Styer Family

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas, mostly due to the generosity of our children's grandparents. We decided to have a more modest Christmas this year and had a Family Home Evening to explain this to our kids at the beginning of December. We talked about the 3 wise men, that they brought the Christ-child 3 gifts. Then we told them that they would each receive 3 gifts from us, their parents. Santa brought one gift and their stockings and grandparents gave them many other nice things. They also exchanged gifts with cousins and received gifts from Aunts & Uncles so they were very satisfied.

Having Christmas on Sunday was a nice experience for our family. It became less about what we were going to GET and more about the Spirit of the season. We let the boys see what Santa had brought (Razor scooters) and go through their stockings before Church. Then we were off to Church for a wonderful Sacrament Meeting. We came home from Church, ate a fantastic brunch, opened the wrapped gifts, and took a little nap before heading out to see the Styer Family. Uncles Dave, Doug, and Tom were at Grandma & Grandpa Styer's...my boys love their uncles. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and exchanged gifts before coming home. I only took a few pictures of Christmas...

The Other Half of the Story

2011-12-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

This is the other half of what happened on Cameron's birthday...

After Cam had picked out his new bike and drove it up to the front so we could continue our shopping, Gavin announced that he had brought a $5 and he'd like to buy something for Cameron with his very own money. We went up and down the toy aisles but couldn't find anything Gavin was satisfied with. I had both babies in the back of the Wal-Mart cart because, honestly, what are my other options? Strap one in the seat of the cart and carry the other? Okay, that would've worked but it's hard to say the least...

Anyway, we drove past the clothing area and Gavin spotted some shirts on Clearance. He got so excited and started jumping up and down. We went over to them and began looking for Cam's size. All of a sudden, Harrison was on the ground, crying. I'm not sure if he was reaching and overextended and fell out or if Madi pushed him out or what. But he was on the ground. I picked him up so fast and immediately there was an employee asking what she could do to help, "Should I call a doctor? Do you need ice?" etc. Harrison wasn't screaming, just crying, and he settled down quickly so I really didn't think there was anything wrong. But that employee got another employee who called for her manager to check out the baby who'd fallen out of the cart. They all offered to call a doctor or get ice or anything else I thought Harrison might need. By this time, though, Harrison had quit crying so I said he was fine and continued our shopping. We purchased the bike & other items and came home. I fed the kids lunch and put the babies down for their nap.

That evening, while I was working, Gavin sent me a text that said Harrison was sick. I called Spencer and asked if I needed to come home. He said Harrison had just eaten a lot at dinner and eaten it quickly and had thrown up a little. No biggie...

Two days later, December 22, I got home from work around 8 pm. As I walked in the door, Spencer said, "I need you to feel something but don't freak out." Then he had me feel Harrison's head, which was, for lack of a better word...squishy! We immediately knew we needed to take him to be checked out and went straight to an InstaCare. Both of the babies were ready for bed and Madi had a fit when we thought about leaving her home with Spencer so we left the boys, with Cam in charge, and took the babies. The InstaCare staff was fabulous! I can't say that enough. They took us into the triage area where both of the doctors were standing. They both inspected Harrison and then told us that if it was their son, they'd take him to Primary Children's to have a CT Scan done to make sure there was no bleeding on the brain. They told us that there is something about the height of shopping cart baskets that cause serious injury when fallen out of and, although Harrison was acting perfectly normal, they wouldn't take a chance. They kept saying it was probably JUST a skull fracture but they wanted to be sure. JUST a skull fracture? On my little boy? They also told us they would refund our $20 copay!

So off to PCMC we went. Meanwhile, I started calling friends and family to see if anyone could go sit with the boys, not knowing how long we'd be. Callie & Mike were on their way to Idaho. Emily & Jeff were already in Idaho. Dave & Tisa were in bed (they get up at the crack of dawn on Friday mornings to go serve in the temple) but we woke them up and they got ready quickly to go to our house. I got in touch with my friend, Whitney, whose family was in town for the holidays but said she could go so that my in-laws didn't have to drive over. We told Dave & Tisa to go back to bed and were thankful that Whitney's family was understanding of our emergency.

When we arrived at PCMC, they were waiting for us. Because of the time of night we had to go to the Emergency Room...scary! They started looking Harrison over in a triage room and asked us what had happened. Then they moved us into a real room and we were seen by another set of nurses, doctors, interns, residents, etc. Seriously, we told the story of what had happened no less than 6 times. Harrison was getting pretty bugged by this point and they wanted to do the CT Scan. They explained that they would try to do it without sedation but if he didn't calm down we could either sedate him or wait for him to fall asleep. He needed to be perfectly still. So Spence kept Madi in the room and I carried Han down to the CT Scanning room. I've never seen a CT scan performed and was quite surprised at what it entailed. They strapped Harrison's arms down and secured his head between some supports, then Velcro-ed it so he couldn't move. Then they wanted him to quit crying so they could get clear pictures? The tech told me I could touch him and talk to him or sing to him, anything I could think of to calm him down. I started talking to him and then decided to try and sing. First I sang "I am a Child of God" but couldn't really get through it (I'm an emotional wreck!) so then I started singing the lullaby my mom made up to sing to her babies..."Don't you cry my Harrison, Little Tiny Baby. Mama loves her baby, Mama loves her dolly. You are very pretty and Mama loves you so. So don't you cry and don't you sigh, my Little Harrison. Don't you cry and don't you sigh, my baby boy." Not sure how I could get through that one but it worked and Harrison held still long enough to get the scan done.

Then we started waiting for the CT scan to be read. They told us that there could be three results: 1- If there was no bleeding, we would be released. 2- If there was a small amount of blood, we would be admitted overnight for observation. 3- If there was a blood clot, he'd be rushed to surgery. After waiting over an hour for the results, I finally went out to the nurses station to find out what was taking so long. They'd gotten the results back and forgot to come tell us! Grrrr. After all was said and done, it was JUST a skull fracture! I never thought I'd be happy to hear it was JUST a skull fracture...but we were released and told to follow up with our normal pediatrician after Christmas.

Harrison has healed extremely quickly. The swelling went down within a couple of weeks and he is perfectly healthy now. We are so thankful that it didn't end up being more serious. We are so thankful for friends and family who helped out that night. We are so thankful for the many prayers that were offered in our behalf. We hope we never have to spend time at Primary Children's again. That is such a sad place but we are grateful that we were treated well there.

By the way, our pediatrician later told us that when a child goes to PCMC with an injury like Han's, the parents are asked numerous times to tell what happened so that they can make sure the story doesn't change. Little did we know, we were being investigated during this sad time!

Cam's 10th

2011-12-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Cameron's 10th birthday was on Tuesday, December 20th. Since it was a pretty big birthday and his birthday is so close to Christmas, his grandparents (on both sides), aunts, and uncles all sent him money so that he could buy a mountain bike. He found one that was in his price range and was super excited about it. So that morning, I loaded up all 5 kids and went to Wal-mart. Cam quickly found the bike he wanted so we rolled it up to Customer Service & continued our shopping. (This story has another part to it, but since this post is about Cam's birthday, I'll stick to the birthday part...)

Cam was so excited to get home and try out his new bike. Lucky for us, we haven't seen much snow this winter so he was able to ride it up and down the road. He is anxious to take it on the trail near our house, since it is a Mountain bike! Gavin bought Cam a scratch 'n sniff t-shirt. Can you believe they make such a thing? It smells like popcorn. I think it's horrible but the boys think it is great and that's what matters, right?

Cam's actual birthday was a pretty busy one for us so we celebrated his birthday even more on the following Saturday. We went to see Puss in Boots in 3D and went to a new diner called Virg's. They serve a giant hamburger with fresh-cut fries and tots. We shared it between all of us and even had leftovers to take home!

Cam is such a responsible boy. He has recently become our babysitter on occasion. He is a good student, an ambitious Cub Scout, and a best friend to his brothers. He loves coming home from school and playing with Han and Madi. We sure love him and are glad he was our first-born!

Christmas Lights on Temple Square

2011-12-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Kami called me a couple of weeks ago and said that she wanted to bring her girls to Utah to go see the lights on Temple Square. She asked if we could meet her and, of course, I said YES. I quickly called the Anderson's in Logan and we made a plan to meet for dinner in Layton on the 10th. Kami & girls, Tristan, Abbie & girls, and our family met at Red Robin within minutes of each other. Although we've had some poor customer service at this restaurant before, we were pleasantly surprised when we were seated quickly and taken good care of throughout the entire meal...seriously, our waitress was FABULOUS!

After laughing through dinner, the Anderson's headed back to Logan and the rest of us went to Temple Square. Callie & Mike had also planned to go see the lights so they met up with us and helped wrangle the kids. Gavin insisted on having a picture taken by the green tree (his favorite color). Cam followed suit and had his taken by the red tree. We attempted a family picture at the very end but the babies were ready to go home, the boys were sick of the crowds, etc...

Kami & girls planned to stay at our house that night. We got home and put all the little ones to bed. They were exhausted and went right to sleep. Kami, Spencer, and I stayed up late talking, reminiscing, etc. The Jordan's left the next morning to go visit another friend before heading back to Wyoming. We sure enjoyed our short time together and are planning a trip to see them in the Spring.

Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Owen loves that it's finally HIS turn to be in preschool and was especially excited to be part of the Preschool Christmas Program. They sang songs, recited a couple of poems, and Santa & Mrs. Claus came. Each child said a line into the microphone...as they spelled out the words "SANTA CLAUS", Owen said, "A is for All we get if we don't cry." He was very serious about saying his part, it was adorable. Callie & Mike and Emily & Miley joined us for the program. The kids all took turns sitting on Santa's lap (or Mrs. Claus') but my camera chose that moment to run out of batteries so the only pic I have is this one that Callie took of Owen:

Twin-isms

2011-12-08T07:02:00.001-07:00

Twin-isms: a word I'm making up to describe things that our Twins do that I think they only do because they are twins. Things I want to remember...

Harrison and Madison generally wake up around 7 am. They start babbling in their cribs, first one twin, then the other, as if they are having a conversation.

We recently hung a curtain between the piano room and great room to add a little privacy for both rooms. Madison will sit on one side of the curtain, Harrison on the other. One will press their face in to the fabric curtain and then the other will start giggling. Their laughter is HILARIOUS and so CONTAGIOUS!

A lot of times when the babies need a treat, I'll give them each half of whatever...half a banana, half a piece of bread, etc. Two days ago I gave them each half of a granola bar and let them walk/crawl around with it. Silence! (Sigh) All of a sudden Harrison was screaming! I hurried to where he was to see what was wrong. Harrison is only crawling, Madi is walking. And there was Madi standing over her brother with BOTH granola bars...just tall enough that he couldn't grab his back! She was almost smirking as he screamed bloody murder!

A few nights ago, Harrison was at the top of the stairs on the main level. Madi came climbing up to the top. As she reached the top, she bonked her head on the hard wood. She looked up at Han in shock and almost started crying. Then Han bent over and bonked his head and started laughing! So Madi bonked her's again and started laughing!

And how are they doing with the Christmas tree? Madi was scared of it at first but now they like to take off the largest ornaments and then try to put them back on. We have a few ornaments that look like candy. It is common to see Madi take one faux lollipop off the tree and hand it to Han and then take another for herself. Luckily the "lollipops" are wrapped so even if they try to eat them, they aren't hurting the ornaments or hurting themselves at all.

They are so lucky to have each other and we are so lucky to have them! Honestly, what a blessing! We hope they will continue to have a special relationship. I will continue to post the cute, funny, amazing things they do :)

Gavin's Birthday

2011-12-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

Gavin turned 7 on November 30th. He had some very specific things he wanted to happen on his birthday.

#1- Although I already had the treat ready for his class so that he could take it when he went to school that morning, Gavin insisted that I bring it down. He wanted his class to see the babies...However, when we got to the school, the teacher was in the middle of something else so it was pretty anticlimactic as I just handed the bag to Gavin and tried NOT to disturb the class.

#2- He wanted to open his gifts so that "if I get new clothes, I can wear them to school." Because Spencer leaves for work before the kids wake up, I wasn't sure how this could be accomplished if we wanted the entire family to watch him. We decided to let him open everything the night before and it worked out perfectly. He did get a new shirt & sweatshirt from Grandma Tisa & Grandpa Dave and two new pairs of pants, one from us, one from Granny Jane & Grandpa Rick.

#3- He wanted to eat school lunch. I make the boys a home lunch most of the time. But he wanted to eat the Nachos at school, so I let him. He loved it!

