue with white dots on his feet.

he has shiny ears

and little black eyes.

if you find my doggie please bring him to me.

thank you.

i miss my doggie.

***********************************

...somehow during our fun easter weekend, we lost diggie. i'm so sad and sweet christian really misses him. i've checked everywhere online and realized that doggie was a "rare Gund Dottie Dots blue puppy" and to get a new one will cost me $35.00 here or here. who'd have thought! i'm starting to wonder if he was stolen!....

Easter Weekend

We started off Easter weekend with a Sorensen family party on friday night - we tried to do it Jerusalem style. we had all the kids (and some adults) dress in yamacas and kafeas while we talked about some of the traditions and culture in Jerusalem. Grandma did a special presentation about the last week of the Savior's life. Then we all ate falafals on pita bread, tomotoes, cucumbers, olives, and dates. it was awesome!!!

We spent the night at grandma and grandpa's house and then woke up the next morning for some easter egg hunts. we hit the traditional South Jordan city hunt and then the Legacy Easter egg hunt. Legacy was much better! (remind me next year to only do that one!)the boys with the Easter...something....

christian's sad face because he's been missing diggy for almost a week now!

Draper Temple Open House

2009-04-08T09:27:00.003-06:00

i thought these pictures were gone forever, but i found them last night in some long lost files on the computer and i was so excited to post them even though it has been well over a month (or two) since we went to the Draper Temple Open House. we were lucky to have grandma come with us. We went at a great time when it wasn't crowded at all - it allowed us plenty of time to talk to the boys about each of the different rooms.
jack was explaining the pamphlet to christian afterwards and remembered soooo much - i'm always amazed at how much kids really do hear and understand.

after we got on the bus to head back to our car, we realized we hadn't taken a single picture in front of the temple - the pics from the bus were the best we got.

spreadin' the love...

2009-03-26T15:16:00.009-06:00

check out little jane's skirt! isn't it just adorable and so perfect. well, it's a lovely gift from holly because i participated in a clever little giveaway on her blog so now i'm required to do the same.

(ps check out holly's etsy shop where she sells these cute skirts!)

this is how it works:

1. you have to be one of the first 3 people to make a comment on this post.

2. i will either give you something special (and delicious) made by me or do something special for you.

3. then it's your turn to serve someone else. you are supposed to do the same giveaway on your blog.

so fun and so easy - lets spread the love!

****update****

not taking any more comments. guess nobody else wants to spread the love so i'm adding my mom as the third person who will get something special from me. emma, denice, and mom - check your mailboxes or your doorsteps soon!

Y

2009-03-26T14:57:00.004-06:00

for months the boys have been asking if we could hike to the Y on the mountain, so saturday we decided to try it...

the first half was great! the boys walked (slowly), but at least they walked and slow enough that i actually wondered why everyone who passed us was so out of breath. and of course, both boys insisted on wearing their pirate costumes. whatever.

jack even hiked all the way up the actual Y. he loved it! on the way up we took turns guessing what the Y was made of. jack and christian guessed snow, marshmellows, gum and ice cream. I was glad they weren't too disappointed when we made it to the top and they found out that it was conrete and paint.

now...on the way down was a whole different story...

we had just started down. christian was complaining so i was carrying him and i also had jane in the backpack. i had just told david that i was fine and felt perfectly balanced with one in front and one in back. well, probably 2 seconds later, my ankle rolled and i totally ate it! downhill! nothing to stop all 3 of us from crashing into the ground. hard. christian was screaming. jane was screaming. i was shocked and was looking around to make sure we were still alive and the first face i see is davids... and he's laughing!!! can you believe it? we almost died and he's laughing at us. well, the kids never quite recovered after that. i ended up holding sweet jane while david carried the other two all the way down the mountian!

fun.

2009-03-26T14:50:00.003-06:00

the other day i walked into the bathroom to find this...

the artist...

and his art...

lovely.

Happy Birthday Grammy!!!

2009-03-26T13:46:00.004-06:00

and Happy birthday Relief Society!!!

Lucky me. I got to be in charge of cakes this week so naturally i went with cupcakes - i'm loving how fun and easy they are. Check out my first attempt at a chocolate shell/liner for the big cupcake...and it worked!

can winter be over already?

