Happy 4th Birthday Kaya!!!!!!

Today we celebrated Kaya's 4th birthday. It's hard to believe that it's already been 4 years since Kaya was born. It seems like it was just yesterday that my water broke and we were headed to the hospital. Kaya is our firstborn and the first grandchild on both sides of the family. She's VERY loved and has been such a joy to have in our home. Kaya's name is Hopi Indian and means "wise, oldest daughter". She is very smart and has a quick wit. Kaya is inquisitive and is always asking questions. She's eager to learn and go to pre-school in the Fall. She's also very independant, talkative, and opinionated. Kaya loves to play with her friends and is a good helper. She is also very polite and enjoys being the big sister. We are lucky to have such a cute and sweet little girl! Happy Birthday Kaya!

Logan's Big Boy Room

The past week has been pretty busy in our house. Part of baby preparations included converting the current nursery into Logan's new "Big Boy Room". Logan LOVES trucks & tractors and I found a really cute construction scene wallpaper border. Since the walls in his room are tan, I also found a cute tan based wallpaper with dots on it, just to break up the color a bit. I was able to get all the wallpaper done in one afternoon. The next day, we took down the crib and put up his new bed. It's actually the top half of a bunk bed that we bought with our economic stimulus check. With all the railings, it works really well as a toddler bed. We'll use the bunk bed set for the girls when the new baby gets old enough to use a toddler bed. Poor Kaya wanted bunk beds so bad, but she won't actually be able to sleep on a top bunk until she's probably at least 8 years old! We also needed to get one more dresser. Since the baby will be in our room for at least a few months, we decided to keep the crib down for the time being and have 2 dressers in Logan's room. We moved my glider rocker into our bedroom. Kaya & the new baby will share a room since it's the bigger of the 2 rooms. The pictures below are mostly for the grandmas to see the changes. I will also include a picture of Kaya's "Big Girl Room" that we did for her 2 years ago when we moved her from the nursery to another room. I found a really cute pink bumper set made out of that cuddly fabric (The super soft stuff with the raised dots). It will go well with Kaya's current decor.The new bedLogan's new dresser

The baby's dresser (Kaya & Logan both used it.)

A picture of Kaya's room decor.

Family Camping Trip

Aaron and I took the kids camping in the Ashley National Forest (About 25 miles outside of Vernal, UT) this past weekend. We rented a rustic cabin managed by the USDA Forest Service. The Colton Guard Station was built in 1933 and came furnished with a propane stove/oven, fridge, flush toilet, shower, & hot water. We also had solar lighting and a nice fire pit. The sleeping accomodations included a bunk bed and full size futon. It was a tight squeeze, but we all managed just fine. The kids had a GREAT time being outdoors, exploring the bugs, picking the flowers, and just enjoying themselves.This is a view of the cabin.A cute picture of the kids. There were fields and fields of wildflowers just outside the forested area. Logan enjoying his first s'more. He ended up eating only the chocolate bar and giving the rest back, asking for more chocolate! He's his father's son! ;)We made a stop at the Utah Fieldhouse of Natural History State Park Museum. (AKA - Dinosaur Museum). The kids really enjoyed seeing all the dinosaur displays, "digging" for dinosaur bones, and just exploring.The Museum even had its own geocache. We had to answer a list of questions before getting the coordinates to the final prize. It was educational for us and fun for the kids.We tried to make a stop at Dinosaur National Monument where you can see the largest Jurassic period fossil bone quarry in the world. The kids fell asleep in the truck shortly before arrival, so we decided not to wake them to go explore. We took some quick pictures instead.After the kids had taken their naps and we had lunch at a local park in Vernal, we found the Uintah County Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum. This attraction was FREE and featured lots and lots of neat historical items from the Utah Pioneers. The picture above is of Kaya checking out a VERY old rocking chair.On the way home we drove through the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. We made several stops to geocache and check out the sites and scenery in the area.

One of our last stops was at the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Here we are at 6,040 feet above sea level. It was a fun little detour and the kids appreciate ANY opportunity to get out and walk around.

All in all we had a fun time. The kids were happy to be back home and everyone slept exceptionally well in their own beds last night. Being close to 34 weeks pregnant, I appreciated having a cabin to "camp" in. We'll do more tent camping as the kids get bigger.

Celebrating 8 Years of Marriage

Today is our 8th wedding anniversary. It has been a wonderful 8 years filled with lots of good memories and milestones. We actually started dating in 1997 which makes it 11+ years of being together. We have had the opportunity to travel, purchase a home, and start our family. We have 2 beautiful children with one more on the way. We are thankful for the example of great parents, grandparents, and friends who show us what it means to have a good marriage. Thank you!! Above are just a few pictures from over the last 11+ years.

This afternoon we're off to celebrate in Salt Lake City while our sister law watches the kids. Aaron asked last night what we wanted to do for our 10th anniversary in 2 years. I told him it would be fun to take a trip - just the 2 of us. However, since I've been 7+ months pregnant or nursing for 5 of the past 8 anniversaries. We'll have to see what our 10th anniversary holds in store for us. What an awesome milestone to look forward to!!