#4- He knew he didn't get a party this year but he really wanted the family to eat out for dinner. I usually let the kids choose either the restaurant we go to or what's on the menu if I make something at home. Luckily, Gavin chose Chili's and we happened to have a coupon to that restaurant where the kids could eat for free. Callie & Mike really wanted to see Gavin on his birthday and since the day was pretty crazy, met us at Chili's for dinner. We all ordered our meals...Cam & Gavin had cheese pizza with fries, Owen & the babies had grilled cheese & fries. Spence & I and Callie & Mike each ordered the 2 for $20 deal...appetizer to share & two entrees. Our appetizer came out pretty quickly. Beidler's appetizer took a while. Then the food arrived and everyone started eating. Everyone except Spencer and I, because our food didn't come out. No biggie, we helped the kids get started and kept working on our appetizer. Then the waiter came out and asked the standard, "How is everything tasting?" without noticing that some of the food was still missing. The kids all said it was great and then Callie said, "It's all good but they never got their food!" So the waiter ran back to the kitchen and then came back to our table and explained that he'd made a "mistake" when putting our order in and out food hadn't been ordered. The kitchen was rushing it. No biggie. Then the manager came out and apologized and told us the food would be "on the house" and would we like soup or a salad to start us off while we waited. Sure, why not? And then our main dishes came out pretty quick too! But our waiter NEVER returned. We all finished eating and waited and waited and waited for the check. But since our waiter didn't come back to our table, we just kept waiting. The kids were getting restless and the babies were ready to go home so I told Spence to wait for the check and I'd take the kids out to the car. As soon as we walked out of the restaurant, I saw our waiter rushing to our table. He'd brought Gavin a Birthday treat...but we were already out in the car! So Spencer asked if he'd box up the brownie part of the treat and get the check so we could go. The waiter brought out the check and it was $25! They'd comped our portion of the food but charged us for the kids...even though we had the free coupon. Callie asked if they could put the kids' food on their ticket so that they could still eat free. So they did whatever they had to do to enter the coupon code, blah, blah, blah. Somehow we still paid $5, but that was a lot cheaper than what I was expecting! Gavin enjoyed his Birthday Brownie the next day.

Gavin is such a great part of our family. He is so smart, eager to help, and has such enthusiasm for life! We sure love him and enjoyed celebrating his birthday as a family,

Free Day at the Aquarium

2011-11-28T22:48:00.001-07:00

That's right...today was a totally FREE day at the Living Aquarium in Sandy. We took the kids to the Aquarium shortly after we moved here but had not been back. A few girls from the ward decided we should have a little field trip with our preschoolers and off we went.

Ally, Colton, Owen, Madi, Kama, Harrison, Me, Halle, Audrey, Cora, Addi, Brooke, Berkley, Whitney, Sovie

Addi, Ally, & Owen trying to pet a sting ray.

Checking out a cockroach (or maybe this was the tarantula?)

Owen, Madi, and Addi watching the penguins.

Owen was so interested in everything this time! He touched a cockroach and a sting ray. He looked at a shark, giant turtle, boa constrictor, African gray parrot, lots of penguins, and an octopus. But his very favorite was the Jellyfish exhibit...which was very cool! Madi wanted to walk around independently (yes, she started walking this week.) Harrison wasn't very excited about being in his stroller. We were glad Kama & Brooke were available and willing to carry him around or follow Madi. I fear we are entering the chasing phase with the babies...

Black Friday

2011-11-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

I'm relatively new to the tradition of Black Friday. I usually opt out, preferring to sleep instead. But this year, my good friend Whitney asked if I wanted to hit the stores that were opening at Midnight. She was looking for one particular item at Best Buy but after driving through the parking lot at 8 pm and noticing how long the line already was, decided to try a few other stores instead. We wanted to check out the craziness of Wal-mart. And it was PURE chaos. We didn't even get out of the car...we couldn't even find a parking spot! So we went to Target. A couple of things I wanted were on sale, marked down almost 50%! So we got in line at 10:30. Yes, 10:30! We waited and waited and waited. Then we made friends with the people in line behind us (who actually is a police officer for our city and said he'd let us off with a warning if he ever pulled us over.) It was cold, but not snowing, so we made the best of our waiting time and laughed a lot!

We finally got into Target, a little after midnight. My items were still available but Whitney's wasn't :( . We left Target and went to Carter's. The entire store was marked down 50%, plus an additional 10% if you paid before 5 am. Add to that the 20% off coupon I had and we were in business! We each got a bag full of clothes for our little ones. Then headed to the mall.

By this time, it was between 1 - 2 am. There were SO many teenagers at the mall. Whitney and I were a little shocked but not as much as when we saw little kids, like babies - 5 year olds, with their parents shopping! Seriously, it was close to child abuse! The poor things just wanted to be in bed. We even saw one sleeping on a bench with no parental supervision. We felt so bad for them and were extra grateful to our husbands for letting us have a little fun and join in the Black Friday insanity!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice Thanksgiving this year, spent with the Styer Family. Tisa prepared a wonderful, traditional meal. We took pretzel salad, green beans, and three pies. After the meal, Spence, Chopper, Dave (the dad), and Cam watched a little TV.

Dave (Spence's brother) was totally captivated by the babies, especially Madi. He took one look at her red hair and started calling her his "Little Ginger Pie." She quite liked him too. Dave also let the kids play games on his iPad. Tom napped. Tisa & I visited with everyone for a few hours before Dave, Chopper, & Tom headed back home.

We stayed for a little while longer...the boys helped Grandpa build a picnic table for the play room and Spence & I challenged Tisa to a couple games of Scrabble. All in all, a relaxing day with great food and good company!

Reader's Theater

2011-11-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I've already mentioned it but Gavin is in a French Immersion program at school. Basically that means that he goes to an English-speaking teacher for half of the school day and a French-speaking teacher for the other half. Because of this, their curriculum is quite a bit different from the other 1st graders in the school. On November 16th, the two teachers put together a little program with both of their classes. The kids sang in English & French, recited a Thanksgiving poem in English, and showed off a few other things they have learned in French. It was quite impressive.

We were glad that Grandma Tisa, Grandpa Dave, and Emily & Miley could join Owen, the twins, & I at this "Thanksgiving Reader's Theater." Unfortunately, Spence had a busy day at work and couldn't break away.

We really enjoyed watching Gavin...he is such a HAM! Seriously, the boy may end up on Broadway someday. His expressions and movement really steal the show! This video is a portion of a French number they did. If you take the time to watch it, you will see that the kids were supposed to sing most of the lines but let the recording sing alone through some of the difficult words...Gavin sang the entire song! He said he knew the words, so why wouldn't he sing???

Busy Life

2011-11-14T09:38:00.001-07:00

For those of you who regularly check my blog and have been disappointed to see that I haven't updated for a while, I'm now officially current again. So scroll down, click on older posts if you need to, and catch up on what we've been doing.

This past weekend was extremely busy and wonderful! Spencer and I participated in another 5K on Saturday morning. I'm not sure what we were thinking when we signed up because it was COLD and more like a cross-country run than anything else. And it was HARD! So hard that I said I'd never do that run again. It was called the "Crazy Course" and was a serious race, complete with numbers, t-shirts, and a chip you wore around your ankle for timing purposes. Most people there were experienced runners...I think you have to be if you want to race in the freezing weather. The course went through neighborhoods, paved paths, and even a horse trail. Spencer did great, finishing in just 36:57. I finished in 44 minutes. I hope to do better in the spring.

This weekend was also our Primary Program. We have such supportive families and were joined by Grandma Tisa & Grandpa Dave, Granny Jane & Grandpa Rick, Uncle Mike & Aunt Sylvia, Uncle Randy & cousin Kara, Uncle Mike & Aunt Callie, Uncle Jeff & Aunt Emily & Miley. The boys did such a good job with their speaking and singing parts. Cameron & Gavin each had solos and performed like professionals. The Spirit was so strong and I am so grateful that my boys are being taught the truthfulness of the Gospel. We had a lovely meal at our house after the block: ham, funeral potatoes, rolls, green salad, green beans, and pumpkin pie. We enjoyed the time with our families and love them all.

Me, My Dad, & My Mother-in-Law...all sporting the same shade of GREEN!

Tutus!

2011-11-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

I recently joined Pinterest and saw this cute Tutu Tutorial on one of my friend's boards. I thought, "Hey, what a great idea...I can make that." And so I did. I first made one for Madi - ALL PINK! Then I found out about an online auction that has been organized for the Jordan Family. They accept donations and then auction them off. I wanted to help. So I offered to make two tutus for that. It is so much fun and I love the way they look when they are finished. It helps that Madi likes to look pretty and wants to try on every one I have made so far. Don't be surprised if this becomes my signature gift.

Miley, modeling the "Pretty in Pink" Tutu.

Madi in "Lady in Red."

P.S. If you feel like bidding on one for the auction, click here. If you want to order one for your daughter, niece, friend, contact me. I can make them with pink, white, or black elastic and pink, red, fuschia, lime green, or gold tulle. And I'm pretty cheap!

Han's First Real Haircut

2011-11-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Harrison has had a couple of trims around his ears but Aunt Callie gave him his first REAL haircut recently. It always saddens me just a bit to see my little baby boy start looking so grown up. He didn't really love getting his hair cut...

Owen, on the other hand, loves it SO much. He closes his eyes and is totally relaxed.

We are so thankful for Aunt Callie, who keeps us looking our best.

First Snow of 2011

2011-11-05T08:34:00.000-06:00

We have had a wonderful fall, complete with crisp mornings, changing leaves, and chilly nights. We received our first real snow during the first week of November. Within minutes, the three boys were bundled up and ready to play. And play. And play. They spent the majority of the day outside, only coming in for lunch and a quick mug of hot chocolate. And it's a good thing they took such advantage of the snow day, because it has already melted and the earth looks brown again.

October Party #6...Finally Halloween

2011-10-31T07:54:00.000-06:00

After all of the fun that preceded Halloween, I was a bit relieved when it finally arrived. I was able to help out at Owen's preschool on Halloween. He wore his cowboy costume and I wore an angel costume. Cam & Gavin had their costume parade at school. After wearing his Joe Dirt to the trunk-or-treat, Gavin told me that some of his friends told him he looked like a girl. He decided to wear a different costume to school and then change to Joe Dirt when he got home from school. So he went as Darth Vader and Cam went as the mad scientist again.

After school, we loaded up in the car to make a quick visit to Aunt Callie.

Then it was off to trick or treat in the neighborhood. Cam decided he was old enough to go without parental supervision so he and a neighbor boy went up and down the streets alone...(I could see him the entire time, though he didn't realize that.) The boys got SO much candy!

October Party #5...Trunk or Treat

2011-10-28T07:37:00.000-06:00

Our neighborhood had it's annual Trunk or Treat at our church on Friday, October 28. Cameron went as a mad scientist, Gavin went as Joe Dirt, Owen was the cutest cowboy, Madi was a witch, and Harrison was a broom! The kids got tons of candy and then they had doughnuts and apple cider in the gym. The kids got a good start on their Halloween candy.

October Party #4

2011-10-24T07:43:00.000-06:00

Spencer has been traveling for work and was gone a bit in October. During one of his overnighters, we decided to carve pumpkins without him. Emily & Miley came to help out too. I let the kids pick a stencil from an online site and we printed them off and did our very best. Owen's was Frankenstein, Gavin's said Boo!, and Cam's ended up looking like the Punisher. We had fun creating our jack-o-lanterns for the year.

Dave's Art Show

2011-10-23T07:34:00.000-06:00

Spencer's oldest brother, Dave, recently showcased some of his art at a gallery in downtown Salt Lake. Spencer and I went and got Chopper from his new apartment and the three of us went to see the art and support Dave. His art is truly amazing...he is very gifted! And one of his pieces was made into a t-shirt recently (which we ordered, of course.) It was fun to spend a little time with the bros!

October Party #3

2011-10-22T15:55:00.000-06:00

Owen turned 5 on October 20th! A few days before his birthday, he came upstairs and handed me a stack of envelopes he'd found in my scrapbooking stuff. He said, "Here mom, you can use these for my party." Oops, this mom wasn't planning to have a party. But how could I say no? So we threw together a really low-key party to celebrate his birthday. He invited 4 friends from the neighborhood: Holden, Bryson, Ally, and Gigi. We watched "Spookly the Square Pumpkin" movie, decorated square sugar cookies, played "Pin the Wart on the Witch" and fished over the bannister for a few prizes. Cam's friend, Jake, came to help out. Emily & Miley came too. Madi & Miley were both sporting real pigtails so we had to take a pic! Owen got some nice gifts and had a good time.

October Party #2

2011-10-15T15:40:00.000-06:00

It seems that October was just one party after another. The first was a Couples Costume Party that Spence and I were invited to. Lots of fun people, delicious food, fun games, and costumes...what more could you want? We went as Mr. & Mrs. Joe Dirt.

October Party #1

2011-10-14T15:47:00.000-06:00

I'm calling this a party even though it was more of an EVENT. Anyway, we started October off with a trip down the Provo River with a bunch of friends from the ward. It was advertised as "scary"...it wasn't really scary but it was a lot of fun. The boys loved it! And after, we went to a park and enjoyed hot chocolate & cookies, courtesy of Alissa Hyde. These pics are horrible because I was taking them in the dark, oh well...

Thirty-Five!!!

2011-10-12T23:32:00.000-06:00

Spencer turned 35 on Sunday, October 9th. Although there wasn't a huge celebration (that's the way he likes it), we did enjoy the day with my sisters & their husbands. (Spencer's parents had an important meeting that evening so they came over the following day.) I served Spencer's favorite meal: Ribeye Steak, Baked Potatoes, Corn, Rolls, and Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream. He received some very nice gifts from his parents and mine, my sisters, and our little family and heard from most of our

siblings. Happy Birthday, Spence! We love you!

Fall Sports

2011-10-11T23:42:00.000-06:00

Not really sure what we were thinking, but we were involved in fall sports with Owen, Gavin, & Cam. Owen & Gavin played soccer, Cam played flag football. Owen's team was the "Blue Fast Cheetahs" (don't forget the "fast"), Gavin's team was the "Fighting Ninja Dragons", and Cam's was the "Blue Skulls." They had grandparents, aunts, &/or uncles at most of their games. We are super glad the seasons are over and we can finally have our nights back! I know this is just the beginning...and the boys really enjoyed their sports this season so it was totally worth it!

Bucket List: Run a 5K...check!

