And ...they're off!

Well, Justin and Amy have officially moved to Las Vegas. Justin is working for Deloitte ( a big accounting firm) and Amy is staying home to breed lots of children. We helped them move this past weekend, and although it was fun to have a vacation in Vegas, it was really sad to leave them there. The good news is that Amy's sister and cousin live there, so I'm sure they we be well taken care of. The problem is that we are going to miss them a lot.

I feel like I can't really complain too much since I was responsible for this union and I am happy that they are moving on in their lives to bigger and better things. But... I was definitely not consulted about the whole moving thing. (I guess I was out of the picture pretty fast)

One thing is certain...the kids will miss them like crazy!
Who else will play dumb games with them and tease them at the same time. (Colby is going to have his hands full)And who will give them money to say and do inappropriate things.

And who else will they spill on and drop their cell phones in the toilet.

Sunday dinners (and laundry day) will never be the same.


Neither will all of the crazy family functions, where their funny comments will be missed most of all.
We will miss making fun of Amy's strange eating habits ( . . the girl doesn't like cheese!!!)

And I will miss talking about school in front of everyone, just to make them crazy. I will miss someone saying "Mrs. Grundy" and having us both look up. I will miss having another girl in the house to even out the testosterone.

We will miss Justin and all of his craziness. We will miss trying to figure out who the kids are in the room when he's around. The boys will miss going golfing and hearing him swear. We will miss the "intense" sports watching, which at the time is more important than life itself! ( Good thing Justin is able to calm her down!)


Most of all...we will just MISS YOU! I know that they say that you can't pick your family, but I did everything in my power. I chose Chad because I love his siblings (and he is ok) and Amy is my perfect pick! Good Luck in Vegas! Hopefully, there will be many visits and lots of blogging.
We miss you already! LOVE YOU!

KELLY'S LAST DAY!

Today is Kelly's last day of school. She is going to put her career on hold for awhile to stay home with our kids. We have been waiting for this for a long time. I just wanted to tell Kelly how proud of her I am. She works really hard at her job and I know that she has made a huge impact in lives of many of the kids that she teaches. I know it is a sacrifice for her to stop teaching, she truly has a passion for learning and a love for her kids. From her first class in North Las Vegas to West Jordan and all those in between so many kids have been lucky to have an amazing teacher like Kelly. I will always remember (and I am sure Kelly will too) the amazing adventures of teaching in Las Vegas. The kids there were absolutely amazing. Many of them could barely speak English, some had parents that did not care much about them, but seeing Kelly love and teach those kids was absolutely life changing. That was one of the most amazing experiences we have ever had. It was a change from teaching in Las Vegas to West Jordan, but many of the experiences have been the same. I have never seen someone teach with such passion, I have never seen someone care for other kids as much as Kelly does. I have no idea how she has been able to be such a great teacher and then come home and take care of me and the kids. Kelly, we are so proud of you, we are so grateful that you are willing to do all that you do for us. You truly are the GREATEST!

I asked Carson and Abby what they love most about having Kelly home with them and this is what they said:

Carson: "I love her, I love that she gives me kisses all day long, and that she plays with me"

Abby: "I love that she won't stop pinching my bumb. I love going shopping with her. I love that she is there when I need her. I love when she makes me lunch"

Kelly we are lucky to have you home! We are so grateful for you and all that you do for our family. You keep us moving in the right direction. I love you with all of my heart.

Wally World

We are home from our Amazing vacation to Florida. Be warned...there are a lot of pictures.

I'm not exactly sure where to begin. We went for nine nights to Orlando Florida where we did everything that we could possibly do.

We spent four days at the Disney World Parks and two days at the Universal Studios Parks.

Everything went great and my kids were in Heaven!

I honestly think that the kids favorite part about the trip was that they were able to spend so much time with their cousins. They were together every minute and were loving it.

Abby loved everything about Disney World. She just thought it was all so Magical. Abby is at that age where she is just tall enough to go on a lot of the bigger rides and she tried to be brave , but she didn't really like any that were "questionable". She was just fine sticking with the smaller attractions and her favorite was "It's a Small World".

As you can imagine, we saw every character that you could possibly think of . The kids loved getting their autographs and taking pictures with ALL of them.

Carson likes to tell people that he has a new girlfriend! He was just as excited as Abby to see Snow White, and the highlight of the day was when she gave him a kiss that stayed on his check. He was a little embarrassed, but very proud.

We also went to a dinner show called "Arabian Knights". We ate dinner while they preformed a show that had a lot of horses that did amazing tricks. Carson was in ahh! He thought the whole think was so cool!

