Pond Ponderings

{Instagram Week4}

2012-01-29T16:54:00.004-07:00

1/22/12

{Snacking before church}

1/23/12

{Preston turns 33, enthusiastically}

1/24/12

{Daughter Dish Duty}

1/25/12

{Henry's first basketball game on Team Awesome}

1/26/12

{First Crossfit Injury...thank you, kettlebell swings!}

1/27/12

{Bookworms}

1/28/12

{Family Jump Time at Get Air Tramp Park}

oh how i love thee, let me count thy ways...

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

I already posted about Preston's birthday, but I failed to to say how wonderful he is.

So here's my 33 word description of my hubby for his 33rd birthday.

1. loyal

2. responsible

3. hard-working

4. funny

5. father

6. happy

7. devoted

8. spiritual

9. consistent

10. adventurous

11. foodie

12. strong

13. patient

14. frugal

15. independent

16. goal-oriented

17. silly

18. helpful

19. engineer

20. smart

21. resourceful

22. sleepy

23. handsome

24. focused

25. handy

26. dedicated

27. tall

28. habitual

29. creative

30. leader

31. soccer-lover

32. family man

33. sidekick

Love Letters?

2012-01-27T16:24:00.002-07:00

Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away, so I put up my card designs on my blog.

I can make 4x6 cards to mail out or a 4x6 that is cut in half to be used for an exchange card (3x4).

I'm running a $4 special through Friday, February 3rd.

I have lots of Valentine designs, as well as the tutorial for the card shown above.

Order yours today!

Winter Wonderland

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

We were wondering when Winter would arrive in Utah.

Well, arrive it did!

The kids were beyond excited and had to rush out in the snow.

Henry tromped around...

James helped shovel (without a coat)...

Stella was amazed by the big flakes...

Preston performed his duties...

And I took these pictures as fast as I could and ran inside, far away from the cold.

It's pretty for a few hours, but after some hot chocolate and a little playing,

I'm ready for the winter to move on out.

Cookin' up a storm!

2012-01-24T15:50:00.004-07:00

My husband turned 33 yesterday.

He's a hard one to shop for! He wants NOTHING!

But, the gifter in me always insists upon getting him something.

He does love baseball, soccer, food, cooking and going to the movies,

so I tried to shop according to his desires.

I purchased 2 spots to a Knife Skills cooking class at the new Harmon's in Farmington.

We got a babysitter on Saturday and left the house, and he had no idea where we were going.

Once we pulled in he knew and was very excited. That's a rarity for him, excitement, so I knew I must have done something right this year.

{Us, just as the class was starting, all aproned up}

{Everyone in the class got a free Henkels chef's knife worth $40}

The class consisted of the teacher, Chef Bob, demonstrating how to cut each vegetable.

We learned how to chiffonade lettuce, julienne peppers, dice tomatoes and many others.

{Preston watching Chef Bob}

We each had our own large cutting board and our new knife and got to practice each skill.

Preston rocked it and aced the class. I, on the other hand, needed quite a bit of help with my tomato.

Every time I dice a tomato it ends up mush, and it took quite a bit of practice for me to catch on.

I think I'm ready to make some pico de gallo now though. Chef Bob was a great teacher!

Once all of our veggies were cut in the correct form he whipped up some stir-fry and a salad.

It was all delicious!

I highly recommend the classes if you enjoy cooking at all.

After the class, we hit the movies to see "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close".

{Preston dining on Popcorn in the dark}

It was so good....so intense....so moving....so inspiring.

We left the movie wanting to rush home to our little ones and make the most of the family time we have together on Earth. Honestly, it's wonderful....go see it. We left thinking that the little boy in the show, Thomas Horn, should definitely get an Oscar for his performance, and I was so disappointed this morning to see him not nominated (from what I can tell anyway).

Our drive home was slow, thanks to mother nature...

{Snow packed roads}

{Family Shovel Time}

Welcome, Winter. Finally.

{Instagram Week 3}

2012-01-22T16:22:00.003-07:00

1/15/12

{My handsome middle child, all ready for church}

1/16/12

{FHE: Henry read from the scriptures}

1/17/12

{Glowsticks in the tub...so much fun for $1}

1/18/12

{churro + berry smoothie= a successful shopping trip at Costco}

1/19/12

{Valentine Card Trial Run}

1/20/12

{Spiderman is in the house!}

1/21/12

{Knife Skills Cooking Class-my birthday present to Preston}

Stella Speaks

2012-01-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a video of my sweet girl.

Her favorite words lately are "thank you". She says it all the time.

Preston put her jammies on last night and she just kept saying "Daddy. Thank you" while pulling on her shirt.

I'm also amazed at her smarts. I will randomly hear her counting.

I'm not just talking about 1,2,3 (as seen above) but I've even heard 10, 11.

She's picking up on everything lately. Apparently her mommy puts on lotion a lot because she wants to do it a lot too.

You will also see those crazy eyes at the end of the video from her quite often, as well.

She's a sweet little thing with a lot of spunk, and we're trying to soak it all in while it lasts!

backpacks and boots

2012-01-19T13:14:00.002-07:00

I'm sure I'm just like every other mom in America,

but it is SO hard to get out the door in the morning!!!

Even if we are up by 7, we have a long list of getting-ready-to-go-items...

eat breakfast

brush teeth

get dressed

backpack ready

shoes on

family devotional

....and since I'm OCD, we have to clean up the breakfast, put away the dirty clothes, etc.

And FINALLY we are off (and it's ALWAYS 5 minutes late)!

As I was getting James out the door for preschool this morning,

Stella wanted to join in the fun.

She got her boots on with James (since we got a skid of snow and lots of rain)...

And she wasn't fully dressed without a backpack and a smile...

And, she's off...

I try to treasure these moments since I know all to soon she will be headed off to school too,

but it's hard when you are out of energy, out of time and out of patience.

I'm glad that even in the hustle and bustle

we can find something as simple as boots to smile about.

{Instagram Week 2}

2012-01-15T17:47:00.004-07:00

1/8/12

{New Sacrament Puzzles thanks to Pinterest!}

1/9/12

{Footloose with friends}

1/10/12

{Disneyland is booked....let the countdown begin!}

1/11/12

{My Lunch Dates enjoying soup at Kneaders}

1/12/12

{ring reminder}

1/13/12

{Friday Night Out: cheese fries and coke}

1/14/12

{Like Daddy, like Daughter}

ringing in my ear

2012-01-12T22:08:00.006-07:00

As I've already mentioned, my "one little word" for 2012 is listen.

I felt like I needed a constant reminder of my desire to be a better listener.

Because let's get real, I've already gone a few days forgetting about it, and I'm only on day 13.

I ordered this ring from an etsy shop, and I must say I love it.

It's simple, it's cozy and it serves as a good reminder to me everyday (for the 2 days I've had it).

I recently found this quote about listening...

"Listening is an expression of love. It often requires sacrifice.

When we truly listen to others,

we often give up what we want to say so they can express themselves".

Isn't that great?

So this week I have learned that listening is an expression of love.

I can better show my love by truly listening.

...and by simply keeping my mouth shut on occasion.

Happy Birthday to my big sis, KB!

Too bad we can't be together on your birthday.

Just pretend that Tia put on a party hat...

Angie and I baked you a pie or two...

Mom and Dad couldn't be happier to be with you on your birthday...

And life was as low-key as it was way-back-when...

Hope it's a good one! Love ya!

Hoop Dreams

2012-01-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Henry started Jr. Jazz this year.

I thought that there was no way they could teach 1st graders to play such a complex sport,

but I was wrong.

They have lots and lots of practices and just a few games.

....and a coach who is super patient and very good with kids.

{Coach Player...isn't that a perfect name for a coach?}

They do lots of drills.

Ones that teach you not to travel...

Ones that help you perfect your shuffle...

And ones where you shoot the ball over the tallest kid on your team...

Jr. Jazz has only been going on for a week but Henry has loved it

and keeps asking when he will just be on the Jazz and not on the Junior Jazz anymore.

I don't want to ruin his Hoop Dreams, so I just tell him, "One day, Honey".

{Instagram Week 1}

2012-01-08T20:33:00.006-07:00

I decided to do a 365 project this year.

I'm going to take one Instagram photo a day.

And at the end of the year I plan on making a poster or book here out of them.

I'm excited. I feel like I'm documenting our normal daily lives this way,

and it will be fun to see it when it's all done.

So every Sunday I will be posting my pictures from the week.

1/1/12

{the New Year's smooch at the stroke of midnight}

1/2/12

{16 hour road trip home from Kansas....they played hard while they were there}

1/3/12

{celebrating taking down our Christmas decor & being back to real life}

1/4/12

{last day of Christmas break puzzle-making, minus one piece}

1/5/12

{jr. jazzer, taking his first shot}

1/6/12

{the morning greeting, a pantsless grin}

1/7/12

{it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, a little too late}

Building Boys

2012-01-07T14:35:00.002-07:00

Fun Dad strikes again!

Preston knows our boys love their squinkies!

They have superhero ones, Cars ones, baby ones, animal ones and more...

They are actually a pretty stupid toy, but I must admit I love them too.

They are just so cute, small and squishy (warning: and quite the choking hazard for little ones).

We got home from dinner on Friday night and Preston declared, "Let's make a squinky house!".

The boys were all about it.

They cut and hot glued...

and prepared their squinkies for their new home...

Then today once the houses were dry they colored them...

...and built stairs.

I think they turned out pretty well.

My boys are quite the builders!

...and now their squinkies will have a place to call home!

out of her shell

2012-01-03T16:30:00.003-07:00

Stella has always been a momma's girl,

and a daddy's girl on occasion.

She isn't bubbly socially just yet,

and she sure doesn't allow strangers to hold her or get near her.

Even at family parties she can be my little leach,

not allowing anyone to touch her.

She broke out of her shell while in Kansas!

...especially with her Uncle Jimmy!

I caught them playing stinky feet during our gift exchange.

He would ask to smell her feet...

She'd agree and he'd smell...

He would "pretend" they were super stinky and she would laugh...

It was so cute,

and I was so happy to see her being social and loving the family!

Way to be, Uncle Jimmy....you have a way with the younger ladies! :)

one little word

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not great at New Year's Resolutions, but I try.