2009-03-06T14:10:00.004-07:00

i feel like i've exhausted myself and my ideas on how to entertain the kids during the winter. this past week has been a whole lot of...

christian doing this...

what?

you can't tell what he's doing? maybe this one is better...

jane enjoying these more often...

and we all know what jack (er...peter pan) has been doing...

2009-03-03T09:53:00.003-07:00

Attached.

Attached.

Attached?yes!

i'm pretty sure jane is attached to "fuzzy bunny" and i think the greatest thing i've ever done was to pick up another "fuzzy bunny" on my last trip to target ...just in case....
no more trips back to grandma's house, the mall, no more backtracking through the aisles at costco, no more spending hours searching the house, no more stress! ...

because we've got 2!

and the other is safely tucked away ...

for now.

Updated...good guesses everyone!!!

2009-03-01T09:39:00.006-07:00

prize to anyone who can guess jack's costumes.

seriously. i'll give you a prize.

so here he is as a...

shark
(i guess the blue blanket (ocean) he laid on ALL DAY would have helped with the guessing. sorry.)

Volcano (brown rock/dirt, red lava)

azul (the blue train from dora)

firetruck (that's a ladder on his back.)
toodles (from mickey mouse clubhouse)

sorry. no prizes this time, but i should give you something for even trying...we'll see.

...and he did these all on his own.

2009-02-25T10:53:00.004-07:00

this morning as i was feeding jane...

jack came in and looked at jane

then ducked,

then looked again,

then ducked,

then looked again,

and finally said,

"mom, jane keeps winking at me!!!"

so funny, but so sad because poor miss jane is a little bit sick and woke up with her eye full of junk and sealed shut!

more...

2009-02-23T08:55:00.001-07:00

i forgot about all the fun things that happend the week before valentines day! so here is little summary...

this is jack (sparrow) making his class valentines - it was cute how he picked a specific valentine for each person.

christian (brother-in-law) came to renew his green card/visa so we were able to see him a few times while he was here. it was sooooo fun and good to see him, but we missed the rest of the family... hopefully we'll make it out to Germany one of these days.

so.... when he came he brought like a whole suitcase full, like FULL, of chocolate and candy. we ate soooooo much - i don't even remember eating dinner, just chocolate. it was awesome!!! the boys especially loved their kinder eggs. he brought a couple cartons full of disney kinder eggs - the boys loved the walle toys they found inside even more than the chocolate! it was great.

christian thanking christian...

jack thanking christian...

...and did you notice the unicycle in the background of the pictures - it's justin's!!! he got special permission to take his fancy pants unicycle on his mission instead of a normal bike. he gave us a demo - riding it with his suit on and scriptures in hand. it was cool and exciting. he left on feb. 11th and we went to the MTC with him. being in there brought back so many memories - all the same pictures on the wall, the cafeteria smells, the large group meetings, the emotions - oh boy, the crazy roller coaster emotions while serving a mission!!!...

anyway...we're so happy he's out serving (and not home giving my mom stress!)

lately...

2009-02-18T09:07:00.007-07:00

i've really got the bug to...

to start a business doing this...

to be here...

to do more of this...

to use stuff like this...

and to spend more time with just...

how we 'posed to get in shape around here?

2009-02-16T21:30:00.008-07:00

curse you valentines...

curse you jenny...

how am i supposed to get all hot-to-trot with these delectables around...?

cupcake pops create muffin tops...

who stole the cupcake from the cupcake jar...

who me?

yes you...

couldn't be...

then who...?

oh i will snug-a-duck her

(those not familiar with the art of snug-a-ducking, please call me for a free demo.)

weep not for me my friends...i still have my own midnight snacks beckoning me to indulge...

bless you sweet swamp smoothie...bless you

what was i thinking!?!

2009-02-14T14:58:00.005-07:00

...6 easters, 6 mothers days, 7 birthdays, 7 christmases, 7 new years, and now 7 VALENTINES DAYS!!!....you'd think i'd have learned by now...that david would to do something wonderful, thoughtful, and so perfect to celebrate (when i thought we'd agreed to not doing anything). and i would be standing there feeling so loved, so thankful to have such a fun husband, and of course so bad that i didn't get him anything!!!

some pictures from valentines day...

our cute fruit bouquet that david made!

the boys enjoying our valentines day breakfast with heart shaped fruit and bagels, pink cream cheese and pink milk. yum! (david made all of it!)

the kids playing with the fun balloons from grammy and papa...