2011-10-11T13:39:00.000-06:00

Last year, when I could barely move from the bed to the couch to the bathroom, etc, I said, "Next year, let's run a 5K!" And we all laughed. I am not a runner. I never have been. If I had hit a homerun, I doubt if I could've run all the way around the bases without nearly collapsing. So Spencer thought my statement was more than funny.

In the middle of the summer, when Emily was still living in Virginia, she told me that she had a secret desire to run a 5K and that she had started running in Virginia. I was so excited because I'd found a running partner. I told her that if she wanted to start training when she moved back home, I would train with her. Then I told Spencer and Em told Jeff and by the time they had moved back, both Jeff & Spencer decided that they would join us in our adventure and we were all anxious to start training. We only had 8 weeks until our race so we started training immediately. We had heard about the online website "Couch to 5K" but it was a 9 week program so we used a similar program that I got through Weight Watchers. The first day we ran 1 minute, then walked 1 minute, ten times. That was hard! But we kept going. Our last day before the race we ran 20 minutes, walked 1 minute, then ran 20 minutes again. We kept each other motivated and celebrated every success! Spencer was always much faster than the rest of us. As we trained, we would each go at our own pace. Then at the appropriate time, we'd just turn around and run back to where we had parked our cars. It worked for us because we'd begin and end together and we really strengthened our relationships through this process.

I took this with my cell phone on one of the first days of training. This was the one & only time we took the babies & their double-stroller. Cam babysat for us every other time! He is awesome!

We started looking for 5K to sign up for. We had a few qualifications for our first "race."

Must be FREE. I didn't want to spend money on something if I wasn't 100% sure we'd be ready for. I'm cheap, what can I say?
Must get a T-Shirt to prove we'd accomplished our goal. (Honestly, we had to pay for the shirt but it was only $6 and with Free registration, I was happy to pay.)
Must be a run for something I believe in. I didn't just want to sign up for a race, I wanted it to have meaning. We found a Breast Cancer run...which we are all passionate about since my mom's a SURVIVOR!
Must be able to push a stroller. Emily pushed Miley in her stroller every single training run. She wanted Miley to be there with her when she crossed the finish line.

All of our qualifications were fulfilled in the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" 5K in Downtown SLC. What we didn't realize when we signed up was that, although it was called a 5K, it was actually closer to 5 miles! It was also an event that anyone could do. In fact, most people walked.

Em & I before the race.

Spence & I before the race.

Running in Honor of our mom...Jane Tew

Miley & Emily

Natalie, Spencer, Jeff, & Emily before the Race. (It was cold!)

Emily & I decided that we would run for 20 minutes and then walk for a minute or two and then we could run again. But when the 20 minute timer went off, I felt great and didn't want to stop. So I kept running. Then I started setting small goals in my mind, "I'll run for 5 more minutes," or "I'll run until the next intersection," or "I start walking when I pass that person." But as each mini-goal would come and go, I'd just keep running. It felt so good to know that I could do it! And I ran the entire (almost) 5 miles! Of course, Spencer finished before any of the rest of us. He was able to run the entire course as well. Then he got our camera and took pictures of Emily & I while we were still running and at the finish line.

It looks like I'm walking but I wasn't...just dragging a little after running for 45 minutes! Em looks cute though!

Our silly husbands, posing of course!

After the race!

Once again, I look really dumb but I was overjoyed that we both RAN the entire thing!

Em was behind me most of the race. That's me!

Run a 5K...check!

I am so proud of our accomplishment. I remember hearing other people say that if you started a running program, you'd be hooked. I never believed them. But it's TRUE! We are toying with the idea of doing a half-marathon in the spring. We'll see!

I must give a huge shout out to my in-laws who came to our house early, before 7 am, and babysat the children. Our race would not have been possible without them. Thanks Dave & Tisa!

If you run, you are a runner.

It doesn't matter how fast or how far.

It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years.

There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get.

You just run.

~John Bingham, running writer and speaker

Principal's Award

2011-10-07T12:57:00.000-06:00

The night before Spence & I left for Wyoming, I got an e-mail from Cam's teacher.

It said, "We are having an assembly tomorrow to honor specific students. I chose Cameron as one, and if you’d like to come to the assembly it is at 2:30 tomorrow. It is a surprise, so if you could help keep it a secret that’d be great :)".

I was so excited for Cam to be recognized but pretty sad that I wouldn't be able to go to the assembly. I mentioned it to my mom but didn't expect her to load up the twins & Owen the next day. However, Callie overheard the conversation and the next afternoon, Mike showed up at my house to pick up my mom and Owen and go to the assembly. Emily came over to watch the babies. Cam was recognized with a certificate that says,

"This award is presented to Cameron Styer because he sets a good example for others by being kind and respectful to all."

Cam didn't even notice Mike, Granny, & Owen in the audience until he was in the front of the assembly. It really meant a lot to both of us to have someone there to support him.

A Great Friend

2011-10-06T11:21:00.000-06:00

Spencer and I have been married for 11 years. During this time, we have made many good friends. Our first friends that we made as a couple (where neither of us had previously been friends before marriage) were Nate & Kami Jordan. Followed immediately by Tristan & Abbie Anderson. We were in the same ward for 2 years. We had Cameron, neither the Anderson's or Jordan's had children at the time. Although we have all moved from the ward in Logan (Anderson's are still in Cache Valley) and lost touch along the way, we still consider them to be kindred friends. We have been able to reconnect throughout the years and it seems as if no time has passed since our last communication. We truly love them all. We lost our dear, Nate, to cancer on Saturday, October 1st. We were privileged to attend his funeral services with the Anderson's in Riverton, Wyoming yesterday.

Before I go on, there is no way this opportunity would have been possible if it had not been for my fabulous family. My parents had been on a cruise the previous week and were to fly in to Salt Lake Monday afternoon. During their layover in Houston, my mom and I talked on the phone. I told her about Nate's passing and how we were trying to finalize plans so that Spence and I could go to the funeral. Emily had already volunteered to keep all 5 kids. Callie had already volunteered to let us take her brand new Jetta. And before my parents left Houston, my mom sent me a text that said dad would take the shuttle back to Idaho and she would stay with our kids to help Emily. She gave up 2 days of her vacation to help us. Callie's husband, Mike ended up coming over in the afternoon to help entertain kids and to attend a school assembly where Cam was recognized (more on that in another post), Callie came after work, Emily was back and forth between our house and hers throughout the day, and we came home to 5 happy kids in bed and a clean house. We appreciate it so much. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude.

Nate was diagnosed with Leukemia on May 2nd. He and Kami went immediately to Denver to begin chemo treatments. He received a bone marrow transplant in August. He was released from the hospital and everything looked good. He was readmitted in September and sent home a couple of weeks later. The doctors said there was nothing else they could do. We were very sad and began planning a trip to Riverton to say goodbye. Kami was so positive and encouraged people to come visit. Nate was in a ton of pain but enjoyed seeing friends and family. We had made all the arrangements for us to leave Friday, September 30th and visit for the weekend. However, Nate took a turn on Thursday and we (and others) were kindly asked to leave his remaining time on earth with his family. They knew it was getting close. With heavy hearts we canceled our plans.

Yesterday morning at 6:00, we left our house. We were in touch with Abbie & Tristan and decided we would try to meet up with them somewhere in Wyoming so that we could travel the rest of the way together. We tentatively planned to meet at a little town named Farson, population 326. As we pulled in to Farson 3+ hours later and found a gas station, I called Abbie to see where they were. Literally 30 seconds later, they pulled in to the gas station! We asked the gas station worker if they could leave their truck parked there for the day and they loaded in with us. The remaining 1 1/2 hours of travel went by so quickly. We really enjoyed being with each other and quickly caught up on the past few years. We laughed, we cried, we reminisced about our time in Logan as newlyweds. We arrived in Riverton around 11. We stopped and saw their gym, Iron Works.

Abbie & I

Tristan & Spence

We ate lunch at Wendy's and changed into dress clothes. We went to the church and saw Kami. We hugged and cried. We met their girls, Grace & Scarlett. Because there was still an hour before the funeral service and the viewing was only open to family, we drove through Riverton and saw Nate & Kami's home. Then returned to the church to honor our friend. We learned a lot about Nate.

We went to the graveside and got a little more time with Kami. We talked about taking our families to Riverton, maybe in the spring? We invited her to visit us in Utah. We laughed. We cried. We hugged. And after the luncheon, we drove home. We are SO glad we were able to go.

Spencer, Natalie, Kami, Abbie, Tristan

Nate was a big fan of comics. He especially liked "The Punisher." After the grave was dedicated, Kami and Grace approached the casket. Kami let Grace put stickers on the casket, just like any 5 year old would want to! They put 2 small Superman emblems (for Grace & Scarlett), one large Superman (for Kami), and a Punisher (for Nate.) This little act touched my heart.

Nate's Obituary:
"Nathan Samuel Jordan, 33, returned home to his Heavenly Father October 1, 2011 in Riverton, WY. Funeral services will be held 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 5th at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with Bishop Wendell Richardson conducting. Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery.

Nate was born June 28, 1978, to Samuel S. and Mary Ellen (Hart) Jordan in Riverton.

Mr. Jordan graduated from Riverton High School in 1996 and then from Bridgerland Applied Technology College in 2004.

February 10, 2001, he was sealed to Kami Fabrizius in the Ogden Temple.

Nate was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a mission in Ohio. He was also dedicated to the building of the Veil Crossing Monument at Martin’s Cove.

From 2004 until 2011, he worked for Dave Maddock and then in 2005, he and his wife opened the Iron Works Gym. He enjoyed powerlifting, where he maxed out at 425 lbs on bench and 505 lbs. on squat. He shared a love of comic book heroes with his daughters. He and his wife enjoyed traveling, and was known for always having a project on a vehicle. His family says that it was obvious to those who knew Nate that his faith and family came first in his life.

He was the founding member of the ½ ton club at Iron Works Gym. He also volunteered his time with the Fremont County Athletes. He also participated in Turn on Tonkin."

I wrote the following for Kami but wanted to have it in our family history as well:

"OnSaturday morning, October 1, 2011, Spencer and I went running. Werun at different paces and usually get separated from each other. Such was the case that morning. When we got back together, Spencertold me that he had a strange, but very real feeling that Nate hadpassed on. Although we didn't know for sure, we knew. And we felt the loss. That evening, Spence & I went to dinnerafter he'd gone to Priesthood Meeting. We talked about Nate, ourmemories of him when we lived in Logan, and the way he'd changed ourlives.

Wemet & became friends with Nate & Kami when we lived in Logan,around 2002. Nate drove a big white & blue Ford truck with acovered bed. He was asked to help people move in and out of the wardnumerous times. He would occassionally grumble about it but everyoneknew that he would help out. He was always willing to serve others. When Spencer's parents moved to Hawaii in 2003, they left us with theresponsibility of cleaning out their home and getting it ready forrenters. Nathan & Kami helped us on many weekends. His blue &white truck was used to take loads to the dump, DI, and storageunits. After the Jordan's moved back to Wyoming and we moved toIdaho, any time we'd see a blue & white truck driving down theroad, we'd slow down a little to see if, by some random chance, itwas Nate & Kami.

Nate& Spencer became immediate friends. They were home teachingcompanions and went to visit their families every single month, notbecause they really cared for their families (we can't even rememberwho they were assigned to) but because they cared about each other!They quickly learned that the other liked WWF, televisedpro-wrestling, and we'd get together most Monday nights so the boyscould watch Monday Night Raw! When they found out WWF was coming toSalt Lake, Spence & Nate talked Kami & I into gettingtickets. We went to the E Center together. The boys were in heaven. Shortly after the Jordan's moved, Spencer quit watching Raw. Iasked him why and he said, “It's just not as fun without Nate.”

Nate& Spencer also found a common interest in cars, old and new. Oneday Spencer had to drive to Salt Lake to pick up a dishwasher for ourhome. He found out that there was a car show at the South Towne ExpoCenter in Sandy and decided that he'd like to go. So he asked Nateif he wanted to go too. They loaded up in Nate's truck with Cameron,around 1 year old. They had a great time and didn't get home untillate that night. Months later, I found out that they had ran theerrand, went to the car show, and then eaten at HOOTERS! With my1-year-old little boy!!! I was a little upset, Kami just laughed. Maybe because Nate had told her where they'd eaten the minute he gothome, not months later. They had such a good, loving, and honestrelationship.

Iremember sharing a dinner table with the Jordan's on many occassions. Nate would break out in a sweat any time he ate red meat. And weate a lot of red meat too... When Cameron was 5 months old, Irealized that we'd soon be celebrating Spence's first real Father'sDay. He'd hinted (a lot) that he would really like a grill but Iknew that our finances wouldn't allow for that. I'm sure I was justtalking to Kami one day and telling her how I wished I could getSpence a grill when she suggested I discuss it with Nate. As soon asI'd told Nate the dilemna, he assured me that he could fabricate acharcoal grill. I left it in his hands and honestly didn't eventhink another thing about it. For his first Father's Day, Spence didreceive a grill...custom made by Nate! Although we now have a gasgrill on our back patio, many times Spencer will choose to cook onhis first grill.

Aswe were talking about Nate over dinner on Saturday night, Spence saidsomething about how he wouldn't call Nate his best friend because hefelt they were more like brothers. There was an immediate connectionbetween the two and although we'd gone years without talking to theJordans, we thought about them so often. When we finally got to talkto Kami mid-September, it felt as if no time had been lost, we justpicked up where we'd left off the last time we'd talked. We wereanxiously preparing to visit Riverton and see Nate the same weekendthat he passed away. Not making the effort to go sooner is one ofthe biggest regrets we have. Nate was a great man. We will misshim."