And I love me some goals.

I'm a dreamer that way.

This year I'm jumping on the "one little word" bandwagon.

My word is LISTEN.

I'm not a great listener.

A lot of times I just get too busy and don't stop to take a minute to listen to my kids or husband.

Sometimes I talk too much in general and don't just give a lending ear.

Often I overeat and don't listen to my body.

I know that Heavenly Father wants me to have the Spirit with me,

but quite frequently I'm just too overwhelmed to listen.

But this year, I'm going to try to have my little word, listen, resonating in my head & heart.

And maybe, just maybe...

I can stop and listen to my kids.....really listen and let them be heard.

I can give my husband a few minutes to talk and me not interrupt.

I can listen to my body....work it hard and feed it a little better.

I can listen to the Spirit and allow it to be a guiding force in my life.

Let me hear what your resolutions are!

After all, I need a jumpstart to practice my listening...

Donuts make people happy.

2011-12-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Varsity Donuts says "donuts make people happy".

I think it's true.

Don't you?

especially with this much chocolate...

You can tell it by the dirty face...

Donuts with cousins definitely make you happy...

They are even better when you share...

We hear the Maple Bacon donut makes you the happiest, or so my parents say...

They were delicious!

If only they made my thighs happy...

We are family. I've got all my sisters with me.

2011-12-28T16:51:00.002-07:00

The Lunds are reunited again!

We had our Christmas gathering...21 people in one place.

Gifts were exchanged.

The multi-tasker in me went ahead and planned out birthday gifts for the girls & passed them out.

You can see their slap watches in the picture above (Powercat Purple!).

Granny (my mom's mom) made the trek this year to join in on the craziness!

She fits right in with her quick wit and game-loving!

I gifted my parents with the annual Lund calendar and a Lund family tree (seen above).

The party of 21 only lasted at the house for so long before we had to head to the Country Club

for dinner, drinks, chatter and wrestling matches in a private room.

Let the fun continue...

The Nice List

2011-12-26T22:30:00.003-07:00

On Christmas Eve the boys watched videos that got delivered from Santa.

They were sad to see that they had not made the nice list yet.

Santa said they still had time to get put on.

Henry immediately started asking me, "Mom, do you need help with anything?".

He was trying to be good. I think he was on the naughty list for a bit for fighting with his brother.

On Christmas Eve night as I was putting him to bed he asked, "Mom, do you think I'm on the nice list?". He even prayed that he would not get coal in his stocking.

It broke my heart a bit, but I reassured them that he had tried hard and I thought he was back on the Nice list.

The kids awoke just after 7am and were ready to see what Santa brought!

They waited at the top of the stairs for Mommy and Daddy to come down...

James was excited for his Batman Geo Trax and all of the little stocking stuffers...

Stella was so happy to finally have girly dress-ups at our house...

Henry had to put his Hexbug habitat together right away...

Grandma and Grandpa Pond stopped by for Christmas breakfast...

Christmas was kind of a rush this year.

We quickly opened presents,

ate Christmas breakfast,

opened a few more gifts,

cleaned up the remains,

packed for our trip,

got ready for church,

went to Sacrament meeting,

then hit the road for Kansas.

Despite the rush,

it was fun to be with family,

witness the excitement of my kids,

take a moment to remember the birth of Christ,

and count down the hours until we'd be having fun with our Lund family!

And, we were super relieved that all of our little ones were back on the Nice list.

Let's hope it lasts!

...and to all a good night!

2011-12-25T00:03:00.002-07:00

Our Christmas Eve was delightful!

It consisted of a little bit of last minute shopping, breakfast out, baking rolls and packing for our trip.

Then came all of the traditional stuff that makes it one of the best days of the year!

We headed out to the Ponds for a scrumptious ham dinner,

followed by...

And,

Then returned home for...

The children are nestled all snug in their beds.

Mr. Claus is snoozing.

Mrs. Claus had some last minute work to do.

Merry Christmas!

I saw Mommy kissin' Santa Claus!

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

{Pond Christmas Card 2011}

be good for goodness sake

2011-12-23T13:57:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of Winter Break and just one of those days where my kids were being spoiled brats.

I planned a fun day since it is almost Christmas and my kids were off of school.

We met up with friends for lunch and jumping at Kangaroo Zoo.

I got them all soup for lunch and none of it was eaten. $6 well spent. Not.

We went to jump and they all jumped happily while I chatted.

Until, they all got hungry and feasted on the sugar-filled snacks all around.

Then all heck broke loose.

No one wanted to leave. No one wanted to buckle up. No one wanted to listen.

I started to threaten that Christmas wouldn't be happening (please tell me someone else does this!?)

Everyone was on a sugar load and exhausted.

James and Stella finally fell asleep. Henry got invited on a play date and got sent home early for curling up in a ball in the corner and being mute.

So all in all, it was a bad Mommy morning and further confirmation that 3 kids is enough for me!

At 3pm I was dead on the couch, hoping for relief from my crazy kiddos and exhaustion.

At 4pm I was NOT in the mood but we loaded up the car yet again to meet Preston at temple square to see the Christmas lights. It's usually a Christmas night tradition for us, but we will be packed up in our minivan headed across the plains this year.

So, we tackled it tonight.

I fully expected the worst.

I expected my kids to continue with their antics, the crowds to be too much and the cold to be overbearing.

Well, I was wrong.

By some tender mercies from above it was one of those nights that will live in my memory as one of the best nights as a family for years to come.

We picked Preston up from work downtown and headed toward the temple.

We got a front row spot (tender mercy).

The kids got bundled and we headed towards the lights.

Just as we approached the Nativity scene the show started (tender mercy).

The boys peeked through the railing and watched quietly.

Stella happily sat on her daddy's shoulders (tender mercy).

We walked through the lit up trees, spotted Moroni atop the temple, paused at the reflecting pond, and wandered through the nativities from around the world without losing a child (tender mercy).

Everyone reported they were hungry.

We strolled the streets searching for some a food establishment that we could all agree on and that wasn't too busy.

Olive Garden was found and we were seated in a room with very few people (tender mercy).

Noodles were had, conversation was jubilant and kids were perfect little angels (tender mercy).

My husband declared, "Tomorrow starts vacation! What's the plans?".

I sat there with a full belly and a happy heart,

knowing that sometimes it takes some really rotten moments to realize that I have it really good.

And Christmas may just be restored at our house!

Feliz Navidad

2011-12-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Henry's 1st grade Christmas Show was last night.

It was a play about the Christmas traditions in Spain.

One had to do with the 3 Kings day and Henry was assigned as a King's helper.

He had to wear an all black outfit and black face.

Stella took one look at him and sobbed.

Henry had to talk to her to make her realize it was just him underneath the black paint.

He played his part well....standing still, singing, dancing and passing out gifts.

But once he got out of character and they got to just the Christmas Caroling part

he didn't look so festive...

That black paint with a Santa hat was kinda creepy amongst all of the other children.

The good thing is Stella could pick him out of the crowd and yelled "Heady" quite a few times.

Today was Henry's last day of school until 2012, and we're excited to celebrate!

'tis the season to be busy!

2011-12-20T16:22:00.002-07:00

busy finding Oliver every morning...

busy doing our advent activities, like mailing letters to Santa...

busy shoveling up some snow...

busy going to Christmas parties...

busy going on date nights with good friends to celebrate the holidays...

busy wrapping presents to put under the tree...

December has been so busy, that we can fall asleep just about anywhere and anytime...

Here's to hoping for a relaxing and peaceful Christmas weekend!

the lights before Christmas

2011-12-16T20:24:00.005-07:00

Our kids love Christmas lights.

We drive around at night and they continuously yell out "LIGHTS" at every lit up house they see. Stella even chimes in with "YIGHTS!"

We had driven through the Layton Park Lights quite a few time this year already,

but they wanted to walk along the sidewalks to see them all firsthand.

So, tonight was the night!

They have whales, and dinos, and frogs and snowmen...all lit up.

The boys being mean dinos...

Stella had to run and point to everything. Here she is showing Daddy...

I tried to catch a pose with her but she was too busy looking at everything...

Can you pick out the angel from the bunch?

full tithe member

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

We had our tithing settlement on Sunday night.

As we were getting ready to go Henry was asking questions about tithing.

Preston told him we give 10% of what we earn to the Lord.

Henry ran for his wallet and counted out some change.

We knew that most of his money was given to him as a gift, not earned,

so technically he didn't have to pay tithing on it.

But, we decided it was a teaching moment.

If he earned $1 from vacuuming than he would pay $.10.

It was so cute to see him and Preston figuring it out and watching him fill out his tithing slip.

We rushed out the door to tithing settlement and Henry bounded into the Bishop's office

with his dime and tithing slip tucked into his envelope.

He presented it to the Bishop, who gave a great lesson to us all on tithing.

As we left Henry asked, "So am I a full tithe member then?".

It was so neat that he was actually listening to the Bishop asking us if we were full tithe payers.

I guess he was now considered a "member" if that's the way he saw it.

Welcome to the club, Buddy!

I hope the lesson sticks for years to come.

Baby take a bow!

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

My little Stella is becoming quite the little lady lately.

It's funny how they just become "girly" without any help.

She will hear music and just begin twirling, spinning and bouncing.

Whenever I start to sing "I am a Child of God" to her as I put her down to sleep,

she begins belting "oohs" and "aaahhhhs" at the top of her lungs.

She's even been known to blare out her beautiful harmonies at church while standing on her chair.

Her favorite thing is to sing and dance.

It's only a performance a mommy could love, but I don't mind being the only one in the audience.

{standing ovation}

Mousebusters!

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I know most of you have heard my sob story a gazillion times, but it must be heard one last time...

I HATE MICE!

I would rather bungee jump off the Eiffel Tower than see one measly rodent in my personal space.

We caught one mouse a few weeks ago, after it snuck around and germ-infested our house for 5+ days.

And I know we have another.

A trap snapped last week and the peanut butter was stolen,

but we have no dead mouse to show for it. Talk about feeling violated and out-smarted.

JERKS! This is my house now GET OUT!

After Preston heard me whine EVERY NIGHT for a week he decided to make a plan.

Clean the basement really good...aka: starve those turds to death.

He moved everything to the center of the basement, vacuumed everywhere,

emptied garbages and got rid of anything that looked like a mouse haven.