(hmmm...i wonder where david gets his holiday thoughtfulness from...)

2009-02-14T14:53:00.003-07:00

Ok...since nobody even attempted a guess, i'll just tell you what i spent my afternoon making - a prancer costume (yes, as in one of santa's reindeer!) complete with antlers and a jinglebell collar. luckily, the green pants and red shirt he was already wearing (because he's been an elf for the past 3 days) worked out just fine.

2009-02-13T13:50:00.003-07:00

$20 to anyone who can guess what costume i'm being forced to put together right now...

just so you know what a typical conversation is like when jack decides he needs a new costume:

jack: mom, i need you to make me ______.

me: what?! i don't know how to make that.

jack: yes you do.

me: umm...no i don't.

jack: yes you do. make it please.

me: ummmm....can you wait until i can get some lunch.

jack: no, make it right now.

me: jack, we don't have the stuff. i have no idea how to make that.

jack: yes you do. you can use this and this.

me: ...

jack: find a picture on the computer.

me: ....

jack: mom, you can do it.

me: ... (looking it up on the computer)

jack: ...(brings me the stuff he thinks the costume should be made out of and then describes (in detail) how to do it. )

...then i proceed to make something that will certainly not be right the first time, the second time but i'll occassionally get it right the third time. and it will take me much longer than anticipated and so the dishes will remain undone, my stomach will continue to growl because i haven't had any lunch and any other plans i had will be neglected.... but, i continue because there is nothing more satisfying than seeing my cute little 4 year old's face light up when i hand him the finished products and he gives me one of the best hugs ever and says "thank you for making that for me mom. i love it."

...just in case you were wondering what happend to jackson...

2009-02-09T22:46:00.012-07:00

...in the past year, he has been buzz lightyear (for 10 months!)

a lion

superman

a ghost an elf

the conductor (from polar express)

wall e

eve

a pirate
jack sparrow

the new jack sparrow
jasmin's dad jafar
and stitch

2009-01-27T21:16:00.004-07:00

my friend holly took the kids' pictures today...
a sneak peek on her blog.
thank you holly!!! you're amazing.

no time...

2009-01-21T16:57:00.004-07:00

sorry I haven't posted in a while, I am really busy with my new modeling gigs...

gotta go.

2009-01-14T10:06:00.005-07:00

happy birthday david

the cute husband...

the best dad...

...and we all love how he is still such a kid when it comes to christmas and holidays - check out this picture of david on christmas eve at grandma's house! he always makes life soooo much fun for jack, christian and jane (and me!)

WE LOVE YOU DAVID!

hey big fat losers

2009-01-06T21:59:00.004-07:00

How goes it team? I want to hear how everyone is starting out?? Are we all committed or what? What is everyone doing for the challenge? New workouts? What?

BYU has the following options for anyone interested--

Bod Pod (% body fat) - $15.00
Blood Lipid Profile (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides) - $15.00
Glucose Test - $5.00
Nutritional Evaluation - $15.00
Treadmill Test - $15.00
Skinfold (% body fat) - $1.00
Osteoporosis Screening - Full body $130.00, Hip Scan $65.00, Spine Scan $65.00

801-422-4494

Jenny and I are doing the BodPod next week on Tuesday!!

i'm obese

2009-01-04T22:19:00.003-07:00

only the biggest loser competitors will get this blog...so sorry to my groupies.

jenny looked up my body fat percentage for a male of my age, and i am obese.

(I am right on the level line, and it jumps from acceptable to obese, which in my mind is a big jump...)

nonetheless-- i am obese. i am an obese texan. i should wear wind breaker suits and eat donuts. i should embrace this. i am letting it all go.

we should have a fat man competition instead of our biggest loser one--after the cinco de mayo weigh in, lets have a "who can get the fattest over the summer" competition! (who would walk through the mall in a swim suit after that!?)

christmas and birthdays

2009-01-04T22:14:00.002-07:00

christmas 2009

brian and christy to jake and josh
david and jenny to jake and lindsey
john and emma to britty
jake and josh to brian and christy
jake and lindsey to david and jenny
britty to john and emma.