If you have read this entire post, you have probably remembered a friend who meant a great deal to you at one time in your life. Do me a favor and call that friend today! Don't wait.

Miss Stacy (from the Anne of Green Gables movie) says, "True friends are always together in spirit." We love and miss you Nate! We anxiously await the day until we see you again.

Fun Run 2011

2011-09-23T11:07:00.001-06:00

Today was the Fun Run at our Elementary School. It's the 3rd year we've lived here. The first year we had just moved to Draper & didn't realize what a big deal the Fun Run is. Gavin, Owen, & I watched Cam run it. Last year I had newborn babies and couldn't even go watch Cam & Gavin run. However, Cam won a giant prize which included an iPod. This year I decided I would run in the Fun Run with one of the boys. Emily agreed to run with the other. I let the boys decide who would run with who. (Should it be "whom should run with whom"?) Gavin chose Emily. Cam chose me. Lucky for us, Granny & Grandpa were in town today so they agreed to sit with Owen, Han, & Madi and cheer us on along the route.

The Fun Run was 1.2 miles. Because of the area we live in, there was a lot of uphill! Cam has a very mild case of asthma and often tries to say he can't run because of it. However, I pushed him and he pushed me and we ran a large majority of the course. Emily pushed Miley in her stroller. She said that Gavin wanted to run a lot so she did. We were so happy to add this small jaunt to our list of "things we have done."

Braydon, Gavin, Cooper, Jaxon, & Cam with the Eagle. (My friend Kama is the mascot! )

1-Year-Old Pictures

2011-09-20T21:43:00.001-06:00

The day after the babies turned one, I took them over to my good friend, Whitney's house so that she could take a few pictures of them. Whitney does not take pics professionally but, personally, I think she should! Madi was super ornery that morning but Whit was still able to get a few sweet shots. (Not to mention the few hundred where she's bawling!) Harrison, on the other hand, was so smiley that nearly every picture she took of him turned out! I can't upload just a few pics this time around so here are a lot to feast your eyes on...

Madi hates the feel of grass on her legs, feet, hands, etc.

Although most people think this baby girl looks just like her mama, this picture has STYER written all over it, right?

"I do NOT want to look cute right now!"

"Is this cute?"

"How 'bout this face? Is it cute?"

This is my FAVORITE pic of the whole morning! Love her piggies, love her face, love her half smile!

And we're done...for a minute.

Cheesy but adorable! Seriously, look at his pose!

The happiest boy on the block!

Here's lookin' at you, kid!

I love everything about this picture...especially the way he's curling his tongue!

"I want that camera and I want it now!!!"

A little worried...

A lot angry...

Starting to get sad.

Two One-Year-Old Babies in their "1" Shirts.

Thanks for your time, patience, and creative mind, Whitney. I think these turned out just perfectly!

Preschool...At Last!

2011-09-13T10:51:00.000-06:00

Owen FINALLY started preschool on Monday, September 12th! He has been waiting for this day forever! He is going to preschool with two of his good friends, Ally & Colton. He goes twice a week, Monday & Tuesday...but he asked me Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday if it was a Preschool Day! This new schedule will take a little bit to get used to...

Two One-Year-Olds

2011-09-07T15:27:00.000-06:00

I've heard it said that the first year of twins is the hardest and sort of like a blur. But we have truly enjoyed every moment with these adorable babies. They have brought us so much happiness and joy and they are loved by all. We celebrated their birthday with my family while we were in Idaho. Dave & Tisa came to visit them on the morning of their birthday. These babies were showered with lots of clothes for fall...now we're anxious for the weather to change just a little so they can wear them!

Owen had a soccer game that night. Then we had pizza & cupcakes for the twins' birthday. Madi had a pink cupcake, Han had a blue one. And boy, did they love them!

I took the twins to the doctor for their well-child checkups the following day. I am proud to say that I nursed twins for an entire year! They are healthy and strong and perfect! Harrison is 20 pounds, 7 oz (20%), 29 inches tall (30%), and his head circumference is 18 inches (50%). Madison is 19 pounds, 4 oz (25%), 28 1/2 inches tall (40%), and her head circumference is 17 1/4 inches (25%). Neither of them is walking yet but both are pulling themselves up and walking around furniture. Madi says "Uh-oh", "mama", and "dada". Han says "mama", "dada", and "all done!" Also, on Thursday, my good friend Whitney took pictures of the babies. But that's another post entirely.

The New Mr. & Mrs.

2011-09-06T14:51:00.000-06:00

Callie Tew (pronounced "two") & Mike Beidler (pronounced buy-d-ler (not beedler))were married on September 3rd, 2011. We were able to spend the long Labor Day weekend to celebrate this event. (The charger to my camera was ruined by one of my children (the middle one) and so I was unable to take any pictures in Idaho. However, in an attempt to get caught up on the ol' bloggy blog, I'm going to post this and then add pictures as I get them from family members. )

Emily & Miley, Owen, Madi, Han, and I drove to Idaho Friday morning. Spencer had put the luggage carrier on top of our Mitsubishi and Jeff & Emily brought their luggage over the night before so we really just woke up, got the boys off to school, loaded everyone in carseats, and headed north. Emily came prepared with children's music CDs, toys, treats, etc to keep the babies happy throughout the long 3.5 hour drive. Callie & Mike got to Blackfoot about an half hour before us. When we arrived, mom had prepared lunch and we all stretched our legs for a while before going to the church. Dad picked up a trailer full of rental equipment for the wedding & reception and Ryan, No'el, & girls met us there to help unload and set up. (On Wednesday, my mom hurt her foot at work and had to have it x-rayed, only to find out it was a really bad sprain and she was fitted with a big, black walking boot. The doctor told her she should wear the boot often, to support her ankle while it healed, and she was a little nervous about having to rely on everyone else to do the work.) The set up went so much smoother than anyone really thought it would and we were unloaded and set up (for the most part) within a couple of hours. Spencer, Jeff, and the school-aged boys drove our Saturn to Idaho and left after Spence got off work and the boys & Jeff were finished with school. They arrived just as we were finishing at the church. That evening, the girls and babies went to a bridal shower for my cousin, Hugh's fiancee. The men & boys went to Melina's for chips, salsa, and fried ice cream. We stayed the night at our friends' house. (Thanks Dan & Krissy for letting us take over your home.)

Saturday was full of running around, trying to get ready for the wedding. Mom & Dad purchased a 6-foot long sandwich for lunch. Spencer & I went to pick it up, unsure of how it would fit in our car. Luckily, No'el was able to bring it home in her nearly empty mini van. It was probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten...and from Wal-Mart!!! So good and satisfying. We all got dressed and ready for the wedding. My boys looked so handsome in black pants, white shirts, and yellow ties. Madi & our nieces were in black, white, & yellow dresses. So pretty. We met at the church at 5:30 for pictures. Our cousin, Ruth, was the photographer. We are excited to see the pictures soon. Callie asked me to play the piano while people were arriving for the wedding. I was a little worried about what I should play as she walked down the aisle. She & Mike helped me pick 4 or 5 songs, including "The Married Life" from "Up", which is what I was playing as she was escorted down the aisle by my dad. Gavin, Owen, Avery, and Jette sang "You Are So Beautiful" and Cameron & Abbie sang "To Me." Cameron got a little choked up and couldn't sing for a while. He's got such a tender heart. Abbie did a great job. Then Bishop Keith Keller gave a few pieces of advice and performed the actual marriage ceremony. No'el then sang a medley of "We've Only Just Begun" and "The Promise." She is such a natural performer, we are blessed to have her as part of our family. The transition from wedding to reception went very smoothly as chairs & tables were moved and refreshments were set out. They served cheesecake with a variety of toppings. Miley, Madi, and Han were pretty tired and getting a little grouchy so Jeff & Spencer took the babies home about half way through the reception and put them to bed. Then Spence came back to help clean up.

Callie & Mike came back to my parents house on Sunday morning and we all watched them open their gifts. Then they left for their honeymoon in Vegas and the rest of us went to the Moreland 1st Ward. It's always nice to attend your home ward. Then we went to Ryan & No'el's for Grilled Hamburgers and fresh-cut Idaho fries! My dad was working at the EISF so he missed out and we missed him. We really enjoyed visiting until late that evening.

Monday morning we got ready to head back to Utah. Owen had had a rough night and was feeling a little flu-ish. Then Gavin started complaining that he didn't feel well either. Our usual 3.5 hour drive took more like 5 hours as we had to stop multiple times with sick kids. I won't go in to detail but will say that Owen & Gavin ended up riding home without carseats because they were both soiled about 15 minutes after we left Grandma's! We were glad to have the rest of Monday to relax and get ready for another week...unfortunately, Spencer and I were both a little under the weather Tuesday. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend full of many memories & fun.

It's My Birthday!

2011-08-31T14:10:00.000-06:00

I turned 32 on the 31st of August. To celebrate my birthday, my sisters & I had a picnic. Callie was at work and didn't have a ton of time so Emily & I picked up subs from Subway, Em brought drinks & chips, and we met at a park near Callie's work. It was a beautiful day outside but, for some reason, that park was WINDY! We enjoyed our time together as sisters and they gave me some nice gifts (a watch & slippers).

Owen had his first soccer game that evening. His team is the "Blue Fast Cheetahs" and don't try to call them the Blue Cheetahs...the "Fast" part is super important to a group of 4 1/2 year olds!

After the game, Emily came & sat with the kids so that Spence & I could go to dinner. Spence chose Johnny Carino's and it was really, really good! My in-laws & parents gave me $$ to spend on myself. I have had a lot of fun shopping for things I've wanted but didn't want to spend the money on. I received so many nice cards, messages on FB, phone calls, etc on my birthday and really felt special. Thanks to all who remembered me in some way.

First Day of First Grade

2011-08-23T11:14:00.000-06:00

Gavin started First Grade on August 23rd. He was so excited to go to school all day, eat lunch at school, and then walk home with his brother! We enrolled him in the French Immersion at his school, meaning that he has two teachers, one is English Speaking and one is French. They go to the English teacher for half day and learn English, Reading, Comprehension, Spelling, etc. Then they switch to the French Teacher and learn French (obviously), Math, Science, and Social Studies...all in French! In fact, the French teacher is encouraged by the school district to speak NO English to the students. So his first few days have been interesting. The French Teacher is from France, not a Returned-Missionary who is easy to understand. He has a thick accent and speaks very little English, even to parents. What an adventure! But if anyone can take on this challenge, it's Gavin. He is such a smart boy, anxious to learn, and excited about life!

First Day of 4th Grade

2011-08-22T10:57:00.000-06:00

How can I have a 4th grader? A 9 1/2 year old Boy who is responsible, kind, cute, but still a little whiny, naughty, and crazy? Cam started 4th grade on August 22nd. He has decided that school lunch is gross so we pack him a home lunch every single day. Which I'm okay with, most of the time. His new teacher is very organized, somewhat demanding, and exactly what Cam needs this year. She has already recommended a couple of books that he has flown through because he loves them. (The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back, both by Tom Angleberger.) We're excited for 4th grade!

Last Hurrah!

2011-08-20T11:08:00.000-06:00

In anticipation of school starting next week, we decided to do one last fun thing for the kids. So we took them to Planet Play, a pizza/game place they've been dying to go to. Luckily, we had a few coupons so it didn't cost us an arm or a leg. We invited the (future) Beidler's to join us for all-you-can-eat Pizza, drinks, desserts and then unlimited play on the arcade games. We had a lot of fun!

Miley's 1st Birthday & Cake Smash

2011-08-16T10:50:00.000-06:00

The Hardings got home just in time to celebrate Miley's 1st birthday. Emily wanted to let Miley smash a cake while taking pictures. Since Jeff & Em love the look of hardwood floors, they asked if they could do the "Cake smash" in our piano room. I was happy to oblige. After a full photo shoot with balloons, decor, gifts, etc they gave Miley a tiny personalized cake. She was very timid at first: But finally got into it a little.

And when she was finished, we let the twins loose and they went at it!

That evening, we were invited to celebrate her birthday at a pool party. Em & Jeff bought hot dogs, pop, and cupcakes for all.

I can't believe Miss Miley is already one! We're so glad she is back in Utah so we can enjoy her cute personality and fun spirit. We love you, sweet girl!

A Homecoming, A Gala, & A Pre-Wedding Celebration

2011-08-15T10:33:00.000-06:00

Our Rick Tew Family Reunion was a little different this year. Originally we had planned to go to the Martin Family Cabin in Island Park, go see a show at the Playmill, and spend a long weekend together in Idaho. Then the Hardings return from Virginia got delayed by one week and we all wanted to be in Utah when they returned. So we made a complete change to our agenda and Ryan & No'el's family and my mom & dad came to Utah for the weekend. As I already blogged about, we went to Lagoon all day Saturday. Then we decided to plan an outdoor dinner for Sunday afternoon (August 15th), as soon as the Hardings got home. But everything is more fun when you give it a fancy name, right? So we began calling it the "Gala."

Spencer picked up Emily, Jeff, & Miley from the airport Sunday morning and took them to their house. They had left Virginia Friday, stopped in Texas for Jeff's brother's wedding and festivities (all day Saturday), and caught the early flight to SLC Sunday morning. Needless to say, they were exhausted. They were troopers though, and after a quick nap, came to our house to join the rest of the family for the Gala. When they left Utah in May, Miley was still a baby, but when they came to our house that August afternoon, Miley had grown up! She was very interested in getting reacquainted with the twins...