This is about as far in the basement I've been in weeks, just to snap this shot.

As you can see, my dear daughter is not phased by the mouse. She's helping Daddy.

The boys helped in the cause too...

We put down about 20 sticky traps, 2 trap boxes and 5 snap traps.

And were determined to catch that pesky rascal (and his buddies shall they exist).

But still 'til this day we have come up empty handed.

A creature is stirring in this house...

Who we gonna call?

seeing double

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our little ones love their loveys.

They have slept with them every night since they were born.

Henry and Pokey (8.25.05)

James and Zippies (2.11.08)

Stella and Winks (4.6.10)

We've had many moments of panic when we can't find Pokey, Zips, or Winks.

As in, they, nor I, could sleep out of fear that it was lost for good.

We've been lucky and always have been able to find them, somewhere, somehow.

Once I found Pokey at midnight on top of our TV hanging on the wall after searching for hours.

Another time we got a frantic call from the babysitter that Zips was missing and James wouldn't go to sleep.

We rushed home and found him in the trunk of Tow Mater out in the garage.

I decided that one day our luck just may run out,

and they, and I, will be so, so sad to not have their loveys to comfort them.

So, I hopped on ebay the other night (of course 2 out of 3 of their pluffies are retired)

and purchased a spare for each of them.

Can you see how excited they are?

I told them they could all sleep with both for tonight

but then the spare will be put high in their closets in boxes for when our luck runs out.

The top picture makes me laugh.

Can you see how much Zips is loved? He's missing eyes and has holes.

The new ones are so plump from never being washed.

Ours get washed weekly with the laundry. They are often adorned with snot and saliva.

I hope their loveys (and spares) can stick around for years to come.

They are sentimental to all of us Ponds

and we don't want to live without them!

silent night

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

As seen here, here, here , here and here,

Preston and I got a night away at his work party in Park City again.

Again, we got a nice hotel room.

...with a great view of the lift...

Again, we took self portraits...

Again, I made Preston take a picture of me in my dress

because it's the only time I really get fancy all year.

Again, we were able to eat fancy food undisturbed...

sleep silently in a fancy bed uninterrupted...

wake up to our internal clocks...

do some Christmas shopping without having to bribe anyone...

eat lunch without ordering mac and cheese...

and again remember that we are grateful for the best family &

grateful for our little ones that make the occasional silent night so special.

{meatball man}

2011-12-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was doing my dinner prep,

rolling these bad boys to put into the crockpot,

when James asked if he could help.

My usual OCD self thought, "heck no, you aren't touching raw beef",

but then my mom-who-tries-to-teach-her-kids-a-thing-or-two self thought, "why not?...dig in!".

So, I brought him over a stool, gave him a small bowl of the meatball mixture and let him have it at.

He rolled the most PERFECT little mini meatballs!

I stood there in awe and delight, happy that he was able to succeed and ecstatic that I was able to let my guard down.

And just for the record, the meatballs were delicious (I made them with beef instead of turkey),

and ALL 3 of my kids (and the hubs) devoured them.

I decided they just may be a weekly regular around here if they keep causing that kind of kidlet protein intake.

The sauce was a bit weak, so next time I will tweak it more like my regular standby spaghetti sauce recipe.

And since I know some of you are fainting at the thought of a 3.5 year old handling raw meat,

he washed his hands just before and just after, very thoroughly, with my help.

My teaching even expanded to telling him about illness that can result from eating that stuff uncooked.

He just kept asking, "We killed this cow, huh mom?".

Family Photos 2011

2011-12-07T14:41:00.002-07:00

Now that my Christmas Cards are sent out,

I'm ready to share the rest of our family photos.

Truth be told...

Stella was a pill, my boys were a bit hyper, Preston doesn't love to smile for photos

and I had a few wardrobe malfunctions,

but all in all they are a correct depiction of us.

Thanks, Jeni! You always pull through for us!

Maybe next year we will be magazine cover worthy...

maybe.

Ho NO!

2011-12-05T07:00:00.001-07:00

On Friday night we paid a visit to the Christmas Village in Ogden.

It was our first trip there since Henry was a baby.

We loved it!

The have a ton of mini houses filled with Christmas themes.

The kids had to stop at every single one to take a peek.

It wasn't very busy so they got front row at each one.

My favorite was the "I spy" house where you had to find lots of things inside.

We had a really hard time finding the pirate nutcracker, but Henry came up the winner!

The boys loved seeing Diego snowboarding...

Stella wanted to walk with her brothers and be a part of the action...

Until we found Santa...

She was afraid of him but the boys weren't...

They showed him their lists and he just nodded his head.

I guess that means they'll be getting what's on their lists?!

They were happy for the moment with a candy cane...

But Stella was done walking and just wanted Mommy...

So we headed home to our warm beds,

where visions of sugarplums danced in our heads.

all spruced up...

2011-12-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year I broke down and bought my kids matching outfits.

They look pretty snazzy in them, even though I could only get silly faces for the pictures.

My favorite is the crazy one of the kids.

That picture is a perfect representation of what happens daily around here.

Henry gets in Stella's face wanting to kiss her...

James happily plays along with whatever Henry does...

Stella gets bugged and tries to run away.

That's my life!

Freudian Slip

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

Henry brought this artwork home from school.

It is so, so sweet, but I had to take a second glance at it for a minute.

I guess this is what you get when you pronounce your "th" with "f".

We will be getting this all straightened out soon, I'm sure.

Facks for looking!

To Remember November (via iphone pics)

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

The month started out with a scrapbooking-filled weekend with friends at a hotel.

I stared at my computer screen for almost 24 hours straight, but I got a lot done.

This little lady follows me around the house.

This day she was carrying a stool in one hand and a book in the other.

Every time I stopped to do something she would put down her stool and sit to read her book.

Man, I love her.

The hubby took me on a much needed date night.

He was working late and invited me to free, yummy sushi by his work.

I followed the sushi up with some new boots...

Preston loved the sushi, but not the boots (he can't get past the "over the jeans" concept).

I went on a sisters night with my sister-in-laws.

Treats and good conversation are always involved.

Our date night with the Bostons always ends with Gourmandise.

How do you ever decide between all of these desserts?

My ex-visiting teacher (sad!) made bread with me.

She made it perfectly, and I hope to do the same one day.

I ordered organic chicken through a friend from a local farm...

I trimmed and froze 100 pounds! Needless to say, my kitchen was a mess and we went out for dinner that night.

We visited the zoo with friends over Thanksgiving break...

It called for a train and carousel ride.

Riding the zebra made Stella's day...

My lil' turkeys...

Black Friday Team= a shopping success!

We hit the stores from 10pm until 3am!!!

I even saw a cat fight, complete with a 60 year old woman throwing elbows!

Park Play, the day after Thanksgiving.

It was unseasonably warm and Henry wanted to learn how to hang upside down from the Monkey Bars.

I should've got a picture of Preston showing him how!

Off on our tree hunt...

The month ended with me spotting a black mouse in our basement.

I am deathly afraid of mice. I've been known to move out of houses because of them.

I freaked out and wouldn't go in the basement.

Henry set up this "trap" to keep the mouse downstairs.

It's been a good month (especially after we caught the mouse)!

Bring on December!!!

tree-asures

2011-11-27T18:39:00.002-07:00

We carried on with our annual tradition of cutting down a tree in Wasatch County with our friends, The Posts, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

This year didn't disappoint.

Last year my camera lens busted, so I was happy to have a functioning camera to capture the experience.

Stella was happy to hitch a ride through the snow...

James was in heaven hiking through it all by himself...

We only had to go a little ways down the mountain to find this winner...

Preston waits for this moment of glory all year long...

The Posts picked a nice, tall one for their living room...

Henry's favorite part of the journey this year was taste-testing the snow...

There's something about this tradition every year that makes me incredibly happy.

I hate being cold, and I'm not much of a hiker,

but having my little ones, my hubby and our best friends in the mountains makes me feel complete.

As I climbed up the last part of the hike to this site, I couldn't help but become a little teary-eyed...

These are my treasures.

We loaded the tree (and Stella)...

...sledded a bit, filled our bellies and headed home to deck the halls.

typical turkeys

2011-11-24T20:57:00.002-07:00

We had a typical Thanksgiving.

My turkeys weren't very photogenic...

I attempted some strange food display found online...

My in-laws went all out....a delicious feast that filled every nook of my tummy.

The boys stayed entertained with Monkey Ball on Grandpa's TV...

Stella was happy, ate only candy, pooped 3 times....very typical.

But then she found a new best friend that wasn't Mommy...very atypical.

...her Aunt Monica! It was so cute. She was tracking her for awhile, then started to play with her and then decided to ride on her hip for quite some time. It was nice to get a break! ;)

My heart is full and so is my belly.

Now I'm off to fill up my Santa Sack with some Black Friday shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{miss monster}

2011-11-21T20:27:00.002-07:00

I've got myself a little miss monster.

She used to love her lion towel but lately has decided that she's independent and WILL make her own decisions....thus, the monster towel is now hers.

She calls it "boo" as in blue.

She also MUST have "meow" (milk) multiple times a day.

She MUST have her mommy in sight at all times.

She MUST carry a doll, book or washcloth with her and not let it go.

She knows what she wants.

It's a good thing she's cute.

And just for fun, here's her monster brother a few years back.

i'm grateful for my hoodlums

2011-11-16T15:04:00.002-07:00

This mommy stuff is hard work....have you heard that from me enough yet?

I was listening to a book on CD called, "Bringing Up Boys" by Dr. James Dobson,

and one of the final lines of the book is something along the lines of...

"When you and your spouse are old and lying in bed,

your happiness will be directly proportional to how well you taught & raised your children".

WOW! Those are some strong words.

I know I'm lucky to have 3 crazy, happy spirits in my home.

Now if I can just get my act together and plan for my future happiness.

Pictures with Personality

2011-11-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

We got our family pictures back from Jeni, and we couldn't believe what we thought was a total flop turned out to be perfect!

No, none of us are perfectly smiling at the camera all in one shot, but they truly capture the personalities of our children, so i'm in love!

We went for the more candid shots when Stella wouldn't have anything to do with sitting still.

Besides, sitting still and smiling is boring, right?