birthdays 2009

(the exact same list!! this will only happen every 4 to 5 years, but it is happening this year)

so...

brian and christy to jake and josh
david and jenny to jake and lindsey
john and emma to britty
jake and josh to brian and christy
jake and lindsey to david and jenny
britty to john and emma.

aloha

2008-12-20T12:28:00.003-07:00

there is something magical about having fresh flowers delivered to your door in the middle of a snow storm....

thanks mom and dad butler

2008-12-19T21:47:00.002-07:00

please refer to my previous post for my feelings on this picture...

today it was 80 degrees in sugar land.

monday we will be there.

the baby clepto

2008-12-19T21:43:00.003-07:00

jenny took all the kids somewhere the other day. jane came back with this under her blanket...hidden in her carrier (no, not the rattle thing). i am not sure whether to be impressed or concerned, because as of now i am very impressed at her skills. she will be doing high end art theft in no time...

dirty thirty

2008-12-19T14:40:00.002-07:00

check out these cakes john and emma made in your honor...boo ya!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Should we list 30 things we love about you?

ok.

1. You are cute.

2. You have beautiful hair.

3. You have fun ideas.

4. You are a fabulous mom.

5. You are an amazing wife.

6. You make the best desserts.

7. You are adventurous.

8. We love your laugh.

9. We love your smile.

10. We love when you chicken people.

11. You have great legs.

12. You get a fabulous tan in the summer.

13. You are very thoughtful of others.

14. We love your health craze.

15. We love how you love life to be simple.

16. We love your buttons.

17. We love your advent chart in the making.

18. We love how much you pamper Jane.

19. We love how you love Jack.

20. We love how you love Christian.

21. We love that you are a hard worker.

22. We love your love of God.

23. We love your love of family.

24. We love that you love people.

25. We love that you love experiences.

26. We love how you cherish memories.

27. We love your passion.

28. We love your empathy.

29. We love your quirkiness.

30. We love that you are 30...and we are not.

i h*** snow

2008-12-18T22:20:00.003-07:00

no, that didn't say h***, that says h***. Besides the fact that h*** wouldn't make sense gramatically in the sentence, I just felt like h*** was too strong of a word. Especially for a title. And especially for this time of year (don't you h*** that phrase? I do, because if it is no good this time of year, it should not be good any time of year. It is the cousin of the other phrase I h***, which is, "You can't say that, you are in a church!" If you can't say it, watch it, or think it at church, perhaps you shouldn't say it, watch it, or think it anywhere...there is room for context based arguments here, but I digress). Where was I? Oh yeah, h***.

The only thing I can think of about snow that I like is the scripture from Isaiah:

"Though your sins be a scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."

How can I have distaste (thats better) for something that is symbolic of forgiveness of sin? I don't know. But I do, and right now I am not into it...I am having second thoughts...nope. They didn't last very long.

See ya.

he sees me when I'm sleeping?

2008-12-16T21:26:00.002-07:00

ward party tonight. the boys were actually excited to see santa, and they both told him what they wanted. jackson told me in the car he forgot something, so we have to write him another letter to tell him. does he do email? or texts? he should do texts.

jackson and prize. we have this brilliant author in our ward who told me he once wrote an article on the 'desensitation of santa claus.' i wanna read it. he explained to me the best way to help your kids get over santa and for it not to be a traumatic experience. i'll tell you for 5 bucks.

this is christian, giddy as can be to see santa. i mean, giddy. eventually he butted in line to the front. he saw an opening and seized the day. he couldn't wait!! (me neither, so good thing)

this is the program. it took jack a while to get his feet wet.this was christian during the program. he found a seeing eye dog.

oh no...

2008-12-16T18:18:00.004-07:00

random post.

Jenny is afraid of the rides at DisneyLand. Her reason, as posted in this post, namely: America is getting too large for all of the rides.

I thought she was ridiculous.

I read Holly's blog where she explained my new find.

I researched.

I found this.

Last year, they overhauled, 'It's a Small World' because of the obesity problem in America. It was causing the boats to bottom out.

Jenny is right.

Jenny is still afraid.

Jenny only trusts one ride now.

That is lame because that one ride creeps me out a little.

