What would I do without my sister?

So those of you that know me really well, know that I often talk about my very crafty, talented, sister, Katie. She lives in Washington so we don't get to see each other very often, but when we do we have a blast together. Isn't it sad that her favorite summer vacation is to come to Utah! I personally am glad that she makes the long trek here every summer, not only because we get to hang out the whole time, but she is always willing to help me with my crafting dilemmas--I have a lot of them, she got all the talent in that department. I can't even begin to count how many wonderful things she has done for me, but the ones that stand out most in my mind are: she handmade Andy and I a queen-size comforter for our wedding(it took her six months), she sewed all the outfits for the nieces and nephews for my wedding, she has made me countless numbers of curtains for our house(not only this one, but everywhere else we have lived), she painted painted the boys room for me and not just a simple paint job, she spent a lot of time because we were doing multiple stripes and colors, she came for Christmas and spent a TON of time painting all my kitchen cabinets and antiquing them, but most recently--this past July--she came and made me new curtains for my kitchen. She made one for my back door, and my two kitchen windows. They are beautiful.

One of the great talents that my sister has is that she can just look at something and if she doesn't know how to do it, she can figure it out. That is how she did my curtains. I just took her to my friends house and told her to copy the same design--and she did--perfectly!
My sister has just started a new online business. It is iloveletterz.com. It is a vinyl business and she can cut and create anything you want in any color and size. Check it out! So, of course while she was here this summer we had to do some vinyl too. I had a hard time getting this picture because it is on my stairwell and my camera wouldn't zoom out enough to get a full shot. But take a look anyway at the great vinyl she designed and then from the top of my hallway looking down there is somewhat of a full shot. This is now my favorite wall in the house!










These pictures really don't do it justice, but it's the best I could do!
Katie, thanks for always being willing to help me out--I can't imagine what my house would look like without you!!

Lots of Firsts

Kaden lost his FIRST tooth on the FIRST day of school in FIRST grade!

Back To School!

It's here. . .the first day of school! My house is strangely quiet! It is going to take a couple days to get back into a routine. I haven't set my alarm clock for months and almost forgot last night. If Andy hadn't reminded me we would have slept through the first day of school! The kids were so excited to be back with their friends. I am one of those crazy moms who has to drive her kids to school the first day. I, of course, had to go in and walk the boys in to their classrooms(I know I have issues, but I am not the only mom who does it!!). I was fully prepared with my camera so I could pictures of them in their new classroom. You will notice that I do have some control, I didn't walk Cassidy to her classroom(didn't want to embarass her!) so I just got a picture of her and her friend Tatumn in the hall before she left. Here is what I am going to miss most about each of them:

I am going to miss Cassidy's help around the house. She is always so sweet to ask me what she can do to help me. She also loved playing with Ethan and would always help with him too. All summer long he would love going into her room with her and they would listen to music together and just have fun! He has already been in her room this morning looking for her!

I am going to miss Kaden's hugs and kisses. He is one who would always just come and give me a hug and kiss for no reason at all. He would also just come sit with me and talk. He is one who sometimes chooses to hang out with me rather than play with his friends. He always has tons of hugs and kisses for Ethan too!

I am going to miss Spencer's silly sense of humor. He is always doing some crazy thing that makes me laugh. My favorite is when he talks in his chimpmunk voice!! He is always good to do silly things that just make Ethan crack up!

Not Ready to Let Go

I woke up this morning with knots in my stomach. When I tell you why you are going to think I am crazy, but I am very serious. School starts in only four short days and I am nowhere near ready(emotionally) to let my kids go. I have to say that my kids have been great this summer. They have gotten along pretty well and we haven't had too many fights. We have had our moments, but they have been few and far between. I have adjusted to having Cassidy gone all day because we have been doing it for four years now, but this year I am being dealt a double whammy! This year I send my twins to school ALL DAY! Kindergarten was great last year. They were gone all morning, and I could run errands and do things around the house without having to bore them with all that stuff. Then I would eagerly look forward to them coming home in time to have lunch with me and they would be here with me all afternoon. It really was the ideal situation. Now, my days will be empty without them here. However, it is really ironic that I feel this way. When the boys were first born it was a really stressful time for me. I was really overwhelmed. I remember thinking I couldn't wait till they were older and easier and would be gone to school all day and then I could have some time to myself. Well that time has come a lot faster than I had hoped and I wish I could take back those words and even a few years.

Newport Beach

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Newport Beach. We went with my in-laws and my brother-in-law, and it was really nice to spend a week with them. We had a great time. The resort we stayed at was amazing. It had so many different things to do: swimming, basketball, playing on the playground, golfing on the putting green, an activities center for kids, a koi pond, an arcade room, and beautiful views of the ocean! Here are some highlights from our trip:

*Going to a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Bad seats, but worth it in my opinion. Although the parking ticket we got put a small damper on the day. Thanks to my in-laws for watching all the kids while we were gone.

*Riding the ferry over to Balboa. This was such a fun little island. We walked around and explored some shops and the kids got to ride on the ferris wheel and carousel.

*Eating lunch outside on the roof at Ruby's on Balboa Pier. We even saw some dolphins swimming while we ate. It doesn't get better than that.

*The kid saw a shovelhead shark that someone had caught off of Balboa Pier. That was "so cool"!!

*Spending the day at the beach. Although we didn't pick a great day for the beach and it was quite overcast, the kids still had a blast playing in the sand and waves.

*Just enjoying all the resort had to offer. We were always busy because there was always something to do. We even went to a magic show one afternoon and Cassidy was picked to help!!

*Taking the three older kids to Legoland for the day. We had a great time, the lines weren't very long and the kids got to go on a ton of rides. Andy kept saying that this was just the perfect day, and it was. Thanks again to my in-laws who kept Ethan ALL day so we could enjoy this day.

*The earthquake. The kids couldn't believe that we were in an earthquake. Luckily it was pretty minor and no one was injured.

*Good kids in the car. With all of our trips we drove almost 40 hours in 4 weeks, and the kids were great in the car!! I was nervous about how Ethan would do on a long road trip, but he was awesome.

What a great trip and a great ending to our summer!

Happy 11th Anniversary!

I really can't believe it's already been 11 years! Time flies.
Andy and I met while working for the same company one summer. We quickly became friends and hung out together all the time. Eventually our relationship turned into more than just friendship. In February of 1997 Andy flew me to San Fransisco and as we walked along the pier out on the water he proposed! We were married on August 8, 1997 in the Bountiful LDS Temple! We have been through lots of things together these last 11 years, but the most important would be having our 4 children!! Andy really is the perfect husband. He would do anything for me and our kids. He helps me more than most husbands probably do. He works so hard for our family which allows me to be home raising our children. He doesn't stop working when he gets home in the evening. He immediately jumps right in to helping around the house and with the kids. I feel so lucky to have Andy in my life. I really couldn't imagine going through life without him. Thanks for 11 great years and many more to come! I love you!