Can't you tell that James adores his sister? He's staring at her smiling in 2 of the photos!

Can't you tell that Stella just wanted to run and play...and she gets afraid of being separated from her mommy?

Can't you tell that Henry was a great listener and tried to "smile" for the camera?

I can....and I love it.

Thank you, Jeni!

{I'll post more in more detail later, but I didn't want to spoil our Christmas cards!}

{book buddies}

2011-11-10T20:19:00.002-07:00

{Bed time books tonight}

Henry is learning soooo much in school.

I'm so proud of him and so thankful for his teacher!

He started off the year knowing some words from memorization,

but now he can read amazingly well and conquers most words he can sound out.

It makes bedtime stories a lot more fun...

to see my 3 kiddos piled up on one chair, listening to their brother read.

Tonight he read "Are you my mother?" without a glitch.

Henry also got a turn with Little Piggy, the classroom stuffed pig, last night.

He came home from school with him in his backpack with instructions to write 4 good sentences about Little Piggy's time at our house.

Let's just say Little Piggy was a little stinky for our house, so the first thing we did was gave him a good washing in the washing machine.

I'm thinking that piggy has collected quite the germs in about 15 first graders' hands and houses.

Here's the cute story he wrote...

Little pig got a wash, and he busted my house.

LIttle pig played on the computer.

He played friv.

Little pig ate a treat.

When Allie visited last night, Henry had to show her Little Piggy and his story.

She said, "THAT is the cutest spelling of treat I've ever seen".

Chrete= Treat.

Pretty dang cute.

And, he's getting pretty dang smart.

Way to learn, Henry!

Scrap Fest

2011-11-06T17:28:00.002-07:00

My sweet Sister-in-law, Janelle, invited me on a scrapbooking retreat with her and some of her friends.

It was 50 women in one conference room at a hotel near Salt Lake.

We scrapped on Friday from 3pm-1am, and then on Saturday from 9am until midnight.

My goal was to get 50 pages done, and I think I got almost there. My last count was 46.

Here's some of my work...

The 2 days flew by. I had good conversation with great company and got a lot done.

I was on a roll and didn't want to stop.

I'm hoping to have our 2010 books printed shortly.

Thanks for the invite, Janelle!

...and thanks to the hubby for holding down the fort!

Pinspiration

2011-11-03T11:14:00.003-06:00

I'm addicted to Pinterest.

If you haven't joined in the fun, do it!

I have tons of DIY projects and holiday ideas pinned that I've been dying to try.

I got my inspiration from this Pin...

a cute Thankful banner made out of fabric and lace.

So, I made one last night and here's my rendition...

No lace, thank you very much. I'm just not a lacy kind of lady.

But, I love it, nonetheless.

It just may make it's way to the mantle, but the mantle is under construction right now.

Family pictures are being hung and knickknacks are being arranged.

Until then, go find some Pinspiration for yourself.

Ring and Run for Halloween Fun!

2011-11-01T15:43:00.004-06:00

Our Halloween night 2011 will be hard to beat.

It started off with 60 degree weather and a little bit of sunshine as we headed out the door to trick or treat.

The kids looked cute...

even though Stella wouldn't pose in her chicken attire.

She was same chicken as James was at one and Henry was at one.

We had a party with cousins...

Stella and Afton rode happily in the wagon...

Henry & James ran from door to door...

Lots of candy was to be had and lots of friends in costume were to be seen...

Our kids are at great ages...the boys can run together and Stella can just cruise in the wagon.

James felt bad that Stella wasn't trick or treating, so he would bring her back almost every single one of his treats to eat right away, or he would hold it up for me to open for himself.

He made it home with very little candy in his bag, but that's okay by me.

Our favorite find in the neighborhood every Halloween is homemade donuts...

Stella did get out at the last house, The Hinmans, to do the real trick or treating she is capable of...

She grabbed a piece of candy, threw it back and tried to run away.

Then turned and took 2 and ran off the porch.

Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for staying at our house and passing out candy in true cowboy fashion!

Now it's officially November and the 60's are gone.

It snowed today! Bah humbug...I'm not ready for that yet!

The kids asked Preston last night while he was putting them to bed how many days it would be until Christmas. They woke up this morning telling me "one month until Thanksgiving!".

It's always a countdown to something at our house!

{October Phone Pictures}

2011-10-30T18:33:00.002-06:00

I love having a camera at my fingertips at all times.

These are the shots I captured this month while away from my big camera.

{Henry played Fall soccer. He's getting better and better. It feels like real soccer now.}

{Henry found the glory of sticking Cocoa Puffs in his nose...his dad took this picture}

{My Little Minions....all dressed up for the Pumpkin Walk}

{My Veggie "Tray" for the Pond Halloween Party}

{UEA breakfast at Einstein's...the kids love those cinnamon bagel bites}

{UEA treats....the kids love fro yo at Menchies}

{Stella loves salsa...even when it's spicy!}

{Chicken Little...she brought me her costume one Sunday afternoon & insisted I put it on her, then proceeded to wear it for over an hour.}

{My newly organized pantry}

{Preston's homecoming sign made out of glowsticks on our garage...he was in Germany for the week}

{Reuniting with Coke after a week-long break...trying to make that gym time worth it}

a walk to remember

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we decided the weather was perfect to take a Family hike.

Henry needed to collect some leaves for school, so we headed up to Pineview to check out a new trail Preston found on the internet.

It was perfect for our young family!

It started as a trail through the cattails...

Until we came to these little Ponds of water...

Then we went a different route over the bridge...

and through some beautiful Autumn leaves to this trail along the water...

Preston collected enough rocks for us all to throw one in and make a wish...

It took some effort to get the rock up and over the trees, as you can see by my clenched jaw.

Those years of softball paid off.

As we were walking I had one of those blissful "I am blessed" moments

where everything stands still and seems perfect for that second.

My boys were following their dad up with hill, crunching through the leaves.

Stella was being pushed in the stroller by her Daddy and giggling as he swerved her all over the place.

I was leisurely walking along, taking in all of the amazing scenery and listening to the joyful sounds of my family.

It sounds silly, but it was a nice, sacred moment for me.

I'm grateful for a husband who adores our children and wants to be with them as much as he can.

I'm so happy that we live in a place that surrounds us with beauty.

I'm forever reminded that our family is eternal, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

We have everything we need.

We are blessed.

Halloween Lunch Bunch

2011-10-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

Every October I invite a few friends over for a Halloween Lunch Bunch.

We do a potluck for lunch, the kids wear their costumes and then each mom brings a game & prize.

Here's the kiddos all dressed up this year...

My favorite was little Charlie dressed up as Charlie Brown, even though he doesn't seem too happy about it.

The festive lunch items included Mummy Dogs, Pumpkin Bagels, Green Bread, and Spider Eggs.

Games were a hit.

And we had a great variety.

The kids loved collecting prizes at each station.

We even had a pumpkin craft to boot.

Stella stayed happy just roaming with her own personal bag of m&m's.

It's been the first year we were able to do it outside,

and it worked perfectly.

Until next year...

creepy creatures

2011-10-24T07:01:00.001-06:00

Over Fall Break we headed to the Dinosaur Park to see some creepy creatures.

There were the regular dinosaurs roaring at us, a few jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows and bats,

but the scariest creatures of all were the ones we brought in.

I love Beckett's scary face. I'm thinking he caught a glimpse at that knife-holding clown.

These 2 ARE dangerous when they get together. Having all 3 at home for a few days has reminded me of that.

And, these 2 can get pretty spooky, as well. It's a love/hate relationship.

Let's not forget their brothers trip to the dinosaur park over 3 years ago. That relationship has been passed down.

Regardless of the company we kept,

we had a great time walking around, playing at the playground, picnicking and enjoying the 60 degree beautiful Fall weather.

the canny caper

2011-10-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

This little lady loves to eat!

Mostly "canny" (aka- candy).

I had to photograph her in her "I Want Candy" shirt because it matches her desires to a tee!

She knows where our treat stashes are in our house and she goes there and begs.

Let's just say, she's pretty darn cute and knows how to get what she wants.

Goo Getters

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

My boys have always been a little frightened or grossed out by the goo inside of a pumpkin.

Well, not this year!

They dug right in and loved it...

While the boys gutted, planned and carved...

Stella ate pumpkin chocolate chip bread...

...and begged for the frozen yogurt to be done.

Once everyone was done pumpkin carving and treating, we headed outside to place our new decor...

Daddy sure did a good job!

James requested his BIG pumpkin to be eating a baby pumpkin.

Henry requested a mummy pumpkin.

Now that is a hard one, but Prest did his best, and Henry was delighted.

The jacks...

The boys relished in their pumpkins aglow

and Stella ran out to the grass crying hysterically and had to be carried back in past the pumpkins.

She was super scared. I'm a little nervous for Halloween night. Maybe the candy will lure her?

Best Witches!

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

The weather this week was boo-tiful!

It was near 70, sunny and perfect for hitting the Witch displays at Gardner Village.

{James & Fischer ready to witch hunt}

{witch tunes}

{the witch crew}

{future witches?}

{Witch out!!!....incoming!}

There were so many witches to see it was hard to "pick" our favorite...

{wee witch}

{with mummy}

We had a great Fall day with our friends...old ones and warty ones!

Picking Pumpkins

2011-10-16T08:53:00.003-06:00

We made our annual visit to Day Farms for a hayride and pumpkin picking on Monday night.

Our good friends, the Adams, came along for the festive fun.

{Waiting for our tractor}

{Hayride}

{Plowing through the fields}

{The werewolf who jumped out at us...the boys wanted to apply for this job}

{The patch}

{Off hunting for the perfect pumpkin}

{Henry's choice}

{James' selection}

Stella wanted to walk and find a pumpkin,

but once Daddy put her down her legs kept getting caught in the pumpkin vine,

so she opted for rides from Mommy and Daddy.

We find a cute little punkin' just for her.

But she still had fun with her crazy parents.

{Pumpkin Loading}

{Patch Picture}

And we headed home with our pumpkins for some warm chicken noodle soup.

It was a perfect fall night to gear up for Halloween!

Tomorrow our pumpkins will become Jack-o-lanterns!

bookkeeper

2011-10-14T12:01:00.002-06:00

Stella LOVES books!