I think it is ironic that they overhauled 'It's a Small World' because of largeness.

another reason we appreciate our water-proof camera

2008-11-19T22:04:00.002-07:00

2008-11-17T22:33:00.007-07:00

halloween...a bit late. and we didn't take any good pictures. here are a few of the ones we did take.

at the ward trunk-or-treat.

the boys trick or treating...

the ghost and forrest gump (and eden - the cute lady bug)
the cousins.justin's birthday and mission call - macon, macon, bbbbbbbbacon, georgia!!!

and we have unofficially (or inconsistently or begrudgingly) started jane on baby food.

2008-11-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

(just realized i never posted this - from like a month ago.)

the pumpkin patch and our quest to find the perfect pumpkins...christian found his - the smallest pumpkin with a big chunk missing from the side. jack and his perfect pumpkin..

jane's perfect pumpkin...
check out this series of pictures - so funny. watch christian attack jane with the hay...

jenny is not posting...

2008-11-10T22:54:00.003-07:00

I have retired from posting, and jenny has not posted for a while, so i decided to come out of retirement just for a day--

I had to put on this picture:

I was at Toys R Us getting Jackson a birthday pirate ship and ran into this little scene. This chubby older brother was on one of those new TV activities that is supposed to promoste exercise. But he was forcing his younger brother to pedal the bike for him while he played the game. The poor little kid was down on the dirty ground swinging the pedals around as fast as he could while the slave driver played his exercise game. All I could hear from around the corner was, "Faster! Faster!" So I take a peek and laughed out loud (After going back around the corner of course).

I thought it was classic. Maybe even more classic is me looking around for their mom so I could quickly snap this picture.

the witches...

2008-10-15T10:37:00.004-06:00

my sisters and mom having been going to Gardner village to see the witches for years and this year we finally made it. so fun and so worth the trip. the boys weren't really into the witches - i think the witches made them a little bit nervous, but they were in heaven surrounded by all of the pumpkins.
this was as close as they would get... :) i let them choose a treat in the candy shoppe - my favorite! and christian would not let his sour apple heads out of his hands or sight the whole time - we're talking like 2 or 3 hours - it was hard to get him to even look at anything else. so funny!

fall fun!!!

2008-10-15T10:33:00.003-06:00

fall is soooo fun. we love it. we had a little family night up in the canyon, but unfortunatly we didn't get any good shots of the leaves, but we did get the kiddos jumping around and having fun just being in the mountains. painting! we're finally done! how come nobody warned us how long it would take!?!
these boys love donuts - any kind - as long as it's round with a hole in the center, they are in heaven.
during the priesthood session of conference, all of us girls get together with the kiddos. this year we went to jenn's house and decorated sugar cookies. i love it - lots of kids and lots of sugar, by the end of the night they were literally hanging from the chandelier

thanksgiving point

2008-10-15T10:18:00.002-06:00

we met up with julie, jenn, my mom and all the younger cousins at the thanksgiving point farm or whatever. i was so impressed that jack and christian had no problems and were actually excited to ride on the ponies all by themselves - yeah!!!

i LOVE this picture of my mom and maren and jane. she is such an amazing mom and grandma! everyone adores her.

footbaaaalllllll!!!!!

2008-10-15T10:14:00.006-06:00

byu football....can we ever get enough!?! we have had so much fun watching and going to games this year. we've only taken the boys to one game and by the end of the first half we were sure it was one game too many, but they got into it the second half and actually had fun. they're pretty good at the byu fight song - just the rah, rah, rah rah rah goooooooo cougars part.these are our awesome seats!!! my family has had these same tickets for YEARS and we LOVE them. nobody to crawl over, no awkward sitting/standing problems, a view of the whole field (plus utah lake, the mountains, costco...) portal XX section 146 row 33 seat 30. awesome.

jane has been my little buddy for all of the games - hot or cold, rain or shine - she has been such a trooper - i'm sure she already bleeds blue like her momma. ok - so we're usually the last to leave the stadium, partly because it takes so long to walk all the way down from the top and also because we like to wait for justin. so the boys were having fun running up and down the empty rows and jumping on the benches so i tried to catch a picture of jack mid jump. well, turns out i also caught christian mid sip - i wonder how many sips he had from left over drinks!!! gross.

2008-09-25T21:43:00.003-06:00

my little jane was so cute at jake and lindsey's wedding and i didn't get a single picture... but emma did...

thanks!!!