But the highlight of my night was when Justin went to take a group picture of all of us at the table and I guess Amy was the only one willing and ready.

I have to say that one of the coolest things about the whole vacation was the house that Kathy and Stan rented. It was so great. We all had our own rooms and they even had little kid rooms. It had four bathrooms (greatly needed) and best of all...our own Pool. It was so nice after being at the parks all day to come home and get in the pool (without a bunch of strangers).

The kids had a Blast swimming each day and we had a hard time getting them out.

It was really hard coming home and trying to get back to normal life. Although an 11 day vacation seems like plenty of time, we were still wanting just a few more days by the end of the trip.

This is definitely something that we could NEVER do by ourselves, we are just so thankful to Chad's parents for their amazing generosity! They made it something that we will never forget.

In Real World news.....Abby graduated from preschool and had her big dance recital right before we left for the trip.( She is the one in the middle in blue) She is so big, and I really hate thinking about it. I love that she is old enough to help with Cooper, but everything else is kinda freaking me out. She just got her track assignment for Kindergarten and she asks me EVERYDAY "how many more days until school starts?" I think she is going to be a little disappointed when she finds out that she still will only be going for half of the day, but I think riding the school bus will make up for that.

Cooper is also growing up fast. He is officially 3 months old and chunky as ever. He still has his hair, but is starting to sport a little bit of a comb over. (we have no problem admitting that)

Teeth = Money

Ok, the "tooth fairy" is starting to get really tired, not to mention broke! Carson went in and had his third tooth removed as a result of "the fall". Hopefully, this is it for him and this will be his new smile until he is about 6.
When we were at the dentist for Carson, he took a quick look into Abby's mouth because her bottom two teeth were really loose, but seemed to be taking forever to come out. So...he noticed that the new tooth was already growing in behind it and she is was too crowded and it will cause long term problems. So, in short, we scheduled an appointment for him to pull 4 of her teeth out! I am starting to think that the dentist might have a little crush on me, or he just wants my money and loves to torture kids...I choose to believe in the crush!
Here are some before and after pictures of them both. Hopefully we will have no more "teeth talk" from our family and they will grow up with beautiful teeth (or else!).

Abby was really brave. She had a great attitude about the whole thing, until she looked in the mirror and started to cry because she thought that she looked like a monster. We assured her that she still looks beautiful! She is feeling better about the whole thing, especially after the "tooth fairy" came. She has big plans for her money! She also had four shots last week for kindergarten, so this has been a traumatic time for her. We are very proud of her and a little traumatized ourselves, as we realize that we are months away from having a kindergartner!

I had some other pictures from a couple weeks ago when we went to the zoo. We had a great time and they loved all of the animals.

Carson was especially fond of the rhinoceros's and I was too, mainly because I loved to hear him say it!

I had to add some resent pictures of Cooper. (Dad, just focus on his face and ignore his clothes)

Cooper's Blessing

We blessed Cooper on Sunday at our house. Our stake has so many new babies that they want you to do them in your home, if you are not able to do it on Fast Sunday. I was a little worried how the whole thing would go, but it was actually really nice. Chad did a great job and I could actually hear what he was saying. (In our church you usually don't hear much, because of all of the screaming kids.)

I can't believe how fast he is growing and I really don't like it! I remember being so excited for my other kids to hit the next stage of their little lives, and this time I am just sad because I want him to be tiny forever. I think maybe I finally realize how fast they grow and how it all goes by in the blink of an eye. So, I am going to do my best to keep him "little", even if it means that he is a little developmentally behind. As far as I'm concerned. . . walking is not all it's cracked up to be.


Here are some pictures of his blessing day. He was "out of it" for most of the day, but we managed to get a couple pictures of him awake.















In other news, we found out that Carson is going to have to have another tooth pulled out by the dentist. Mom is not happy about it at all, but I am trying not to be vain and keep his best interest in mind. Plus... honestly, what is one more tooth at this point.

We recently discovered that another tooth in the front of his mouth was damaged in the "fall" last year. Apparently, it just took this one longer to decided that it wanted to come out. So, we are going in next week to take it out. The dentist actually wanted to take it out last week, but he thought that "mommy" needed to wait a week or so, so that I will feel better about it. I am amazed that Carson will even let me take him to the dentist anymore, but he really doesn't care at all, he just loves going there because they have a little slide and he gets a prize. I don't think that he realizes that little kids should actually have teeth IN their mouth. He is a trooper. It will be really interesting to see him figure out a new way to eat his food.