As in, they are more like a lovey to her than something to read.

She carries them wherever she goes, even to diaper changes.

When I try to have her put it down she yells "Boooooooooook".

She loves to sit in her chair in her room and just thumb threw books.

Every once in awhile she lets me read one to her but usually she wants to do so independently.

A future librarian, bookkeeper or author?

Or, maybe just an OCD lady like her mother.

Sunday Funday

2011-10-12T14:22:00.002-06:00

I turned 33 on Sunday.

I always thought Sunday would be a crummy day for a birthday,

but honestly, I don't really remember my last birthday on a Sunday.

Let's just say my theory was proven wrong.

I did have to get up with the kids because Preston was at a church meeting,

and I did have to make myself (and the rest of the fam) breakfast,

but I did make my favorite....biscuits and gravy!

The first blessing of my Sunday bday was that we had Stake Conference,

so instead of having a 3 hour meeting from 1-4pm we had a morning meeting from 10-noon.

Much better.

And, it meant that we came straight home and the hubby made lunch (2nd blessing),

and I still had time to nap (3rd blessing)! It's been a long time since I actually took the time to nap,

and I succeeded. I fell asleep and stayed asleep for almost 2 hours...heaven!

The next big blessing of the day was Janelle inviting us over for birthday dinner.

No cooking or cleaning for me!

And, she went BIG!...roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli, homemade rolls...

and the one thing I requested Janeen brought to dinner....frogeye salad ( I LOVE that stuff!).

After dinner I was blessed with not just one dessert, but TWO!

Janelle far exceeded the standard and made frozen yogurt AND chocolate chip zucchini cake.

Now THAT is a great ending to a birthday feast!

I was also blessed with great family that gave me some fun gifts....

a bundt pan for baking,

an avocado dicer for chopping Stella's daily snack,

and Preston had sent me an email a few days prior that I will be getting the new iphone on Friday!

I've decided that Sunday birthdays are the best...

you get to spend low-key time with family, have lots of good homemade food and even catch a nap...

that is if you have a great family like me! :)

scoutin' it out

2011-10-10T19:45:00.003-06:00

Preston is in the stake young men's presidency and does a ton with the Scouts.

He was a little too excited about getting his own uniform to wear to the meetings.

It was the talk of our house for a few weeks...

which one should he buy?

what badges did he need?

when would he be able to go?

He finally made it to the scout store and can now sport his own uni.

Just before this photo he said, "You aren't allowed to make fun of the Scouting Program on your blog".

All joking aside, he looks great in his Scout gear.

Way to Be Prepared, Babe!

{1.5}

2011-10-07T15:49:00.004-06:00

My baby celebrated her half birthday yesterday!

She's officially 18 months!!!

This means she's closer to 2 than to 1, AND that she's of nursery age.

I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I still have vivid memories of her birth and newbie days.

At 18 months Stella....

- wants to be outside at ALL times.

- is a total Daddy's girl and yells "Dada" constantly.

- craves "canny" (candy).

- has a shoe fetish & tries everyone's on.

- loves books and screams to take them with her wherever she goes.

- enjoys tractor rides with James every day.

- copies me at everything I do & attempts to clean things.

- has too many words to type down.

- dances the instant she hears music (looks more like a bobbly head dance).

- hates to have her hair done and pulls out her ponies.

- colors.

- squeals at the site of a dog then cries in fear when they get too close.

- mimics animal sounds.

- wants to go on walks on her trike every time we go outside.

- loves her brothers & her friends.

- sits on the couch for shows but jumps up after 2 minutes.

- yells out "baby" whenever she sees a doll, baby or small animal.

She's the sweetest thing this side of the Mississippi!

the bear necessities

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

{Lund Family, 2012, Boardwalk @ WDW}

Who says Disney is just for kids?

Just finished up a 5 day trip to Disneyworld with the adult Lunds,

and we had a great time!

...sleeping in, running, eating, hanging out, exploring, people watching and laughing.

I love my sisters and miss them everyday.

Angie is the oldest...the responsible one that keeps us all on track & keeps the peace.

Tia is next....the boss that makes big decisions with the quick wit that keeps us laughing.

Keely is just older than me....the easy-going, spacey one, that lives minute to minute by the beat of her own drum.

Then me....the baby, who got all the leftovers (short, chunky, bad eyes, impatience, OCD).

Okay, not really, I like to think I have good hair, pristine organization and a stellar immune system.

And we couldn't have gotten so lucky to be so good-looking and well-rounded without the 2 greatest parents.

Including, this cute old man that celebrated his 63rd birthday as we crossed the finish line at the Wine and Dine.

He's got the energy of a 20-something and his counterpart has the spunk of a teenager.

We all got lucky.

With them, I can accomplish everything.

They are my bear necessities.

And made it so that I now count 4 more treasures as my bear necessities.

This trip blew right on by (too fast) and blew my expectations out of the water.

But, I'm hoping there are many more to come with this bunch.

Love you guys!

the happiest pace on earth

2011-10-02T13:55:00.002-06:00

I'm still in Disneyworld with my family,

but I wanted to post our race pictures while I rest and recover from the big run

(and while I have the time away from the kiddos).

My sisters are laying out by the pool, but we all know that my skin just burns.

It's been a great trip, thus far.

We started out on Thursday by reuniting at the Orlando airport and taking the Magical Express back to the Beach Club Resort.

That night we bused over to Downtown Disney to dine at Fulton's & get reacquainted.

On Friday we went to the expo to pick up our race packets & shop around for running gear.

And pose for a few shots.

Some people were more excited about the run than others.

That night we hung out at the hotel and then got burgers at the House of Blues.

It was so nice to be able to get some down time with the family without the distraction of our babies.

Minus Kingston, who seemed to fit right in with our bunch.

None of us could even remember the last time it was just the 6 of us on vacation.

Saturday was race day (or race night I should say), so we ate a big breakfast at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Then we spent the rest of the day resting, eating light, drinking water and stressing about the run.

That makes for a lot of hours of anxiety.

But at 7:15pm we headed out for the bus to Wide World of Sports (the start line).

{racers before departing}

{shirts by Tia}

{waiting in the bus line}

Then we loaded the bus and bid Mom farewell.

She was on Kingston-duty and meeting us at Epcot to Wine and Dine.

After 3 hours of waiting,

2 potty breaks,

a few rounds of stretching and dance moves,

a last minute drink of water,

and a Corral downgrade from C to D,

it was time to start!...

{10:15pm and time to run!}

And, we did it!

It was a very entertaining, very crowded, very tiring 13.1 but we all made it across the finish line!

We ran with Buzz and Mr. Incredible to name a few.

There were bands, parade floats, characters, and volunteers all along the way through

Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, in true Disney style.

It made the magical miles much more bearable.

But there were a few unexpected hills and a lot of walkers to dodge, as well.

The weather was a perfect 68 degrees with a slight breeze.

I shaved 10 minutes off my last half marathon in Chicago.

I've been training at about a 10:40 pace and was able to maintain that after I broke free from the first mile crowding for a few miles,

but at mile 7 there was a large hill and that's where I slowed down and averaged closer to a 11:30 pace. I choose to call it my "happy pace", and settled into the zone.

I finished in 2 hours and 27 minutes.

I felt good, but a bit slow, most of the run. I dreaded a night run, but it turned out okay.

My sisters finished 10 minutes ahead of me and my dad just a few minutes behind me (he's nursing a leg injury).

After the finish we weren't interested in the long line of gourmet food at the festival,

so we treated ourselves to a pretzel, cheese dip and Coke before heading back to shower and sleep.

My head hit the pillow at 3am.

Miraculously, I only have sore feet from wearing flip flops all day and then running.

We got much-needed massages and are going out to dinner for Dad's 63rd birthday tonight.

It's been fun training for this half and getting excited about visiting Disney...

now we are trying to plan our next half and our next trip to Disney (with the kids and hubbies, of course!).

Keely's favoring the Nashville Country Music 1/2 and the Polynesian Resort in 2012.

So I guess I'll keep training and saving up my money.

game face

2011-09-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

{After a run this week}

I'm off to Disneyworld to run in the Wine and Dine Half Marathon with my sisters and Dad.

I couldn't be more excited to spend time with my immediate family, my original family.

Just my 3 older sisters, my mom and dad.

No kids, except for Keely's token nurser.

The plans are plenty of laughter, plenty of food, a nap here and there, reading, hanging out and let's not forget the 13.1 mile run.

I've been training for months now, and I feel ready.

The only part that throws me off is I'm a morning runner.

I prefer to get up with the sun and hit the road, back home just before the sun peeks over the mountains.

My few evening runs leave me sweaty (see above), feeling heavy and having a hard time breathing through the fatigue of the day.

This race begins at 10pm, in the dark, in the humidity, in Florida.

I keep telling myself that the excitement of being with family at a Disney celebration with lights, crowds and characters will pull me through the 2 and a half hours of running.

Let's hope I'm right.

I feel strong.

I've been doing Crossfit now for 3 months now, and it kicks my butt.

I'm amazed everyday that my body cooperates, thrives and keeps going.

Let's be honest, I'm not happy with how my body looks,

but it feels good and it works for me.

That's all I ask.

I must admit this is hilarious and I'm pretty sure it's accurate in my case...

Honestly, I don't care what I look like as long as I finish.

Let's get ready to rumble...

{night night}

2011-09-27T09:46:00.003-06:00

Bedtime is split up at our house.

Preston bathes and puts the boys to bed, while I handle Stella.

Well, Stella is starting to rebel against her parents plan.

She wants to do everything her brothers do and she wants to do it with them.

So at night when I try to give her a bath upstairs, she wants nothing more than to bathe with her brothers downstairs.

I wash her as fast as I can and jammy her up, then she is off to find them in the basement.

She rushes for the stairs and turns to make sure I'm not going to stop her plans.

Then she yells out "dada", trying to tell me exactly where she is going.

Then she slides down the steps with a smile on her face, realizing her mission will be accomplished.

She runs the entire length of the basement to arrive at her final goal...

And she's in heaven with her books...

And her boys...

And that makes for a good night.

Let's get this Fall rolling...

2011-09-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy first day of Fall!

Isn't it beautiful? I'm loving the crisp mornings and evenings and the warm, sunny days.

