Twins!

These two girls have been inseparable. They really have so much fun together. Yesterday, we had to bring them home from our fun Park City vacation. They weren't the lucky grandkids chosen to stay the whole time in Park City. Kierra and Conner were. Shan & I wanted to do a little bit of shopping at the outlet stores on our way home. Lame, nothing to report other than these .99 cent matching pj's. So these girls came up with this great idea..."Mom, I have a great idea...we can wear these as pj's then wake up and pretend their clothes, then sleep in them again, then wake up and be dressed for the day!" Hey, for two days I haven't had to worry about getting her dressed or getting into pj's. So really I think the .99 cents we spent has been well worth our time!

So happy to have a sleep over with her favorite cousin Livvy.

Happy to be hanging with her favorite little cousin Alayna.

So, happy together!

Our Families Annual Park City Mini-Vacation!

We love our Park City mini-vacations! My parents use their time-share for 7 days to let the grand kids come and party! Alayna was sobbing on our way home saying, "I don't want to leave our vacation house today...I want to stay 5 more days! I love vacations!" We all agree with her, we LOVE our vacations. We really are spoiled. My parents have introduced the BEST way to live. Work hard when you have too, but PLAY more often. We really have been blessed to go to so many vacations. Near or far we love them all. Our kids especially have been conditioned to vacationing. They love all that it entails, swimming, walks, playing tennis, play grounds, stories with Grandma Lou & Papi, having sleep overs with cousins, staying up late, eating yummy food and staying in vacation houses. We truly LOVE vacationing!

Here's the fun when we have no high-chairs! It made for a very messy kitchen and no sitting children. (Alayna is wearing Jake's pj's...we forgot to bring hers! Oops.)

This picture is mainly for Shandra and Krista. (Please read my exasperation in my writing) Every single...every single family vacation they insist on doing and coming up with the most ridiculous competitions. I don't understand why it bugs me so badly, but it does. I'm even a competitive person, but their "lame" games are so silly! This picture is showing that they even at the park came up with an "obstacle course" at the park. It wasn't too much longer when we arrived at the pool and they were doing MORE silly competitions. Now, they tease me and come up with the most ridiculous competitions to simply get me to roll my eyes and say, "Give me a break!" I think the harsh reality is that I am not as fun or talented to do these childish things!! ha ha ha
This picture is to document how Isaac and Jacob spend 90% of their time together...yes, that is fighting over toys. The only thing missing from this picture is the "SQUEAL" from Jacob that inevitably follows each time a toy is taken away. Somehow Isaac manages to get Jake to squeal more than anyone else. Shandra and I truly just laugh at the two of these boys. Jake's the loud feisty one and Isaac is the quiet, "I'm not doing anything wrong!" little guy. But they both know that they are up to trouble. Oh, they will love each other sooner than later!

Every morning we would walk down to the famous Park City park. The kids LOVE the tire swing.

Kennady, Issac and Jake.

This is a picture to remember how my dad "attempted" to hide behind the trees, to scare us all. Even though we knew they were hiding, it was precious to hear the cute little girls giggle like crazy and really believe in the fun of scaring people. Having such a great "Papi" or Grandpa is so key to a healthy development as a child.

The cute Madsen family...Uncle Toddy, Aunt Shanee, Kierra, Conner, Olivia and Isaac.

Logan & Sawyer...this is there typical look...Who are you? And why are you talking to me? You are not my Mom! We love these two handsome little buddies. They are referred to as "The boys" from all the cousins or when they are talked about the kids say, "The one...I think it's Logan...or I think it's Sawyer..." It really is fun to hear the cousins normally guess right, but they really aren't 100% certain who is who! My mom was pointing out specific identical traits of these little guys. She was telling us how identical twins are mirror images of each other. They run swinging the opposite arms, calics on opposite sides of the head, they throw balls with the opposite arm, eat with the opposite arm. One's a lefty the other is a righty! These little guys are so handsome! (Logan is the one with the scrapes...he fell at the swimming pool...sorry little guy!)

Just humor me!

Just humor me for a minute. The crush continues...I must admit this little guy holds a special place in my heart! His chubby legs, arms and kissy cheeks.

Yes, he is blowing me kisses!

And those dimples make it impossible to not just tickle and squeeze him!

He knows how to be so adorable! He has these two calics in the back of his head that forces his hair up into a Mohawk. His dark brown eyes make him just a heart throb. I know, cheesy...but I don't care. He really is the cutest little guy. Thanks again for humoring me! :0)

Our little Climber!

Okay, so here is Jake's newest interest. I has figured out how to climb. He carefully turned over the laundry basket to realize that he could stand on top of it. This is making life more entertaining. He also has grown just to the right height to reach up on the counter and pull things off. He can reach the box of Kleenex and pull them all out. (This is a daily hobby for him!) Hopefully I have wised up and put them up higher! But some how he manages to find that one thing in arms reach. Here goes for baby proofing all over again!

Education Week

Here's to a girls "week" out!

Aunt Shelley, Me, Emily, Mariam (Emily's Mom), Aunt Carol.

Lynette, Emily, Me

Okay, so I took these pictures from Emily's blog! She brought the camera this week. This was a fantastic experience. I was able to attend three full days. I lucked out with the perfect babysitter! Shandra and I coordinated a baby swap. They are going to Disneyland in a few weeks, and I'm going to keep baby Isaac. So, with that being said, she had my kiddos! I really LOVED every minute of it.

Here's to a couple of things...First off, I had a blast staying over two nights with Emily, her mom and her Aunts. Emily and I were able to have a sleepover in a fun grand kid bunk bed room! It was so great to spend TONS of hours together and to talk, talk, talk and talk more! Especially with out our hubbies telling us it was time to go home! Or having to end a conversation because of screaming children. I was shocked we were able to actually have complete thoughts and conversations. It was absolutely wonderful. Thanks to Aunt Carol that let us sleep at her house. It was so kind of her!

Next, I highly enjoyed being spiritually fed, hour after hour. It's amazing how the Spirit teaches you in any class. I learned so many things about myself, weaknesses and strengths. If you read Emily's blog you will know that she and I had very similar feelings. We were taught to read our patriarchal blessings, pray and the Lord will guide us in our path. We were instructed to write down 100 goals! Surprisingly I am on my way. I am realizing that goal setting is a very important thing for me as an individual, mother, wife and daughter of God. Its been fun over the past few days how often I think, "Oh, this is something I must put on my list!" It will be a life-long journey of progressing and becoming more like our Savior. I'm VERY excited about a new way of thinking!

(Emily I put this on for you!!)

I can't leave off the highlight of the week, I got to meet Merrilee Browne Boyack! For those of you who know me, you know I absolutely think the world of her. She is the best speaker and author. She is an advocate for mothers, families and raising children independently. I highly recommend her books and lectures. If I wasn't so "star struck!" I would have had Emily take her picture with me, but I felt like such a dork telling her, "I think your so awesome!" (ha ha ha) I didn't have the nerve to ask for her picture. Oh, well I gathered enough courage and I introduced myself...I even shook her hand (that's huge for me!)

Here is her website info...you can buy her books at any bookstore too...ENJOY...http://www.boyacks.com/Merrilee/index.html

Oh, there are so many great stories, I could go on and on...next year I want you all to join me!