In honor of his "lack of teeth", I added a little video of him singing. (Which would not be near as funny if he had all of his teeth...so that is a positive way to look at it). I am curious to see him talk after they pull another one...I'll let you know.


The next one is our "first attempt" at the song, but he had to stop to spit out his gum.

Mommy Tag

Ok, I have been tagged by my friend Tracie to answer some questions about being a mother. There were more questions than this, but I cut out the ones that I didn't have an answer for. So here goes.

1. Typically, what time do you wake up? About 7:00am, but not by choice.

2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed? 8:00-8:30 (on a good night).

3. How long have you been a mommy? 5 and a half years.

4. How old were you when you became a mom? 24

5. What is your favorite chore? Laundry. I know it sounds weird, but it is a good excuse to sit down and watch "grown up"
shows while I am folding the clothes.

6. What is your favorite thing that your husband does with the kids? Anything! He is really good about keeping them
entertained, so that I can have a break. I also love it at night when he does all of the "getting ready for bed" stuff. Oh! I also LOVE when I catch him playing princesses or tea party with Abby. It just brings joy to my heart!

7. What are 5 things that make you smile when you're being a mom?

1) Carson, Carson, Carson ! He is just at that age when they are always coming up with something funny to say. Like the
other day when he visited my school and told me that a lady had "chubby checks".

2) Even though I hate getting up early...I love when my kids wake up and get in my bed to cuddle.

3) I love when things are going a little crazy and then you see your kids do something that you didn't ask them to do, but
totally makes your day. (Like Carson putting his dirty clothes in the hamper, or Abby organizing her bookshelf...ya
she's kinda weird that way)

4) It makes me happy to see my kids show love to each other. I love when Abby starts to cry because she thinks I am
being mean to Carson. I love it when Carson feels really sad if I buy him a treat, so he makes me buy Abby one, even if
she isn't there. Or, when Abby reminds me that I am "the mother" when she hears Cooper cry and she thinks that it
is uncalled for.

5) I love when I hear them say their little prayers. For some reason they sound more honest and sincere than adults. I just
know that they have a lot more faith than me.

8. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be? Disneyworld! Already in progress, and definitely a dream come true. Anywhere else would be an "adults only" vacation dream.

9. What is your favorite thing to do with your kids? Anything new. My kids get so excited over even the littlest thing, so I love seeing them experience new things.

10. Name one thing you said you'd never say as a mother. "i'm going to count to 3" I used to HATE when I would here
parents say that, but I find myself doing it all of the time. I can't help it.

11. What is one thing that you do, that your own mom did? Say "I love you" a hundred times a day. My mom used to just be driving down the road and look in the mirror at me and say "I love you" for no reason at all. Sometimes she would drive
me crazy with it, but I do the same thing. I usually don't even think about it, it is just something that I say every time
I leave their room, or catch a glance from them. I even say it in the middle of yelling at them...and it ends up sounding
really weird.

12. What is your favorite quality that your mother has? EVERYTHING. It is really sad that we don't realize how perfect they
are until they are gone.

13. What is your favorite kids book? I have tons of favorites, but I really like "How does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight?" only
because Carson always gives big hugs and kisses whenever we read it.

14. What is your favorite advice for new moms? Enjoy life and love your kids. You'll never reach perfection.

Ok. Now I tag Robyn, Angie & Jannette

Annie

When my friend Robyn and I found out that Annie was coming to Kingsbury Hall we jumped at the chance to take our girls. We had a fun "girls night" and went to dinner and the show. It was a blast! I don't know who loved it more...me or Abby, but we both spent the next day with all of the songs in our head. It was so fun to spend some special time with Abby and I know her favorite part was being able to wear a skirt out to dinner. Her and her friend Savvy were so funny. People kept laughing at them, because they were so cute walking around like "ladies", which I guess means to hold your dress out while you walk like a princess. They were so excited the whole time through dinner, and I had a hard time getting Abby to stay in her chair because she just couldn't wait anymore!

The show was amazing and of course we had to get matching Annie shirts. When the show ended around 10:30, it only took seconds for them to pass out in the car. I guess we wore them out. It was a fun night and I am definitely excited for many more "girls nights".

















I just had to add a current picture of Cooper. He is five weeks old now and as cute as can be. He is a perfect baby, but one note about his hair...no, it won't go down! Yes, it sticks straight up and the only time that it will even remotely lay down is when it gets greasy and he is in need of a bath. As soon as it is washed then it poofs right up like a baby chick. I think it adds character and it definitely gives us something to pet while we are holding him. Hopefully, he will be like my other kids and it will soon find its way down...otherwise he will look like Crammer as an adult.