The best seasons are when you can wear hoodies and flip flops together!!!

I got Fall rolling by attempting the rolled fabric rosette fad.

A friend and I put together fall wreaths while watching reality TV.

It's always nice to be productive while watching meaningless television.

Ain't she cute?

We followed this tutorial and video to produce those little puppies...

Then, since it was incredibly addicting and relaxing, I made a few more for Stella's hair.

Just rolled and attached them to a gator clip with felt.

I also tried out covered button felt flowers.

These were super simple too, and I can't wait to try more combinations.

Here's the tutorial for those.

(WARNING: The IKEA kids cup produces a flower almost as big as my baby's head. I made the circles almost half that size by using a small sauce cup- about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter).

Stella will be sporting one in our family photos this weekend, courtesy of Jeni Boston Photography.

I'm stressing over clothes, and bows, and props, and cranky kids, and a not-so-photogenic hubby and my extra chin,

but Jeni usually works miracles, so I'm holding out hope.

Now let's enjoy Fall...

soups, hoodies, pumpkin-chocolate chip everything, open windows and apple scents.

Fun Run

2011-09-21T14:21:00.004-06:00

Henry's school had their first fun run this week.

I don't think he had any idea what he was in store for.

We tried to explain on the way over that it was a one mile race, but you don't really sign up to win it.

Our message was basically "Run. Have fun. Do your best".

After getting all checked in, he posed with his bib...

Then he was off to the start line with the rest of the school...

We saw him run off into the sunset and waited near the finish line for him to cross.

Here he is at about 9/10's of a mile, just walking and chatting with a friend...

Until Dad yelled, "Henry, RUN!"...

And off he ran again...

To the finish line...

They had them sign their place on a sheet of paper under their grade, and Henry said he got 14th.

I was actually very impressed, considering he's never really "ran" before.

I could tell by his time and by the redness in his face he ran most of the way.

He made us proud.

And I think Stella was happy for him too.

"Fun" and "Run" don't usually go in the same category for us Ponds,

but I think this cute little kids race changed our minds.

I was wrong...

2011-09-19T14:02:00.002-06:00

Preston wanted a boy first from the time we even discussed kids.

When I finally got pregnant I decided that I did NOT want to find out what I was having out of fear of him being disappointed if it was a girl (and because I thought finding out the day of the big event sounded fun). I truly wanted a boy first too because I always wanted a big brother.

I swore it was a girl. Preston swore it was a boy. It was boy (Henry). So much for mother's instinct.

Round 2. Preston wanted another boy. He was fine with a houseful of boys and Henry needed a brother.

I swore it was a girl. Preston swore it was a boy. It was a boy (James). So much for mother's instinct.

Round 3. Preston wanted another boy. He didn't want to deal with "harmones" (that's what he calls hormones).

I swore it was a girl. Preston swore it was a girl (because of my hormonal rash). It was a girl (Stella). Yay for mother's instinct...finally!

With every pregnancy I wanted a boy because Preston wanted a boy.

I wanted a boy because I had boys and knew how they worked.

I wanted a boy because I had a boatload of boy clothes.

I wanted a boy because I thought it was noble to carry a boy (a future missionary, a future leader in the home, a future President?).

I once told a dear friend that it was "noble to carry boys" and just weeks later she found out she was pregnant with a girl. Ouch.

I know, it's sexist of me, but that was how I felt.

I'm writing this post to say I confess, I was so, so, so wrong.

Wrong that I thought I only wanted boys.

Wrong that I thought it was more noble to carry and raise boys.

Wrong that I told my friend such a rude and insensitive thing.

I'm writing to say I needed a girl.

I needed a sweet little angel.

I needed to carry a girl that would one day be a mother (how noble is that?)

I needed a girl that would follow me, help me and want me.

I wanted her all along, and I like to think she wanted me, too.

This is nothing against my boys.

They are momma's boys and so very precious.

They are strong, determined, wild, loyal and still cuddle their mommy.

They protect their sister and adore every single thing she does.

But this momma needed a baby girl and never knew it.

And just needed to say so.

This little lady completes me and our family.

I'm amazed by her everyday.

She drops things and cleans them up (imagine that)!

She sees a baby and wants to hold it.

She spots a dress-up at the gym and yells to put it on.

One of her brother's will cry and she will run to the rescue.

She's such a little girl, and I can't wait to see what she will become one day.

I truly wanted her all along, and I like to think her daddy did too (hormones and all)!

Happy Birthday, Janeen!

2011-09-15T16:45:00.004-06:00

My mother-in-law, Janeen, is 62 today!

We journeyed out to Tooele to pay her a visit and celebrate the year she begins getting a Social Security check!

I love many things about my mother-in-law, but one of those things is her love for food.

As in, she could talk about it, cook it and enjoy it 24 hours a day, just like me!

She's my kind of gal!

Plus, she is one of the best cooks I know. Dinner at her house is always a delight!

She is a Master Gardener and the Herb Lady. If I have a food question, I know who to call!

Lots of people love her....can you tell?

She and her friends have a tradition of meeting at La Frontera every Thursday for the lunch special.

Now that is a tradition I want one day when the kids are grown!

It made it easy for Janelle and I to drive from Layton and partake in the Thursday lunch bunch.

Plus, my older 2 were at school, so I only had to entertain the pony-tailed, raisin lover...

She asked and she received...

Since Janeen is such a great cook she makes homemade tortillas. This is a press to make them perfect.

It was a perfect lunch date with a perfect lady!

Happy #62, Janeen!

Can't wait to try out those tortillas!

A September to Remember.

2011-09-13T15:56:00.003-06:00

I feel like this blog is slacking lately.

I guess that's what 3 kids, lots of to-do's and Pinterest does to you.

Are you on Pinterest yet? If not, you should check it out! It's so, so addicting but you can find some of the best ideas on there....I feel like my meal-making and crafting have stepped it up a notch since finding Pinterest. It can be overwhelming, but you just got let it into your life a wee-little-bit and call it good.

Anyways, we've been busy harvesting our garden...

Preston worked so hard this year planting everything under the sun,

and it all seems to be ready to eat...tomatoes, zucchini, rutabaga, onions, green beans, cucumbers, squash, shallots, jalapenos, serrano peppers and all sorts of herbs.

I will be making homemade salsa tomorrow. If I write it here I'm suddenly accountable, right?

We've been prepping for Halloween...

And, no, James is not being a witch. He just likes to play dress up with his girl-friends.

My boys are being something homemade this year.

DID YOU HEAR ME? Homemade!!! That's a first for me. Thank you, Pinterest.

And, this one is still loving preschool to bits...

I think he wishes he lived there and that Fischer could be his brother.

I thought I would want summer to last forever, but now I'm really ready for Fall.

You just can't beat that 65 degree breeze at 8pm that accompanies the sun setting.

I just don't want to lose the crisp, yet warm air...I'm nowhere ready for 40's, 30's, 20's and so forth. And I wish the 5pm darkness would never come.

As you can see, Henry is not pictured in these photos. He's our lost child. We've lost him to first grade, friends, bike riding and soccer. It's bittersweet, but he has to grow up sometime.

That's my ode to September.

Park Perfection

2011-09-11T10:15:00.004-06:00

Stella is becoming quite the little person lately.

She's no longer the mush that you call baby. Sweet, cute, loveable, perfect mush.

Now she runs, screams, chats, eats anything, understands commands and enjoys slides at the park...

My favorite parts about this video are...

1- Henry's willingness to give up his park time to help his sister slide.

2- Stella's huge smile at the bottom of the slide.

3- James using his baby voice to tell his sister "we can come back".

4- Stella insisting on running away to avoid leaving the park.

I'm loving my kids ages right now.

Henry is so big and becoming a great helper.

James is finally to the point where he can do most things independently and not throw a fit about it. He's so sweet to his sister, always wanting to show her things and make her happy.

Stella is exploring, learning and the delight of my other children as they watch her do it.

I realized as I watched this video back that I'm truly blessed, even though I've always known it, it is nice to have a simple reminder from time to time.

in training...

2011-09-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

James is learning how to ride his bike without training wheels on the trail near our house.

He's always asking Preston to take him out for practice.

He's catching on pretty fast, but I don't think *I* am ready for him to be without training wheels.

Henry JUST learned how to ride his bike without them this summer, at the age of 5 & 3/4.

I'm telling you, the second child always picks up on things faster.

Finally his turn...

2011-09-06T15:49:00.002-06:00

James is our middle child, the second boy, who is always waiting to be able to do what his big brother has already done.

Well, today was a major milestone for him....he started preschool!

He's been asking everyday when it will be his turn to go to school, and the day finally came!

When he woke up this morning he brought his clothes upstairs with him and wanted to get dressed right away.

He was fed, dressed, teeth-brushed, hair-combed and ready to head to preschool by 8am.

Too bad it starts at 9.

By the time Fischer pulled into the driveway to take him to his first day,

he was overcome with excitement. He climbed in and headed off.

That's the nice thing about brave 2nd children....when it comes their turn it's no big deal.

No tears. No sadness. It's just what big brother did, so he's okay doing it too.

I thought for 2 seconds I was sad to have him gone, but I new he was off having fun, learning and getting lots of attention from friends and the teacher.

And, I was able to get my entire house cleaned while he was gone.

Stella gave me a "first day of preschool" gift and slept until 10:45am!

Now my house smells of Fall and is sparkly fresh!

It's a new chapter of my life with 2 kids in school, and I think I'm gonna like it,

and I'm pretty positive they will too!!!

a flood of fun

2011-09-01T20:40:00.002-06:00

Preston has been having a lot of meetings at night with his new Stake Young Men's calling,

so these 3 get thrown in the tub all at once. Whereas on a normal night, I'm on Stella duty and Daddy is on boy duty.

They play, splash and laugh the tubby time away...all 3 in a row.

After they are all clean and done with the bath time fun, I wrap them up in their towels

and they run around the house like crazy animals.

Then I have to wrangle them in, PJ them up, read them books, say prayers, feed them snacks

and toss them in bed.

Then.....I go clean up the flooded bathroom.

Miss John Deere

2011-08-29T16:50:00.002-06:00

Stella loves tractor rides!...as seen below.

James loves his sister!...as heard below.

Check out her pageant wave here...