We served Teriyaki Chicken with a grilled pineapple ring, Strawberry Won-ton salad, Pasta Salad, Orange Parfait, Grilled Corn on the Cob, and a dinner roll. Yummy! We also celebrated Miley's first birthday. (She wasn't very interested in the cake or candle.)

After that, we gathered in the living room for a small program to honor Callie & Mike:

Cam, Gavin, and Owen sang "Never Tear Us Apart."
Abbie, Avery, and Jette sang "Firework."
Gavin, Avery, Owen, & Jette sang "You Are So Beautiful."
Abbie & Cameron sang "Darn it Baby, That's Love."
Dad, Ryan, No'el and I sang "We Wonder Why."
Then Emily joined No'el & I to sing "Do-ta-do" and we added Callie when we sang "Happy Together."

Then each family gave Callie & Mike some advice for their upcoming wedding. My dad gave his traditional toasts, "We hope that when you look back on your wedding day, you will realize it is the day that you loved each other least." And of course," Happy Wife, Happy Life."

Then Ryan told a story about when he and Callie were a lot younger. Callie had received a brand new bike for Christmas and Ryan had received a new scooter. They wanted to go show Grandma Baldwin so they both rode down to her house. Grandma gave them a grocery bag full of newspapers to take back to our mom and Callie had it hanging from her handlebars. Ryan suggested they race home and he was so proud of himself for beating her until he turned around and saw that the bag had gotten stuck in the spokes of her front wheel and she had flipped the bike and was lying on the road. He hurried back to her, happy to be able to help his little sister. He then told Mike that he (Ryan) will always be Callie's big brother and will always be there to help her if she falls. But Mike & Callie should now be there for each other, helping each other at every opportunity.

I had been thinking about the importance of names and how Callie would be taking on the last name "Beidler" soon. I just reminded them that Mike will also be taking on the last name "Tew", though not physically. I said (to them and the rest of us) that we need to live so that if someone asks if you're related to so-and-so, you'll be proud to say Yes. Names are kinda important that way.

Jeff represented the Hardings and talked about trying to make each other happy every day. And that they will only be truly happy if their spouse is happy. He said that many people say the first year of marriage is the hardest but that if you focus on making your spouse happy, rather than thinking of yourself, you can overcome that obstacle quicker.

Mike & Callie then said a few words of thanks. Mike said he is excited to be part of our family unit. Callie added how grateful they are for the love & support. Then we quickly made our way to our backyard. Callie & Mike had invited friends and family to join us in a Pre-Wedding Celebration (see how that sounds more fun because of the fancy name?) We had done a lot of yard work, decorated with their wedding colors (black, yellow, & white), prepared fabulous refreshments, and made a CD of background music.

The Happy Couple

Refreshments

Decor & our Backyard

Aunt Sylvia

Aunts Sue & Karen came from Idaho

Niki & Doug/Chopper (Spence's brother) and Dave & Tisa came to support us.

There were so many fabulous friends and family that came to support Mike & Callie. These are just a few of my favorite pics. (Thanks to Emily for taking pictures.)

When YMCA started to play, the kids were happy to sing and dance and perform for all of us!

Our Baldwin family had organized a long-distance bridal shower for Callie. Each family sent a gift with Sue & Karen to help Mike & Callie decorate their apartment and stock up on food storage. We all watched as they opened their nice gifts.

And then it was over. The kids LOVED playing with the decorations as they came down!

We got cleaned up quickly so that the Tew's could get back to Idaho...and the Hardings could finally get some sleep! What a great (and exhausting) weekend!

La-La-Lagoon!

2011-08-14T11:07:00.000-06:00

As part of our Rick Tew Family reunion, our parents took us to Lagoon on Saturday, August 14th! It had been 9 years since Spencer or I had gone and our boys have never been so it was FUN! Granny & Grandpa, Callie & Mike, and our family arrived around 11, found a picnic spot for our coolers of food, and headed to the rides. The boys were very patient when having to wait in line and really enjoyed the different rides. Ryan, No'el, and girls got to Lagoon around noon and quickly joined in on the action. Abbie & Cameron were very similar in their choice of rides, they were too tall for the kid rides but didn't want to go upside down on the adult rides. Avery, Gavin, Owen, and Jette loved all the kid rides but soon Gavin started getting a little antsy, WANTING to go upside down. Ryan & Spencer decided to encourage Cam & Abbie to be a little more adventurous. Ryan took Abbie on The Centennial Screamer (against her will.) And she LOVED it! Cam still wanted nothing to do with it. So he and I had a little heart-to-heart and he went on that ride with me. Honestly, he was nearly in tears because he was so nervous but I just told him that he could do hard things. I also told him that I hoped this was the only year that he was scared of the big rides and that I would hold his hand and he could close his eyes if he wanted to. And he did it! And he LOVED it too! Then we went on Colossus, The Spider, and a few other "scary" rides. Gavin is a little daredevil! He wanted to go on all of the big rides too so he joined us. He even went on WICKED! (That is the scariest ride I have ever been on.) Abbie & Cam went on the white roller coaster all by themselves! Even the twins went on a ride...the merry-go-round! We stayed at Lagoon until the park closed. It was a day packed full of memories & fun for everyone. We really missed the Hardings. They were in Texas at Jeff's brother's wedding :( We are so thankful to my parents for planning this awesome day for all of us.

Bingham Canyon Mine

2011-08-12T15:10:00.000-06:00

Spencer took a couple of days off in August. We were originally going to have a Rick Tew Family reunion in Idaho but changed it to Utah which gave us an extra day with Spencer home! We decided to take the kids to Bingham Canyon Mine...only a short drive from where we live and we'd never been. (Actually Cameron went last year with G & G Styer and Spence went when he was a little boy.) We loaded up and made our first stop at In 'n Out Burger. Yum!

Then traveled on to the Mine. We enjoyed the short video they show in the Visitor's Center, looking at the big trucks, and taking a picture in front of the giant tire. And Cam posed for us in front of a dinosaur fossil that is called the "Camarasaurus". It really was worth the drive if you have kids who are semi interested in trucks, rocks, etc.

11 Years!

2011-08-04T15:05:00.000-06:00

August 4th was our 11-year Anniversary. We had Cam take a picture or two (he does this every year.) Then Callie babysat the kids while we went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. (We had planned to go do a 20-Lap Race in GoKarts but when we got there, they were booked for private parties so we just came home.) It was nice to be out without any kids and just spend time together as a couple. Grateful for our family members who helps us out by watching all 5 kids! It's a big job!!!

Gavin & Owen's Time with Grandparents

2011-07-26T11:44:00.000-06:00

Gavin & Owen went to Idaho to spend time with Granny Jane & Grandpa Rick. They were gone from July 21-24...just the right amount of time to be away from home. They had such a great time. They went to a park in Rexburg with Abbie, Avery, & Jette:

They went to Tautphaus Park/Zoo with Granny & Avery:

They went to Wingers:

They went "crawdad fishing" with Grandpa & his friend, Leonard:

They saw "Mr. Popper's Penguins":

They played Wiffle Ball with Grandpa:

And on Sunday morning, they got up and got ready for church. See, our ward meets at 9 am, so the boys are used to waking up Sunday morning and immediately getting ready to go. However, Granny & Grandpa's ward doesn't meet until 1 and the boys didn't realize that. Imagine Granny's surprise when the boys walked downstairs in their church clothes at 8:30 am! So instead of going straight to church, Granny had them change into their play clothes and they helped her make Monkey Bread:

And finally it was time to put Church clothes back on:

We met in Tremonton to get the boys later that evening. I hope my boys will always remember these special times with their grandparents.

Empty Nesters for a Weekend

2011-07-25T13:43:00.007-06:00

Granny Jane came to Utah Wednesday, July 20. She spent the day with us and we finalized a few things for Callie's upcoming wedding. The next day she went with us to watch the boys in swimming lessons. Here's Gavin learning how to dive and jumping off the diving board.

Owen learning to float and playing a game in the water.

Cam diving off the platform and jumping off the high dive.

Then we went to McDonald's and Granny shared her Wild Berry Fruit Smoothie with Madi & Han. The boys got Happy Meals with Star Wars toys and they made the babies giggle with excitement!

When Granny left that afternoon she took Gavin & Owen back to Idaho with her. They were gone Thursday-Sunday and I will post about all the fun they had when she sends me the pics. Grandma Tisa invited Cameron to come spend the weekend with them. He left Friday and will be back sometime today (Monday). I'll blog about that later too. That left Spencer and I feeling like empty nesters. Of course we still had the babies but you can get a lot more accomplished with 2 children when you're used to hauling 5 around!

Our home teacher, Chris Metzger, who is a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, gave us tickets to the MoTab's Pioneer Day Celebration on Friday night. Callie generously gave up her Friday evening to take care of the babies. When we arrived, the section we had been assigned to was already full so they told us to file down to the "Plaza", which is the floor seating. Although we couldn't see the entire choir, we could see the monitors and hear the entire program. It was a very nice event and we feel so lucky to have such a great Home Teacher!

Our friends, Cliff & Sarah Sharp, came to Utah for the weekend and we got to spend some time with them too. We went to dinner at GoodWood and went to the ReAL soccer game. We didn't get home until LATE but had such a good time!

We were, however, very ready for our boys to get home. Our house seemed so empty and quiet and we were glad to reunite with Gavin & Owen Sunday afternoon. We're all anxious for Cam to get home today!

Babies First Bath & other Baby Pics

2011-07-25T13:09:00.006-06:00

The title of this post makes it sound like I haven't bathed my babies for 10 1/2 months. That is not the case. We were gifted the most fabulous baby bath that fit in the kitchen sink.

Although the babies were getting bigger and bigger, I couldn't quit using the baby bath. It was just SO convenient and made bath time easier. But recently, we were in a hurry and the babies needed a bath. So I decided to run a bath in our garden bath tub. The babies absolutely LOVED it! They think it's their own private swimming pool. Thanks to the Hertzler family for the bath toys & bath towels! (Cam, Gavin, and Owen were took turns taking these pictures.)

A few weeks ago, our friends John & Rebecca Bateman came for a visit. They are in the process of moving to Boise and we'll miss them a lot. Lucky for us, they love the twins (and the boys) so hopefully they'll come visit whenever they are back in town. Rebecca snapped these shots with her cell phone or iPod (I can't remember which.)

When Aunt Kate was a little girl, all she wanted for Christmas one year was a puppet. Dave & Tisa looked every where for one but all they could find was flower that had a mouth. Then the package from the grandparents in Hawaii arrived and when they opened it, there was a MONKEY PUPPET! Kate loved it! Fast forward 25+ years...We were visiting Dave & Tisa's and Tisa handed the much-loved, brown, fluffy monkey to Spencer. He slipped it on his hand and started "talking" to Madi and Harrison. They too love it! It's now a favorite every time we visit.

Both babies are starting to crawl and making our jobs a little more eventful. Harrison still prefers to army crawl but is happy to have a few obstacles to go through, over, or around. Madi didn't mess around with army crawling and immediately got up on all fours. She is a quick little lady!

It's Personal!

2011-07-23T13:34:00.000-06:00

It's with much hesitation that I finally get this post out of my head and publish it. I hesitate because it's a very personal matter...but I think I'm finally ready to talk about it. Weight loss. There, I said it. I think I've always struggled with my own body image. I always thought I was overweight and needed to lose a few pounds. But looking back at pictures from high school, college, wedding, etc...I realize it shouldn't have been such an issue then! That was before nearly 11 years of marriage and 5 kids. I've been a little jealous of people as they started a weight loss program and succeeded but I also knew that it wasn't the right time for me to focus my energy on weight loss. However, on May 14, 2011, I joined Weight Watchers! I discussed the decision with Spencer (only) but really felt like it was MY time. I had decided to put my whole heart into it but didn't want to tell others in case it didn't work for me. I had a million reasons in my head as to why it wouldn't work and didn't want anyone to ask me how it was going if the progress was slow. I'm happy to report that Weight Watchers has worked! I hit my first goal of losing 5% of my body weight on June 10th, then hit my 10% goal on July 15th, and have (to date) lost 27.2 pounds! It feels good and it's only the beginning.

An Afternoon

2011-07-12T14:57:00.003-06:00

Last Friday, July 8th, we needed to get out of the house! It was an overcast day so we couldn't go swimming, we didn't really want to go to a park, but a walk and picnic sounded fun. So Cam helped me load up the bikes and the double stroller, I made a picnic lunch, and we drove over to Emily's apartment. She lives near a walking trail so we parked in her parking lot and started walking. We walked and walked and walked. (Really the boys rode and rode and rode. I walked and walked and walked!) We stopped and ate our picnic lunch and then kept walking. When we were 3/4 of the way home, Owen just couldn't ride his bike anymore so we left it near the road and he walked with me back to the car. Then we drove and picked his bike up before coming home. In all, we went over 2.5 miles! That's a long afternoon.

The Seamons

2011-07-07T14:48:00.001-06:00

Spencer's best friend, Steve "Beaver" Seamons, and his family were in Utah last week. It's funny to me that we went nearly 8 years without seeing Beave but since our reunion last year in April, we've tried to see them as often as possible. His wife, Amelia, is so easy going and fun to be around. Our kids, especially Kyla & Gavin, get along great! Beaver & Amelia invited us to come to his parents' house for a barbeque and then we'd take their boat, the "Seamonster", to Willard Bay. Spencer was the only adult who got in the water...Beaver drove the boat, Amelia is expecting their 4th baby, due in August, and I was holding the twins. The kids loved it!