I am a Ute.

2008-09-16T21:52:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I officially started school 2 weeks ago, or something like that and now that I cannot refund my tuition, I think that makes it official. By the way, dropping 1,600 scrillas on tuition is not the funnest end-of-summer activity. I can think of at least five cool things I could have done with that money, including a cruise or a trip to some cool place I have never been. I could've bought an IPhone, which I don't need, but I am way trendy so want it. Um...ok, so maybe only two things, but still. School is ok. I miss seeing my boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I feel bad Jenny has to put them to bed which for the most part is labeled the worst part of parenting in my book so far. (I really do feel bad...most nights). AND I feel guilty right now because I should be reading a boring book, or writing an essay or something instead of writing this sentence.
Ok. Guilt is working. Actually, it is not guilt at all. I don't want to be up forever.
peace.
go cougs.

i love people who make rules like this:

2008-09-12T17:50:00.001-06:00

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4243019

2008-09-10T22:15:00.000-06:00

since I am the biggest BYU football fan...
I want to win Frockly's t-shirt giveaway

st. george

2008-09-10T13:10:00.003-06:00

a big huge thank you to the whalens for letting us stay in their beautiful home in st. george... while we were there, mom and dad brought us our scuba gear, and the boys insisted and begged and asked a million times for me to put the wetsuits on them, and of course once they were on, this...

jack loving every second by the pool...

so cute, he kept saying he was "surfboarding"

and he had to make sure we had a picture with the palm trees in it...(that's my boy fo sho')

jane

2008-09-10T13:07:00.002-06:00

while we were in texas we took cute jane swimming for the first time...and of course all she wanted to do was lay out on the blue floaty (that's my girl!) ...but with david around, he couldn't resist another photo opp with our underwater camera...

...and jane jumping off the rock waterfall...so fun! i'm sure she loved it!

Jake and Lindsey's wedding

2008-09-10T12:59:00.004-06:00

Like everyone else...I hardly took my camera out of my bag the whole trip! And the few pictures I did manage to take don't even show how beautiful everything was. (they do show how cute Suz and jane are)... We had such a fun time with everyone and our biggest CONGRATS to the new Mr. and Mrs. Palmer.

(ok, so i found a million pictures of jane in the flowers. i think david must have been a little bit bored while i was out enjoying the girls' pedicure and lunch.)

2008-09-02T10:42:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone...I'm hosting a couple of auctions for the Christian and Stephanie Nielson family. You can check them out here.

BYU football!!!

2008-08-20T08:32:00.003-06:00

ok...so is anyone else as excited for byu football to start as i am? i love, love, love the fall mostly for that reason. so david and i have been going to the scrimmages and a few of the practices and i can hardly wait for the games to start! last week we went to the big fall sports "cougar kickoff". it was so much fun to see our "big boys" (the boys who stayed with us this summer) signing autographs and being all cute with the kids. good luck danny, justin, iona, nate, & tonna.

poor christian...

2008-08-20T08:30:00.003-06:00

well...it finally happend, we made our first trip to the ER. and as you can tell by the picture, it was christian, and he was happily playing again minutes after cutting his lip open on the corner of the desk. that boy...

david took him to the ER and said he was such a trooper the whole time. they did have to sedate him so that they could be sure to sew his lip back together at the right place - good thing there was a good doctor there. can you imagine having a crooked lip your whole life (minus 2 years)? his lip was pretty swollen for a few days, but the stitches are out now and he's lookin good!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN!!!

2008-08-20T08:01:00.005-06:00

our whimsical birthday boy

these are his birthday cakes this year - a dirt cake and a sand cake. the kids LOVED them and we had fun sharing them with everyone when we celebrated all the august birthdays. grandpa turned 92!

christian sporting his new woody costume. didn't have quite the same effect that jack's buzz costume had. I think chrisitan was ready to take it off after about 2 minutes. (eh, bittersweet) we spent the evening and next day at timp lodge up at sundance - so much fun! we found the short cut to stewart falls and hiked that the next day - perfect hike for the boys - not too long with lots of rocks and water!
christian's birthday party/playgroup - i can't believe i actually got this picture with all the kiddos in it - (well, i'm actually holding jane so she isn't in it) it was fun, but crazy!