We just may have a little John Deere Queen on our hands!

Birthday Play

2011-08-26T14:36:00.003-06:00

We had Henry's birthday at the local park last night.

He was so excited to have his friends to bounce with him.

The night began with pizza and root beer,

followed by bouncing and the kids playing at the park.

Then Henry opened his presents

and we sang to him over a gigantic hamburger cupcake.

The big finale of the night was the Kona Ice Truck.

They pulled up playing music and the kids all ran for snowcones.

I don't blame them, it was 100 degrees!

They got to add their own flavors and have as much sugary liquid as they wanted....

what's a birthday party without an overload of sugar?

Let's just say we did have one who ate too much sugar and bounced too much,

and too bad that "one" was one of my children & I ended up being sprayed with barf.

Some of my favorite parts of the night were...

- i had the pizza delivered, bounce house professionally set up and won the Kona Ice party for super cheap. it was easy peasy and ended up being perfect for this age group!

- the kids were so entertained that the adults got to chat in the shade.

- a few people told Henry they loved his #6 shirt and he proudly responded, "My mom didn't make it!" (Thank you, Kinsey! He knows I need you in that department! See her cute stuff here.)

-henry is new to the "club penguin" craze (thank you, Xander!), and the look he got on his face when he opened his gift from Thomas and Kailie that contained 2 Club Penguin stuffed animals was so cute. Check it out in the photo above...I couldn't even get him to look at the camera! He was mesmerized and in awe!

- the party was over at 8, but it had cooled down so much by that point that my boys

and a few friends that came late just kept bouncing and playing soccer on past 9pm. i love breezy summer nights!

- henry was happy and that's all that mattered.

- stella laughing her head off while bouncing with mom was pretty priceless too...

When we got home we had to do our new tradition, even though it was way past bed time.

I had hung 6 balloons, one for each year, on a string from the ceiling. Henry popped each one with a tack and out came...

$1!

I think we all went to bed with a sugar-high and a brain that was still bouncing,

but it only happens once a year, right? Or I guess in my case...3!

Happy #6, Henry!

2011-08-24T23:57:00.003-06:00

{New Henry}

Happy 6th Birthday to my sweet Henry!

....my first born.

...my silly, easygoing boy.

...my adventurous and brave son.

You taught me how to be a mom, through trial and error. Thank you for that...and I'm sorry.

As a newborn, I sat with you for hours in a chair, afraid to move, while you nursed and slept.

You proved that my heart could walk outside of my body. Everybody told me, but I thought they were nuts.

I sat & bawled with you in my arms the day I brought you home from the hospital,

overwhelmed with the divine responsibility to keep you alive and raise you to be a man one day.

You remind me every day to be a better person by simply being you.

I teach you simple things and you make them multiply.

We love you, Henry!

{old Henry}

Enough of the serious stuff, let's go bounce...

so-called soccer

2011-08-24T15:13:00.003-06:00

James started his second season of soccer last night, if we can call it that.

It's more of the same stuff we watched last year.

His dad is still the coach...

Oh wait, wrong coach. Here's the I-just-got-off-work-and-rushed-here one...

Isn't that funny though? The other team was Thunder and the coach pictured above even played the "THUNDER" song when they were warming up and resting between quarters. What a crack up!

More huddling toddlers all over the ball...

More being excited for when someone scores, no matter whether they are on your team or not...

But, I must admit, a few things have changed since last season.

James has a little more hustle...

And, he already has a goal under his belt and a smile on his face...

He says everyday, "Is it Tuesday today? That's my soccer day."

Also, this season I have a babysitter to sit on the sidelines with Stella...

Oh wait, that's Aunt Nellie. She gets to be a cheerleader this time around because Davis is on the team too!

Looks like we're in for a great season!

Go T-Rex (that's the team name they picked)!!!

Eager Engineer

2011-08-23T14:27:00.001-06:00

Stella wants to follow in her Daddy's footsteps,

or at least dig in his work bag and play dress-up for now.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sharing with you my little piece of heaven.

This time of year my garden is usually full of zucchini.

We grill it or saute it every other night and still have plenty left over.

That's when we grate it up and use it in our favorite cake...

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake!

Preston's mom gave us this recipe, but I think it's a hand-me-down from a generation or two.

Can you tell I make it a lot by the filth of ingredients that is covering the page?

I've told you once, twice or thrice, but I'm telling you again, I'm NO baker!

Nothing I ever bake turns out, but this cake WILL NOT fail you.

I promise. It's super easy and super moist and those chocolate chippy bites will wow you,

especially if you put an entire package of the Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips on just before baking!

Now go snatch a zucchini from your garden and get going on it.

It's a vegetable and a dessert....does it get any better than that?

a fair to remember

2011-08-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law called me on Wednesday night and invited us to the Davis County Fair on Thursday.

The planner in me thought for sure I must have something going on, but no, it's back to school week so me and my 2 littlest were available.

We've been to the fair the past three years. Can you believe our first time Henry looked like this and James was barely in utero?

Anywho, our first stop was the pony rides...they are free and the kids love them.

Well, James did anyway. After a 30 minute line he climbed right on "George".

Stella, on the other hand, screamed in torture as I tried to bribe her on.

The kind of bribe that makes you think, "we waited a half hour for you to do this?".

Oh well, James was happy that he got a ride.

Next up, free cotton candy...and a sucker....and lots of other sugary substances.

And then the petting zoo.

Davis and James enjoyed the sleeping calf. Who could sleep around all of these pesky toddlers?

And lastly, no fair is fair without a carni ride.

These 3 rode together and couldn't figure out how to get the plane to go up the first 9/10's of the ride,

but once they did they were all smiles...

By this time we were all a hot, dizzy, sugar-highed mess so we called it a day.

Another fair in the books.

Did I mention taking 2 kids anywhere is A LOT easier than taking 3 kids?

Well, it is.

Back to School Night

2011-08-18T14:28:00.003-06:00

We like to celebrate everything with food here at the Pond home, so Back to School was no different.

We had an entire evening of Back to School excitement.

The menu...

The place settings...

Henry got the CELEBRATE plate because it was his first day.

The grub...

No photo of the actual beef tacos...I can't make that look appetizing. But, the guac was pretty amazing.

1st grader...

Soon-t0-be preschooler...

We ate, talked about his first day of first grade then had an FHE on Listening and Learning.

We all got Priesthood Blessings from Daddy and are geared up for a good year!

The most important part....treats!

I attempted these apple oreo pops.

They worked okay but were more difficult than I anticipated.

The toothpick wedged the oreo apart and then the candy melt got thick and clumpy.

But, my 3, 5 and 32 year old had no complaints.

Happy Back to School/The Grind!

In his own words...

2011-08-17T21:13:00.002-06:00

After I interviewed him, I asked him if there was anything else he'd like to add.

He looked at me seriously and said, "I like lemonade" very matter-of-factly.

So there you have it.

Making the grade.

2011-08-16T14:23:00.002-06:00

Henry went back to school yesterday.

And we aren't talking the just-3-hours-of-Kindergarten stuff anymore...

he's officially made the "grade" years...

He's in FIRST GRADE and gone ALL day!

I had to wake him up at 7:45am so that we could be out the door by 8:10am.

He's had the convenience of going to bed late all summer and waking up whenever he pleases.

This morning he was super excited about going to school.

He just kept saying, "I get 3 recesses now, Mom!".

On the 2 minute drive to school Henry blurted out,

"I'm gonna miss you guys" with the cutest smile on his face.

I was doing so good until he said that. No big tears, just a few welling up and a big swallow.

I'm so happy to see him growing up, but it's sad someone else gets the best part of his days now.

We walked him up to his school and showed him where to line up.

He found his good friend, Miles, who is in his class.

He's smart, a rule-follower and very responsible, so I'm hoping he'll rub off on Henry this year.

I tried to get a picture of Henry and James together but James wanted nothing to do with that.

Henry saw his teacher come out to get them and walked in confidently but stopped to smile and wave at us too.

James and I headed back to the van, trying to process our new reality with Henry gone all day,

but that soon turned to anger when I saw on my windshield...

A PARKING TICKET!

I guess it's a loading zone, but the sign specifically said "2:30 until 3:30", so I'm confused.

Our day was pretty typical....cleaning, playing, running errands, etc.

I must admit it was much quieter than usual...NO fighting! That was nice.

When I picked Henry up at 3pm (more like 3:20 due to some serious traffic) he reported nothing but good things. A few things he said...

- I got FOUR recesses today!

- I sit by a small girl.

- Miles played hide-and-seek at recess, and I never found him.

- I was way hungry at lunch. (he's used to snacking).

- I ate all my food but a few bites of my sandwich.

- Can I play Club Penguin?

He's still my little nonchalant, easy-going kid, so I think he will do great in first grade.

I'm still not quite sure how James will do without him home all day.

He keeps asking, "when does my peeschool start?".

I'm glad we have "pee" school over with for him at our house, but preschool starts in just a few weeks!

Alive at 65!

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Preston's Dad's Birthday over the weekend!

Nick turned 65 and he always jokes that he's glad he made it another year past his dad.

It also would have been his parents 70th wedding anniversary, so they had a huge Pond Reunion.

We wished him a happy birthday at Grandma Pond's favorite joint, Leatherby's.

It's also become everyone else's favorite now. She's passed on the love for good, homemade ice cream.

It was Preston's grandpa (or maybe great grandpa) that always said,

"It doesn't matter what's for dessert, as long as it's ice cream".

We got Nick some new cologne. He's telling Henry "thanks" in this picture.

Janeen looks pretty thankful too...

We followed up the ice cream sundaes and cheese fries tradition

with swimming with the extended Ponds at an indoor recreation center pool.

Happy Birthday, Nick!

You're alive at 65, and we're very happy about that!

A poem from my dad...

2011-08-14T09:42:00.003-06:00

I just got this email from my dad that I had to share.

It's titled "Wine and Dine" (the half marathon we are running in October)

It's gettin close
To have some fun
At Disneyworld
Where we will run
May not win
Won't even place
But hope to at least to finish the race
We will spend lots of dough
What the heck its Orlando!!!
While runnin lots of sights we will see
Let's pray one is not Casey Anthony!!!!

He attached this picture from our last race...

He's a hoot and I love him!