Unfortunately, our time was limited, thanks to a very dark rain cloud. We miss you guys already and look forward to your next trip to Utah! Or maybe we should plan a trip to Arizona again?

Independence Day 2011

2011-07-05T14:33:00.000-06:00

Our 4th of July began with a trip to the bowling alley with Dave & Tisa. We bowled two games. I won the first, Spence won the second. As a side note, both Spencer & I got Turkeys in our second game! Cam almost broke 100 (he got 94), Gavin got a Strike, and Owen got a Spare. We laughed a lot and had so much fun!

Then we went to Chili's for lunch...yummy! Then home for naps!

We had tickets to the ReAL game that evening. It was quite an exciting game that ended 3-3. They did fireworks in the stadium following the game. The fireworks weren't that great so we drove up Steep Mountain, parked the car, and watched fireworks across the entire valley. We are so grateful to live in this blessed land and had fun celebrating our Freedoms!

Bear Lake 2011

2011-07-02T13:48:00.000-06:00

Almost as soon as Cameron got back from Idaho, we started preparing for our annual trip to Bear Lake, June 30th-July 2nd. This was our 4th trip to Bear Lake in 5 years...we didn't go last year. We were all very excited but I wanted to come home to a clean house so we cleaned and organized for a few days before we left. We also picked up the tent trailer from our friends, packed it up with all things needed for camping, and went grocery shopping. Then we were ready to head north Thursday morning. My parents left Blackfoot a few hours than we left our house so they beat us to our camp site. (Not to mention that we stopped in Logan for lunch and a Charlie's milkshake.)

We camped at Bear Lake North RV Park and Campground like we did in 2009. It's such a nice little place with toilets, showers, grass, privacy, shade, etc that is reasonably priced and perfect for our little family. My parents were already set up with a pop-up shade tent, chairs, and their trailer unhooked. Spence unhooked our trailer and then, because his wife is a little pushy, had to physically move the trailer so the door to our trailer and the door to my parents trailer would open toward each other. He is a trooper! Then he set up a tent for the boys to sleep in between the two trailers. Glad my dad was there to help him!

We stayed at camp that day. My parents made a delicious dutch oven dinner and Spence popped popcorn over the campfire.

The next day was when we went to the beach. Bear Lake's beach is so much different this year due to the super high water levels. In years past, we've been able to drive our cars on the beach to wherever we wanted to set up. It was so easy and convenient. This year, we had to actually park in the parking lot and haul all the equipment...floaties, coolers, shade shelter, umbrellas, chairs, diaper bags, etc. It took a lot of work but was worth it. Callie & Mike drove up for the day and we all had fun playing in the water and getting a little bit of sun.

When we'd had enough, we went back to camp and had hamburgers, hot dogs, fresh salsa, and raspberry cobbler before Callie & Mike left to drive back.

One thing I want to remember is Lucky, the dog that thinks he owns the RV park. I was sort of nervous about him because Owen is quite afraid of dogs. However, he LOVED that dog!

We sadly planned to leave camp Saturday morning. We debated on going back to the beach but decided against it...we'll have to plan an extra beach day next year. Spencer wanted to drive around the entire Bear Lake since we weren't in any hurry to get home. So we did. We drove and we drove and we drove. Babies slept. Boys slept. And I slept. It was wonderful. We went back through Logan and met Uncle Tom for lunch at the Bluebird. We made another important stop so that Spencer could have his 2nd Charlie's milkshake in 3 days. Then he decided to drive through Sardine Canyon, past the new temple site in Brigham City, and on the back roads to Willard, or was it Ogden? Long story short, the drive that should have taken us 3 hours, took 5+. Oh well. It was fun.

We were grateful that we had the tent trailer again for this camping trip. It just makes camping much better. We were glad to have spent the time with my parents...good times, good memories. And I was especially glad that my mom had her camera with her because after I had taken 3 pictures, my battery died!

Cam's Solo Summer Trip

2011-06-27T15:37:00.000-06:00

Cam got to go to Idaho alone for almost an entire week with Granny & Grandpa. He was gone from June 20-26. Because Abbie (Ryan's daughter) is close to Cam's age, this week was sort of like a vacation for her too. Granny & Grandpa spoil them both and let them do a lot of fun things. (In a few weeks when Gavin & Owen go, Avery will get in on all the action.) Cam got to watch Abbie play in a few softball games, they ate at Burger King, got ice cream sundaes with Aunt No'el, played in Ryan & No'el's pool, and then they took their annual trip to West Yellowstone and Island Park. First stop was Big Judd's. They bought one giant hamburger, divided it in four, shared french fries, soda, and ice cream cones!

Then headed on to Island Park to stay at the Martin Family Cabin. On their way, they drove through Mesa Falls. When they got to the cabin, they made "Rock Families", sat on the dock, and enjoyed each other's company.

The next morning they drove through Big Springs and toured Johnny Sack's cabin on their way to West Yellowstone. They also stopped at Quake Lake, toured the museum and watched the movie that told about the earthquake.

When they finally made it to West Yellowstone, they were privileged to see High School Musical at the Playmill Theater. Cam loved the Fudge and got his picture taken with Sharpay! He has watched Disney's HSM about a million times since getting home. My mom got her picture taken with John Peter Lewis...who was on American Idol a few years ago.

Cam really had a great time with his grandparents but we sure missed him at home. We have started relying on him for help with the other kids and it was a little hard without him. Aunt Callie & Mike met my parents in Tremonton to pick Cam up on Sunday afternoon. Callie sent me a text letting me know when they had exited the interstate. Immediately Gavin & Owen went to wait for Cam on the front steps. Even though they wrestle, tease, bicker, and fight on occasion, those 3 boys really are the best of friends! It was fun to see them be reunited. Thanks to my parents for making Cam's summer exciting! Gavin & Owen are anxiously waiting for their turn!

First Camping Trip

2011-06-23T16:28:00.008-06:00

Last weekend we went on our first camping trip with 5 kids! Wow! Our friends, Steve and LuAnn Petrovich, have a tent trailer that they let us borrow which made "camping" with the babies so much better.

We wanted to take the trailer out for an overnight trip so that we could get the feel of it and know what we'd need for next time. We were looking for a close campground, somewhere that would only take an hour or so to get there, so that if there were any problems, it wouldn't be a super long trip back home. We decided to head toward Heber City. My cousin, Nikki, lives in Heber so, since neither Spence or I was familiar with the area, I called to get her expert advice. She suggested I look into the Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway, knowing there were multiple campsites, fishing for the kids, and it was close to Heber. She also told me there was a Crater to see, Dairy Keen to eat at, and Deer Creek Reservoir nearby.

So Friday after Spence got home from work we took off. We drove through Park City and arrived at Wasatch Mountain in good time. We found a good campsite and Spence quickly set up the trailer while the kids explored our little area.

Then we loaded back up in the car and drove into Heber for dinner. We took Nikki's advice and ate at Dairy Keen. Besides their world famous burgers and shakes, they had the greatest soda pop dispenser that I wish I would have taken a picture of. You touched a screen to choose a basic soda (they had everything you can think of) and then another screen came up with flavors that could be added. I had peach Sprite-zero! YUM-O! We shared a fresh raspberry shake...even Harrison & Madi got a taste!

We took a few pictures in front of their train and then headed back to camp. Heber Valley is a beautiful area. We really enjoyed sight-seeing on our way back. We got back to the trailer, prepared the sleeping arrangements, and then I got the babies ready for bed while Spence and boys started the campfire. We made a lame attempt at S'mores and then sat around the fire and watched it burn. We even got out our emergency flashlights (that look like light sabers) and let the babies play with them.

The following morning we decided to head out pretty early. We stopped to let the kids fish. My dad used to have a quote printed that said, "Fishing holes are not for serious fishing...they are quiet waters for reflection. They are for the very young and the very old. Fathers take their sons to fishing holes...they take their fathers, also." I used to make fun of him for that quote but as I watched my husband fish with his sons, it came to my mind. Nobody caught anything that morning but it was a good experience. I just sat back and watched (while the babies slept in their carseats.)

It took A LOT of work to go camping for just one night and we learned a few things for future trips this summer:

#1...Plan to go for more than one night. It takes about the same amount of effort to get packed and ready for one night as it does for multiple nights. Then when you get to the campsite, you can actually relax, knowing you'll have time to enjoy the trailer, campfire, exploring, etc.
#2...If at all possible, find a campsite where you can pitch a tent for Cam, Gavin, and Owen to sleep in. Having 7 people in the trailer was just a little big crowded.
#3...Try to start the making of s'mores before dusk. Roasting marshmallows with 3 eager boys without much daytime left can be stressful. If you begin the process a little earlier, it will be more enjoyable for all parties.
#4...As difficult as it is, try to keep the babies on their schedule. In our case, Madi didn't want to go to bed until well past midnight. That makes for a very tired momma!
#5...Expect accidents to happen. Gavin tripped and skinned his knee & hand, Owen fell and bonked his head on the picnic table.

That being said, we've already planned our next outing. Luckily, this time around we'll be in Bear Lake and my parents will be there to help out!

Fun at the Laundromat

2011-06-23T16:22:00.003-06:00

While preparing for a recent camping trip, I decided that all our sleeping bags and blankets needed to be washed. I did NOT want to do a million loads of laundry at our house and decided it would be worth it to go to a laundromat. Can you believe it's the first time most of my kids have ever been in one? They thought it was so interesting to watch the big front-loading washing machines because they could see the water and suds and were thoroughly entertained. Then we moved the items to the dryer and they couldn't get enough! Not something I want to do again anytime soon but it was a mini adventure for the Styer boys!

Cub Camp & Picnics

2011-06-23T16:10:00.003-06:00

Cam went to Cub Camp the first weekend they were out of school, June 10th & 11th. Spence was lucky enough to go with him. They went to the Jurassic Journey & SuperHero Achievements and Cam enjoyed it all. He even got to buy a new whip, wooden snake, and lots of candy from the scout camp store. He has such good scout leaders and really enjoys being a cub scout.

While he was gone to cub camp, Gavin, Owen, the babies, and I decided to take a picnic and meet our friends Whitney, Berkley, and Sovie at the park. Gavin & Owen basically inhaled their sandwiches so they could get to the toys. Berkley was happy to follow the big boys around. Madison, Harrison, and Sovie were happy their moms had walked to the park so they could chill in their strollers. I always enjoy a lazy day at the park with good friends so hopefully it was the first of many walks, picnics, and fun!

Kids (and Moms) Bowl FREE!

2011-06-23T15:51:00.005-06:00

If you haven't already heard about this great deal, you can go to www.kidsbowlfree.com and sign up your children to bowl free! I decided to upgrade to a Family Pass because it was $24.95 (one time) and you got a $25 gift card to a local restaurant. Um, yes please? So every week I get coupons delivered to my e-mail address for 2 free games for all of my children and up to 4 adults. We do have to pay the shoe rental fee but that's okay by me. We took our first trip to the bowling alley a couple of weeks ago with the Petersberger Family. By the middle of the first game, we realized that the bumpers would be helpful to anyone still in elementary school. Honestly, Kama and I could've used them too! The kids had a ton of fun and have been begging me to go again. And since it's free...we'll go as often as our schedule allows this summer!

Cam, Gavin, & Owen

2011-06-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

It seems that I'm constantly updating this blog about the babies...how big they are getting, new things that are learning, etc. I guess it's because they change on a weekly basis. But, as this is our family journal, I need to make more of an effort to concentrate on my big boys too. We went to a Well-Child visit for them on June 15th. Yes, this visit should have been done closer to the kids' birthdays but since I felt like we were at the doctor's office multiple times for the babies, I just put it off. So here we are, closer to the boys' half-birthdays than their real birthdays, and finally going in for a check-up.

Cameron is a very healthy 9 1/2 year old boy. He loves to be outside, riding bikes, hiking & exploring, playing with friends. He has been such a big helper this summer with the babies. Sometimes Spence & I have to remind each other that he is only 9...we expect a lot out of him, sometimes too much. He has become our babysitter whenever we run errands, as the boys would usually rather stay home than go to the grocery store. He is RESPONSIBLE and we appreciate him a lot! He is 55 1/2 inches tall and 82 pounds. That puts him in the 85% for both height & weight.

Gavin is so energetic. He has no fear and sometimes makes me a little nervous at the things he'll try without hesitation. He likes to follow Cam around, explore, jump on the trampoline, and ride his bike. He is 48 inches tall & weighs 51 pounds. That's 80% for height and 65% for weight.

Owen is so brave. Before the doctor's appointment I knew that he'd be the only one that needed any immunizations. I talked to him about it before we went in and told him that he needed to be tough. When it was time for the nurse to do the shots she asked him if he could count to 10. She had him shut his eyes, hold my hands, and start counting slowly. By the time he reached 8, she was already done. He did not cry, whimper, or even flinch! I was so proud of him. He is 42 inches tall & weighs 40 pounds. That's the 70% for both height & weight.

These boys are growing up so fast. They keep us busy throughout the summer because we all like to have fun! I must admit I'm a little anxious for school to start so that I can relax a little. :)

9 Months Old!!!

2011-06-10T16:01:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that these babies have been on this earth longer than they were in my belly! They are so much fun, each with his/her own personality. We went for their well-child check up and had to snag a few pictures while waiting for Dr. Sheri.

At 9 months, here are their stats:

Harrison~19 lbs 7 oz (40%), 28.5 inches (75%), 18" head circumference (75%)
Madison~17 lbs 15.5 oz (40%), 26.6 inches (30%), 17" head circumference (40%)

Han is very good at army crawling, rolling, smiling, saying Da-Da, and taking a binky. He is starting to be a better sitter and we finally had a break-thru in the eating department. If you read my blog regularly, you'll remember that Harrison had a total dislike of all food, other than breast milk. At play group one day, someone suggested that I buy a self-feeder. I'd never heard of such a thing but it's like a little net that you can put any type of food in and the baby can suck on it to get some of the taste without the texture. We tried it that night and soon had an eater! We discovered that if he could put it in his mouth, he'd eat it which made for a few messy meals. But now he's happy to sit back and let us spoon-feed him and he pretty much likes everything, especially YOGURT!

Madi is still a petite little princess. She gets doted on regularly and hasn't found it necessary to learn to crawl yet. She is great at sitting, saying Ma-Ma, picking up cheerios or other small foods, drinking out of a straw, and getting her way. She is often found in dresses, skirts, bows, and piggy-tails (AKA horns). She likes all things girly and is attracted to earrings, necklaces, rings, and anything shiny. She recently started scrunching up her nose and it is absolutely adorable!

They both have very red hair and very blue eyes. Dr. Sheri said that their eye color will probably stay! Who knows about the hair! Trips to the store, library, church, basically anywhere take a little longer because people love to stop us and look at them. One elderly gentleman recently stopped me in Wal-Mart to look at the babies. He asked if we'd go over to the next row to show his wife, which we did. He told me we had made his day!

We are excited to spend more time outside in the double-stroller, taking walks, playing at the park, and frequenting the swimming pool. We invested in some 85 SPF sunscreen to protect Harrison & Madison's creamy white skin! Hope it works.

School's Out!

2011-06-10T15:53:00.002-06:00

Cam's last day of 3rd grade was June 8th. His teacher for the year was Mrs. S. Smith. One day Cam said to me, "Mom, I think Mrs. Smith is going to teach 4th grade next year because every time we talk about next year she says, "We are all going to 4th grade next year!"" I ran into Mrs. Smith at the school one day when I was dropping off a lunch to Cam (it had been a bad morning) and I told her what Cam thought. She laughed and said, "Yep, they want me to keep teaching them until Jr. High!" Unfortunately, she'll continue teaching 3rd grade. She taught Cam a lot and was the perfect fit for his personality. She was very positive and complimentary and only wanted the best for her students. She had each student walk down the red carpet on the last day of school and she gave them each a candy bar award. Cam was given a 3 Musketeers because "He includes everyone." What a nice thing...I hope this trait will continue into 4th grade.

A Kindergarten Graduate

2011-06-09T09:24:00.001-06:00

Gavin completed his Kindergarten Year and we were honored to attend his year-end presentation. The class led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Gavin & his friend Ava were the students who gave the audience instructions (Please stand, Put your right hand over your heart, etc.). Then the class sang many patriotic numbers, including "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "America, America." Gavin was a great singer. The class each took turns saying a French greeting they had learned. Gavin said, "Comme Ca Va," which means "How are you?" Mrs. Bell then called each child's name and gave them an award from her (along with their report card.) She presented Gavin with "The Most Articulate" and said that he used big words and used them correctly. Mrs. Bell had made a DVD of the school year and we all watched it. We feel so blessed that Mrs. Bell was Gavin's kindergarten teacher. She was awarded Teacher of the Year and we totally agree!

On the last day of school, I picked up Gavin & Jaxon Petersberger. They were both a little sad about having the school year over. So I suggested we talk about all the things they had learned in Kindergarten. They had learned to write their first & last names better, they had both learned to read, they had made a lot of friends, they got to go to the zoo, etc. Then one of them said, "I learned how to do multiplication!" And the other said, "Me too!" Silly, silly boys. They are both super smart and their future teachers have their work cut out!

Piano Recital

2011-06-09T09:14:00.003-06:00

I had my Spring Piano Recital on Monday, June 6th. I had 13 students perform...one didn't make it to the recital because he was sick, one moved out of state a week earlier than they planned to, and one let her nerves get the best of her and begged me to not make her play! Most played two pieces, most were memorized, all did very well.

Gavin played "Cowboy Joe" and "Cool Dog."

Cameron played "Ogg (The Caveman)".

Spencer and I were very proud of our boys! They worked hard! I was proud of all my students. I've kind of taken it easy this year with piano. I've only had 13-16 students since the babies were born but I'm ready to add more to my schedule now!

Thoughts on Marriage

2011-06-03T10:21:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from the Young Women's president in our ward. She told me that the Young Women were very boy-crazy and wanted to hear real life love stories. She asked if Spencer and I would be willing to be on a "Dating Panel" and answer questions about our dating story, getting engaged, marriage, etc. at an activity toward the end of May. I really wanted to do it but didn't know if we were the best couple to be asking since our entire courtship/engagement/wedding date happened in a short 9 weeks! She told me that the leaders were trying to help the girls know that because we are blessed with the Spirit to help us feel good about deciding who to marry, this important decision can be made in any length of time. That being said (and after quickly making sure Spence would be on board), I said yes!

We got to the church and were joined by a newlywed couple (married 11 months) and an empty-nester couple (married 40 years.) We were the token "middle-aged-with children" couple (though I don't think of myself as middle-aged...I'm 31 for crying out loud! But we do have 5 kids so I guess we were qualified.) Two of the older Young Women acted as the MC's and asked a series of questions to each of the couples. Some questions were directed to just the men, some to the women, some to the couples. We got engaged 11 years ago (June 1st) and it was really fun for me to hear Spencer answer some of these questions. I was told later that the girls said it was the best activity they had ever been to! So I guess it was a win-win for everyone.

Questions/Answers
Q: How long have you been married? A: Almost 11 years

Q: When and where did you first meet your spouse? A: We first met in March 2000 at work. I (Natalie) was his boss!

Q: When was your first date and what did you do? A: Spencer says our first date was April 26 but really that was just the first day we did anything outside of work. Spencer was in the process of training for a new position and he was supposed to come in for training but something came up and the trainer asked me to call and cancel with Spence so he wouldn't come in to the office. Spence & I had been casually flirting for a while and he was very interested in what I would eat. I was on a low-carb diet and he thought it was so funny when he'd ask what I was having for dinner and I'd say a steak or a pork chop. It just wasn't the typical girl response, I guess. I had told him the previous day that if he asked me what I was eating anytime soon, he could take me to dinner and see what I ate! Well, when I called to tell him not to come into work, I asked him what he was planning for dinner. He replied, "a hotdog." Then he asked me and I told him we were going to the Golden Corral (it was brand new) to celebrate a friend's birthday (Thanks for having a birthday, Esther!) He said how fun that would be and that he wished he could come, etc. I told him that if I could drive his NEW car, he could go with us. He agreed. When we got to the restaurant and went to pay, my friend Dan's card wouldn't work so I told him I'd just pay for him. Spencer quickly said, "If you're paying for him, you'd better pay for me too!" So I did. Unbeknownst to me, Spencer had told him roommates that he was sick of the dating scene and wasn't going to ask a girl out. He said that if a girl asked him out, then he'd know she was the one for him! So by having me pay for his dinner, he could later justify that he hadn't asked me out...Whatever!

Q: What was the first thing that drew you to your future spouse? Nat's answer: I first heard Spencer's voice before I remember meeting him face-to-face. I had just started working for the airport shuttle and they wanted me to know all parts of the job, even though I would be working in the office only. So they sent me on a shuttle with one of the drivers from Logan to Salt Lake. It just so happened that the driver was Spencer's friend/roommate, Wade. On the road, Wade used the CB radio (that shows how long ago it was, huh?) to talk to Spencer. This is the conversation as I remember it..."Mobile 23(Wade) to Mobile 21 (Spencer), What's your 20?" "I'm in Plain City." "And how is Plain City, Mobile 21?" "Pretty Plain!" At that moment, I remember thinking...that kid has a fun personality. I'd like to meet him.
Spence's answer: I remember meeting Nat long before she remembers meeting me. She was just starting at the shuttle and was the only girl employed there! I was working two jobs at the time. I worked 3 am to 11 am at Icon Health & Fitness and then went to work for the Shuttle in the afternoon. Often, I would go straight from Icon to the shuttle so I'd stop and get lunch on the way. I remember walking into the office and seeing the new girl. She had long, dark brown, curly hair and I've always been a sucker for brown hair! I sat at her desk and ate my lunch and did my best to flirt with her but since she doesn't remember it, I guess I didn't flirt very well!

Q: What is your spouses best characteristic? Nat's answer: On our first "date" I watched Spencer interact with all of my friends. Though he knew none of them before we went out, he easily talked with each one of them. I've always loved that he can get along with almost anyone and people (especially the elderly) are drawn to him. He makes everyone feel important.

I can't remember the wording to one of the questions but one thing Spencer said that I liked hearing is that he liked that I liked HIM. He lived with Wade, the all-American athletic type, Jon, who does stand-up comedy and is hilarious, and Beaver, his best friend and all-around good guy, when we first met. I knew Wade & Jon from work and Spencer says I could have chosen to date either of them...but I chose Spencer and he's always like that! I liked him for who he was and never compared him to his friends or roommates.

Q: When did you know that you wanted to marry your spouse? Spencer: I think I knew I wanted to marry Natalie before she knew she wanted to marry me. It wasn't a hard decision for me.
Natalie: After Spencer and I had already discussed getting married and were going to go ring shopping, he said, "When I tell my mom that we're getting married, she's going to ask if we've prayed about it together." So we knelt together and prayed to our Heavenly Father. We both felt warm & fuzzy immediately and knew that our Heavenly Father approved.

Q: How did he propose? (As a side note, the other two men on the panel were extreme romantics. Spencer's more practical so our story was the least fun, oh well.) A: Spencer picked up my ring on our way to his sister Kate's high school graduation. He didn't want to leave it at either of our apartments or in his car while we went to the graduation so he stuck it in the pocket of his cargo shorts. Keep in mind that the ring was in a box which was in a box so it wasn't very discrete. As we walked in to the gym, it was obvious that there was a BOX in his pocket and most people knew that the box was a special box by the way Spencer was acting. After graduation we went to his parent's house. He took his mom and sister into the other room and showed them the ring. I could just hear Ooohs and Ahhhs...I wanted to see the ring myself! We drove back to Logan and Spencer got really quiet. We were driving all over and he kept doing U-turns and backtracking. I finally asked him what was going on and he said, "I can't find the place!" (Spencer started talking from here.) I had found this little spot while I was driving the shuttle where you could see the Logan temple. I knew that Nat would either go through the Logan temple or we'd get married there so I thought it would be perfect! But for some unknown reason, I couldn't find it that night. We ended up pulling off to a little park where I asked her to marry me.

Q: What is the best thing about being married? Spencer answered this one: Occasionally we go to bed not very happy with each other. But every single morning, when I wake up and look at her next to me, I know I'm exactly where I want to be. I wouldn't change a thing!

There were other questions/answers but these are what I can remember at this point. Between doing this panel and talking about our engagement anniversary, I've been thinking a lot about marriage lately. I'm grateful to be married to my best friend and to be able to have five adorable children and many adventures together.

And it looks like we'll be having a wedding this summer...Callie & Mike are officially engaged and planning for a September wedding!

Memorial Day 2011

2011-06-01T08:12:00.005-06:00

I have 43 first cousins on my mom's side of the family. Growing up, we were extremely close. My Grandma Marie loved to have her family nearby so we found a reason to have a family party every month. We had the normal family traditional get-togethers (Christmas, Easter Egg Hunt, Grandparents Birthdays) and we had a few of our own (Kite Flying, Halloween/Talent Show, Pioneer Day). After Grandma & Grandpa passed away, our parties became fewer and fewer. I mean, with 150+ people at each party, it's just not easy or practical anymore. We now have ONE reunion each year. Needless to say, we all look forward to it and most come. Our reunion is always on Memorial Day.

Spencer & I had purchased tickets to Les Miserables in Salt Lake City. The only tickets we were able to get were for Sunday night, the day before Memorial Day. So although we don't normally go places on the Sabbath, we had decided to make an exception. Callie & Mike were going to babysit all five kids so we were looking quite forward to it. Then I was reminded that the reunion was the following day and we'd have to drive there and back on the same day. I would also be preventing Callie & Mike from going to Idaho any sooner. After much discussion, we decided to sell our tickets to Les Mis, promising each other that we'd go at the next opportunity, so we could go to Idaho on Sunday. It was a wise decision.

We attended our Sacrament Meeting and then loaded up the car to head north. Traveling with five kids is not easy. When we go anywhere for longer than a day, we have to put a luggage storage thing on top of the car. I didn't want to have to do this this time. So we packed LIGHT and we were able to get everything we needed for our overnight at Granny's in 2 smaller bags which fit in the car! The drive to Idaho was pretty uneventful, babies slept, boys read, listened to iPods and played Leapsters. When we got to my parent's house, they were at church. Mom & dad had pretty much made dinner but we finished getting it ready and reheated so it would be ready to eat when they got home. Uncle Tim was visiting from Arizona and would be joining our family for Sunday dinner. It's always fun to have Uncle Tim at your table!

After dinner we sat and visited. Our "godmother" Kathy and her daughter, Amy, and granddaughter, Sari, came over to see us all. Uncle Tim shared some funny stories, cousins played and played, and we had dessert before calling it a night.