47 days until the race!

phone photos

2011-08-10T16:40:00.002-06:00

I love having a phone that takes pictures when I'm out and about without my camera.

So, here's a few recent shots that I must share.

Henry wrote me a message on our road trip....so sweet!

James goggled up at the Hill...

Stella at her usual....covered in food and escaping...

Having fun with our summer fun bunch...tractor rides!

I ran 9 a few weeks ago. Despite my appearance, it felt good.

Henry and I headed up the alpine coaster...

I want to make some of these for Stella and I....anyone want to join me?

This made my heart melt...

My scheme to get my kids to pick healthier snacks...

Oranges consumed in 3 days= 8.

Missing...

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

Seeing family once or twice a year just isn't enough.

We are missing our family.

My kids adore their cousins and talk about them constantly.

Henry even told Keely on our trip that if we died he would go and live with her so he could have a dog.

I'm sure he would be happy there.

I would be happy closer to my sisters too.

We can be computing, playing Celebrity game, running or just hanging out,

but just being together is a good place to be.

{We were missing Tia, Jimmy and Cole, too, of course!}

Also, if you want to see my kids sledding in August, check out my sister's blog.

Lily Pad Lake

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

Our big finale in Breckenridge was a hike called Lily Pad Lake.

It was 3.2 miles roundtrip and perfect for our group of youngins.

The sky was blue, and it was a beautiful 68 degrees!

We hiked through tall trees....

Across bridges...

Through boulder gardens...

To a beautiful lake full of lily pads!

And we made it out and back with all 8 kiddos!

Happy Trails, Colorado! You did us well.

Going for Gold

2011-08-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

Henry claims his favorite thing we did in Colorado was the Country Boy Mine.

It's an old gold mine that has been shut down, but they are open for tours.

We had to put on hard hats and be led by a miner down into the wet and dark mine.

He told us about how miners only got paid $1 a day and only lived up to 4 years.

Grandma had been sick most of the week, so we were glad she was feeling better & able to join us!

Stella, on the other hand, was not so grateful to be there. She wanted the hard hat OFF!

Safety first!

The whole touring crew...

After the tour we got to pan for gold...

But, we came up empty. I guess Preston will have to keep working!

cravings

2011-08-06T16:27:00.003-06:00

Before this trip I was craving family time, and we got plenty of that, and I'm very thankful for it.

But, we have also had our share of amazing food.

Blue River Bistro was my very favorite, and I think my husband's was fried pies from Mimi's.

Peach fried pie (empanada style) with vanilla ice cream.

I had to have a crepe from this delectable crepe cart on Main Street the first night.

I thought Strawberry Nutella would be my favorite, but I fell for Raspberry Chocolate Cream.

It was a must-eat almost every night. I'm gonna miss that place.

My sons craved mini cereal. Henry saw some in a shop window the first night we arrived.

He demanded nightly that we go on a hunt to find them again.

One night we succumbed to his desire and we walked the entire Main Street to find the

little boxes of cereal on the General Store shelf.

As we walked he kept saying, "it's in a little green shop" and kept his eyes peeled.

It's the little things, I guess, that make them the happiest.

I was pleased as punch to buy them a box of cereal as a souvenir.

Stella, on the other hand, did have her fair share of food,

but what she craved the most was MOMMY!

She's in a major phase of stranger anxiety and wanted nothing to do with anyone else.

You could find her most moments being toted around by me or doing this...

We've had a great trip and are down to our last few hours before departing,so now I'm craving normalcy.

I can't believe I go home to only 1 more week of summer and

then my oldest will be a first grader,

my middle child a preschooler

and my baby still my little buddy at home all day long.

I think she'll be happy about that....can you tell?

the peak of fun!

2011-08-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

On Thursday morning we loaded ourselves on to the Breck Connect Gondola to hitch a ride to the Peak 8 fun park.

What a pretty & relaxing ride!

Stella enjoyed the view from her stroller.

We made it to the top, and the kids couldn't wait to have some fun!

They started off on the bungee trampoline. Henry had a permanent smile on his face.

He even attempted and succeeded at doing some backflips.

Knowing James and his personality, I thought he'd be scared, but he proved me wrong.

He not only loved it, but the guy kept asking him if he wanted to go higher & he said yes every time! He was, what appeared to be, in the clouds.

Stella still wasn't used to her cousins, especially Mason...

Next up was pony rides with the cousins.

Stella was whining because you had to be 3 to ride the ponies, but she couldn't read the sign.

The boys loved the alpine slides the most, so Daddy took turns riding with them.

The boys bought all day passes and stayed all day having fun.

I was there most of the morning and couldn't pass up a ride on the Golden Coaster.

The kids also enjoyed a bounce house, panning for gold, a maze and rock climbing.

I think they got their fill of fun for the day!

Main Street Mommas

2011-08-05T15:14:00.002-06:00

The girls snuck away for Main Street shopping while the boys rested at the house.

My sweet little date was a bit high maintenance, but I still managed to make some purchases.

They had the cutest little shop called "Magical Scraps" where I found 2 hats and a new church bag.

The store is in a quaint little old home on Main Street.

They sell some of the most adorable fabric and make everything in a sewing room in the back.

If you won't be in Breckenridge anytime soon but want some cute stuff, go here.

Take a hike.

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

{Sapphire Point}

We researched the area for the most kid-friendly hike and came up with Sapphire Point.

The babies were ready to ride on their Dads' backs...

You only have to "hike" a short distance to amazing views over Dillon Reservoir.

{Angie & Kenzie}

{The Says}

{Our little bunch}

The chipmunks were everywhere and were used to humans...

The babies were happy to be along for the ride...

{Kingston}

{Stella}

The rest of us are just happy to be in the great outdoors,

away from the summer heat of Utah, Kansas and Illinois.

a reel good time

2011-08-04T16:29:00.002-06:00

When we decided on Colorado for our Lund Vacation of 2011,

Preston was most excited to take his boys fishing.

The boys headed out on Breckenridge Day 2 to find a place to fish.

They came home telling us how pretty it was at Officer's Gulch,

so we all headed out to see it the next day.

First we had to stop to at the store to buy James his first fishing pole.

He was super excited to have his own mini-version.

Preston showed him the ropes and he even took a few tips from the pro, Grampy.

Stella and I hung out lakeside and watched for birdies and chipmunks.

Henry caught a baby fish, but a fish nonetheless.

It was a cool 60 degrees with lots of trees and mountain views.

It made for a reel good time.

FUN-due

2011-08-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

Our second day in Breckenridge was pretty laid back.

Cousins got reacquainted.

Stella seems to think they are strangers.

Grandma made her famous burritos, just they way she did when we were kids.

The girls watched the Bachelorette finale while the kids played.

The boys made fun of the Bachelorette finale.

I made chocolate fondue for the family.

I think the kids liked it...

Gimme a Breck

2011-08-03T16:55:00.005-06:00

After driving for 2 days, we pulled up in our minivan of 5 to our

home-away-from-home in Breckenridge, Colorado.

It was a cute little place surrounded by views of the creek and the mountains.

The kids were reunited with their Lund cousins and

they were playing too hard to even stop for a picture.

Then we headed for Main Street to check out the town. 1.5 miles later we arrived.

We waited for a bit to dine at Downstairs at Eric's.

{Angie & Mason}

Baby Kingston isn't so little anymore.

{Stella cruised Main Street}

You know it's one ginormous pizza when it feeds 16.

As if that wasn't enough we topped it off with crepes.

{My heaven}

We ended the night with games and a soak in the hot tub.

Breckenridge Bound!

2011-07-30T17:04:00.003-06:00

We are off to Breckenridge, Colorado, with my family for the week.

The highs are in the 60's.

The kids will have endless cousin time.

My sisters and I will run, play games and give massages.

Preston is excited to fish with the boys.

We are all excited to see Grandma & Grandpa,

and spend time with the whole bunch all under one roof.

Blissful.

Hasta Lavista, Baby!

big girl

2011-07-27T22:10:00.002-06:00

Ever since my baby isn't a baby anymore I don't do her monthly updates.

She's growing up right before my eyes, and I feel like I can't even keep up with her new skills.

I thought I better document what she does at 15 months before I forget.

*Walks everywhere, and is getting more steady by the day. She prefers to walk with something in her hands.

*Says hi, bye-bye, momma, dada, Dames (James), Henry (can't even describe), yes, uh-oh, shh, shoes, birdies, Jesus, and babbles full conversations.

*She nods her head with great exaggeration. I'll ask her, "Do you want to eat", and the head takes off in an up and down motion.

*Her trike is her favorite toy. She thoroughly enjoys walks around the block on it.

*No bed time is complete without touching every bird in her room (even the high ones) and saying "birdies" and pointing to the picture of Jesus with the children and saying, "Jesus".

*Pointing at everything and babbling...it's so cute!

*Wants to be outside every waking minute.

*Is messy, messy, messy. Messy with food. Plays with dirt and rocks.

*Cries when left with any other adult but mom.

*Clings onto James while at the gym nursery...wants him to hug her the entire time.

*Her hair fits into a ponytail.

*She is on a food strike. Only wants crackers, drinks, corn, beans or raisins (or ice cream).

*Throws her plate when finished. Messy, again.

*Officially weaned. Drinks whole milk or water.

*Likes to hold onto mommy's leg or be held most of the day.

*Screams like a girl. Really.

*Sleeps great at night. 12 hours. Takes one 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon.

*Addicted to "Winks", her stuffed elephant. Sucks on his tail while sleeping.

*Is shy. Plays with her hair and puckers her lips when someone talks to her.

*Deathly afraid of most animals. Shudders and bawls at the site of them.

*Feet are too fat for most shoes. Her baby chubs are thinning out.

*Pulls bows out of her hair. We have to stick with rubberbands now.

*Has best friends that she always smiles for...Afton, Esther and Harper.

*Throws tantrums when denied Coke, a chokable toy or Mom.

*Laughs hysterically when tickled on the thighs.

*Loves balls, swimming, climbing & reading books.

*Hears music playing, any type, and immediately begins to move her head to the beat.

Okay, I can stop now.

I just never want to forget this stage. Still a bit of a baby and yet becoming a little girl.

Am I really going to have to start time-out and disciplining her soon?

I'm not ready for that.