Monday was a cold, dreary day. Years ago, when my grandparent's headstone was first placed, we decided to paint the flowers on my grandma's side a light pink and grandpa's boots red. It just seemed to fit them better. I was the one who originally did the painting so when it's needed, I'm also the one who gets to touch it up. This year it was needed. Callie, Mom, and I drove to the cemetery after breakfast so I could repaint Grandpa's boots. I'm not really sure why but it touches my heart each time I do it and I usually shed a few tears. By the time it was finished, it was time to go get the rest of the family and get to the reunion.

Many of the things they had planned for the reunion were supposed to take place outside but since the weather didn't cooperate, we had more time to visit in the church. We had lunch, a short program, and lots of visiting. Some of the family members brought their guitars and had a "jam session" on the stage after most of us had left. I wish we could've stuck around for it because I heard it was a lot of fun and great music! A few things I want to remember about the reunion:

My Aunt Karen is our family historian. Her family was in charge of the reunion this year and they focused on things Hugh & Marie had taught us. My Aunt Sue shared a short memory of a time that she had overheard her parents quarreling, which all parents do. My grandpa left the house and she turned to her mother and said, "Are you guys going to get divorced now?" My Grandma Marie turned to her and said, "We did not get married to get divorced. We loved each other then, we love each other now. We were married in the temple so we could be together forever. Don't ever think we'll get divorced." Aunt Sue also shared a poem my grandma wrote called "Cows." My grandpa was a dairy farmer and grandma said when she married him, she also married cows! But between family, cows, and church they were happy.

Grandma played the accordion and taught many to play as well. My parents both learned and, in her honor, played an accordion duet of "Springtime in the Rockies". We all kind of giggle when they get out the accordions because, let's face it, they are funny! But it was nice to remember Grandma. If she and Grandpa had been there, they would have done the two-step around the Cultural Hall!

My boys and Ryan's girls, Abbie & Avery, then sang "A Young Boy Prayed." Jette couldn't be left out so she stood next to the kids while they sang. Aunt Karen read “Suggestions to the Boys and Men In the Family” written several years ago by Grandpa Hugh, and “Advice To My Posterity”, written by Grandma Marie. I wish I had a copy of both of those...someday I'll get them and post them.

There were 149 people there that day. We had a giant group picture taken by my cousin Ruth. She took two pictures and will photoshop them together. I'm anxious to see it. (My Uncle Tim wanted to be in both halves of the pictures so he will appear twice!) Then Ruth took a quick picture of my twins. I absolutely love them and look forward to doing an entire session with her!

A Hike, A Game, Some Yogurt, & Goodbye

2011-05-26T06:58:00.012-06:00

In April, Jeff & Emily decided they'd be moving to Virginia Beach for the summer so Jeff could do an internship with his dad. We had mixed emotions about it. I mean, what an awesome experience for their little family?!? But we knew we would miss them...like crazy! And we do. So before they left we had to cram a few fun things into their schedule.

First off, a Boy's Only Hike with Jeff. Jeff has taken the boys out on hikes from time to time and he always carried a walking stick, which the boys would want to take turns holding. So he made them each one, with their names engraved and specifically for their height. When the day of the hike finally arrived, we met at a trail behind the Draper temple and off they went. They were gone for a good 2 1/2 hours and came back exhausted. The boys got hot while hiking, so Jeff taught them to dip their hat in the stream. He told Em that after he taught them that, they would run and dip their hat into every stream they passed by. Cameron and Gavin decided to get their heads wet one time, so Jeff held Owen by his ankles so he could get his hair wet too, without falling in. Jeff said that they all did really good on the hike and didn't whine at all! That, in itself, is a miracle!

Next, a ReAL Salt Lake soccer game! Originally, we were just going to go with the Petersbergers. Then we invited Callie & Mike. Then Emily & Jeff. Then my parents decided to make a trip to Utah and brought Avery. Then Jeff's brother, James & his girlfriend Jillian...In all there were 22 of us that went! It started out as a cold-ish evening but by the second half it warmed up a little and was a very pleasant night. Granny bought a bag of cotton candy to share amongst the kids, Avery pretended to take a nap during the middle of the game, there were CHURRO's all around, and Gavin, Jaxon, and Madison P. got to go out on the field in their soccer jerseys. This was the first of many games for us this season and it was fun to share it with the fam.

When I figured out that my mom and sisters would be in our ward on Sunday, I arranged for us to do a musical number. We sang "Here Am I", the same song we sang at Ryan's missionary farewell, September 1996. We were a little nervous Sunday morning but it turned out okay. We are blessed to have a sister-in-law who sings with us on a regular basis, who can keep her composure regardless of the situation, who has the most beautiful voice, and never gets nervous. We missed No'el that morning. But I was grateful to have the chance to sing with my sisters, regardless of our emotions. After church, we had a lovely BBQ, cousin Jamison came for a quick visit, and then our parents headed back to Idaho.

For FHE Monday night, we went to the Cam/Gavin's school. They were displaying a lot of artwork that the students had done and calling it "A Night at the Louvre." Every month they teach about a well-known artist and then the kids draw their interpretation of a famous painting. They call it "Meet the Masters" and my kids both enjoy art so they like learning about the different artists. After we had walked through the exhibit and had our "passport" stamped, we met Jeff & Emily & Miley for frozen yogurt. There's this little place near our house that features 8 (or is it 10?) flavors of frozen yogurt...they change the flavors daily so it's always a surprise! Then you can add unlimited topics (we, however, limited each child to three toppings) and you pay by the ounce! The boys have wanted to go for a long time so it was fun for them. And so nice for us to just sit and visit with Jemily.

I took the Hardings to the airport Tuesday afternoon. It was kinda emotional for me. Em & I have become close and I was sad to be losing my friend for the summer. Em made me say "See ya soon" and pretend like we'd see them in the next couple of days. She tried to make me promise that I wouldn't post all the fun things we do this summer because it will make her homesick. (Sorry, in advance, Emily.) We really are excited for them to have this opportunity but anxiously await their return!

Grrrrr!

2011-05-09T13:57:00.003-06:00

I truly dislike seeing my blog on other's blog lists with the date of my last update as "1 month ago." I really am trying to stay on top of this family blog but some days, weeks, etc it is nearly impossible. So here we are again with a massive update. Feel free to scroll down because I am posting 7 new posts today! Insane! In my defense, Harrison has had 2 ear infections in the past month, I hosted book club, Gavin's soccer season is in full-swing, and I'm preparing for my Spring Piano Recital with 15 students!

I wanted to share this website that I found when blog-hopping. It is a site where you can download printable quiet books. You simply print them out as pictures at Sam's, Costco, Wal-mart, etc and insert them in to photo books. I printed out 3 different books and spent less than $10. We took them to Stake Conference and the boys were entertained for the majority of the meeting. Enjoy!

Field Trip

2011-05-09T13:44:00.003-06:00

Cam's grade got to go to the Hogle Zoo for their field trip. When Cam found out that's where they were going, he came home and asked his dad if he could go as a chaperone. Their class only got to have 4 chaperones and when 8 parents agreed to go, they had to draw to see which parents would be the lucky ones! Spencer was chosen and boy, oh boy, Cam was excited. The weather was just right...not too hot, not too cold. Spencer especially enjoyed the bus ride! (Not really, it was super loud and kids were very hyper.) I'm just grateful that Spence was able to go and that Cam wanted his parent there...I'm sure that won't always be the case.

Triplets...sort of!

2011-05-09T13:30:00.005-06:00

As I have mentioned many times before, Emily had her first daughter 3 weeks before the twins were born. Because we live close to each other, we often run errands together. Many times we get asked if we have triplets! We recently discovered that our baby girls had the same dress...hello, photo op! We had to dress Harrison up in a coordinating tie/onesie combo so he could be in the pics too. We couldn't seem to get them all to smile at the same time but aren't they absolutely adorable?

Easter Celebrations

2011-05-07T07:45:00.011-06:00

Our first Easter Party was the Saturday before Easter, April 16th. Our neighborhood had an Easter Egg Hunt organized by the cub scouts and leaders. Each child brought 15 filled Easter Eggs, the dads hid them, the kids found any 15 eggs. It was a beautiful day and all the kids were very happy with their loot.

The following week was Spring Break so the kids didn't have school! We decided to head to Idaho...we hadn't been there since New Year's. It was such a nice trip, although the weather was a little iffy. We flew kites (brrrr), played games, had Granny's annual Easter Egg hunt and BBQ at Ryan's, dyed eggs, and had a special Easter mini-devotional where we talked about why we celebrate Easter.

Spencer's parents bought two huge kites from Costco or Sam's last year. We tried to fly them at their house last year but they thought the Idaho wind might be a little stronger to hold them up so they sent them with us. The wind was mighty and Abbie, Cameron, Spence, and Grandpa had a good time getting the kites up a few different times throughout the week. Gavin, Owen, and I were fair-weather flyers...we went outside until it was too cold. (Avery and Granny and the twins decided to stay inside where it was warm.)

We made homemade caramel apples:

Dyed Easter Eggs:

Mini Easter Devotional:

Easter Egg Hunt:

Granny & Grandpa gave each of the kids a new spring outfit (shorts and shirt). I guess we didn't take any pics of them though...but we did take a few of the twins in their cute yellow rompers!

Overall, it was a wonderful getaway from the normal hum-drum of life.

7 Months Old!

2011-05-07T07:28:00.007-06:00

Because I was a month late getting the babies to their 4 month well-child check up, I was a month late taking them for their 6-month. Don't judge! At 7-months old Harrison was 18 lbs 2 oz (50%), 26.4 inches tall (50%) with a Head Circumference of 17.3 inches (also 50%). Madison was 16 lbs 5 oz (50%), 26.3 inches tall (70%), with a 16.6 inch Head Circumference (45%). Both are perfect in every way!

Harrison is a tough little guy. He has mastered the art of rolling from front to back and back to front and uses this new skill to get anywhere he needs to. He is working on learning to crawl and can often be found in the PIKE position or on his forearms pulling himself from point A to point B. He does not like baby food, table food, or anything besides momma's milk. He pulls the funniest face when we try to feed him...he flares his nostrils and gags or coughs and can't figure out why we keep trying. But I know one day he'll LOVE food and will most likely eat us out of house and home. Here are a few pics of the roll...

Madi is content to have everyone carry her around so she hasn't figured out rolling as well as her brother. Because she is the princess of the family, she has many "servants" who are willing to do anything for her. She is definitely ALL GIRL and has a little personality that I never knew was possible in something so tiny! She LOVES to eat and wants anything that anyone is eating. She just grunts and reaches and usually gets her way. She recently started sporting a ponytail or piggies (that sorta look like horns). Her best trick is drinking from a straw. Here are a few pics of that:

We can't imagine life without these two sweet babies. They are a joy to our family!

Blue & Gold Banquet

2011-05-07T07:20:00.004-06:00

Cam's Cub Scout Pack had their annual Blue & Gold Banquet March 31st. This is a special night where the scouts get to show off a few things they've done throughout the year. They serve a fabulous meal and hand out a lot of awards. They chose a Fiesta theme for the evening and the boys wore sombreros, made a pinata that they destroyed at the end of the night, and performed a rap & a Mexican Hat Dance that were both made up by the scouts! It was a night full of lots of laughs. (I took a video of the rap & Mexican Hat dance but am having a super difficult time getting them to load.) Cam worked really hard and earned a bunch of belt loops and pins. We're sure proud of his dedication and SO thankful that he has great leaders!

Aunts & Uncles

2011-05-07T06:32:00.007-06:00

My kids are so lucky to have such fabulous aunts & uncles. Emily's husband, Jeff, is currently in his first year of law school. This has required A LOT of studying time. He is one of the most dedicated students I know. But recently, Jeff has wanted to spend time with the boys. One day in March (when I was going crazy, I'm sure) I was telling Emily about everything I needed to get done and that I didn't know how it was going to happen with kids underfoot all day! We ended the phone call and about two minutes later she called back and said, "Jeff wants to take the boys on a hike." Seriously? So I ran them over and they were gone for a good 2 hours. Here's the evidence:

Jeff also helped Cameron with a book report. The report was to be done on a children's book. Cam chose "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig." (Kind of opposite of The 3 Little Pigs story.) He needed some artwork so he called Uncle Jeff! Look at the "sketches" he did and then the finished product. Doesn't it look like clip-art? Well, it's not. It's hand drawn! Amazing!

Then one Friday, Spence and I had planned to go on a date. We were going to eat at a restaurant just minutes from our house with some friends from our ward. We decided not to hire a babysitter but to leave Cam in charge...as we knew we were only going to be gone an hour or so and we'd be close enough to home that if there was an emergency, we'd be able to get there quickly. Then Callie called..."It's such a nice day outside that Mike & I want to take your kids to a park." Seriously? So they ended up with the Big 3 (we took the twins) for a couple of hours while we went on a more relaxed date. Here is the evidence:

One last story: Emily called one day to see what we were up to. I was on my way out the door with all 5 kids to run some errands. She said, "Would the boys like to go on a walk/bike ride instead?" So we loaded up the bikes and I dropped them off with her. She pushed Miley in her stroller while Cam & Gavin rode bikes and Owen pushed his scooter along. They went on a lovely and lengthy walk/ride for a couple of hours while I ran the errands with just the babies! They had such a good time and were super tired that night! Here is the evidence:

Don't you wish your kids' aunts and uncles were this great?