Happy Anniversary to my AMAZING husband and best friend!!

Happy Happy Father's Day!!!!

Aaron is a great "hand's on" dad to our kids. Dad is DEFINITELY more fun than Mommy and I sure appreciate the help with baths, feeding, clean-up, diapers, etc. Our kids are very lucky to have such a great dad and I am very lucky to have such a great husband. Here are a few pictures from the last (almost) 4 years since becoming a Dad:

The day Kaya was born. Kaya and Daddy ready for a luau.Aaron showing Kaya the cows at the Utah State Fair.

Aaron & KayaThe day Logan was born.Aaron & LoganDaddy & Kaya coloring Easter Eggs.Aaron & Kids

Aaron & Kids

Happy Father's Day Daddy!! We ALL love you!!

The View From My Kitchen Window

I LOVE my backyard. It is so nice to have grass, a playground, and a safe place for my children to play. The kids look forward to when Daddy comes home since he likes to go outside with them to play in the sandbox or push them on the swings. We have several windows all along the back of the house so that you can pretty much see the yard/playground out of any window. However, I took a picture of what I see out the kitchen window when I'm doing dishes or cooking dinner. It's not the best quality picture and you can't even see both the kids, but it makes me happy to look out and see the 3 of them spending time together. The TV is off and the house is quiet. Best of all - I get to cook dinner without 2 kids underfoot. It's nice with Aaron's current schedule to have him home in the late afternoon.Bonus picture: I wanted to take a current picture of the kids together to mail in a card to my grandma. (There are still people out there who don't do email or blog!) Here's a current picture of the kids together.

P.S. My garden is growing!!!!!! So far everything planted has started to sprout except for the tomatoes. Now we just have to keep tending the garden so that edible vegetables are a result. I'm just excited that the seeds worked. (That sounds pretty lame, but I was worried that nothing would grow.) Give it a few more days and I'll post a picture!

32 Weeks and Counting Down

I had my 32 week check up today for baby #3 (Still no name at this point.). Everything looks good and I measured about a week ahead again. My results from the blood sugar test came back good. In fact, my blood sugar level was a little low. How that can be possible with all the chocolate I've eaten this pregnancy....I don't know?? Chocolate has been my craving of choice this time around, whether it's a snickers bar or a hot fudge sundae from McDonald's. It's been chocolate. (I've heard that's a sign of having a girl) The only thing I won't eat - much to the dismay of my husband and children is chocolate in my pancakes. I just don't think chocolate belongs in pancakes. I'll make 'em but just won't eat 'em. Sorry, honey!! So in case any of you were wondering what it looks like to be 32 weeks pregnant with baby #3 here I am. (Don't Laugh - It takes a lot of courage to share pregnancy pictures!!)

For the sake of comparison (and posterity) here is a picture of me with Baby#2 AKA Logan at about 38 weeks. (The earlier pictures I could find weren't very good belly shots)

The post wouldn't be complete without a picture of Baby#1 AKA Kaya at about 31 weeks along.

So I feel HUGE and some days think that 8 more weeks will NEVER come - but from personal experience, I know that the babies DO come out and we're not pregnant forever. It sure seems like it some days though!! I LOVE being pregnant and no, the heat of the summer doesn't bother me.

What kind of flower are you?

I am a Violet What Flower Are You?

"You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about."

We LOVE Banana Bread!!!

I have found a new favorite banana bread recipe. Long story short - My mom's visiting teacher brought her a loaf of banana bread and told her that it was one of Martha Stewart's recipes. My Mom loved it and told me about it. I looked the recipe up and tried it today. It is SO yummy and way easy to make.

Note: I used my Pampered Chef mini loaf pan and the recipe made 3 mini loaves. I only had to cook them for about 40 minutes. Enjoy!! http://www.marthastewart.com/banana-bread

Do you want to win a FREE Moby Wrap?

I saw this product on a friend's blog and I'm interested in trying something like this now that I'm going from 2 to 3 kids. I have never used a wrap before, but I like the idea of keeping my hands free for the 2 older kids. Check out the website on how to enter to win a free Moby Wrap of your own: http://bab-i-licious.blogspot.com/

Random Pictures - Update

We FINALLY got our garden planted this past weekend!! We planted corn, peas, green beans, zucchini, butternut squash, cucumbers, green onions, tomatoes, pumpkins, watermelons, and carrots. We also got some raspberry starts from a friend in the neighborhood to grow some raspberry bushes too. It was a lot of work and Kaya really enjoyed putting the seeds in the rows. We should see the first signs of growth in about 8-10 days. I'm excited and hope our garden actually grows. We planted 4 fruit trees this year too. Apple, Pear, Peach, & Apricot. I don't think we'll see any edible fruit for a few years but we LOVE fresh fruit and vegetables and I'm excited to have it growing in our backyard!!

This past Saturday, Aaron got to go play in the desert with fellow geocachers. They went on a 70+ mile ATV ride through the west desert to find caches and have a good time. Aaron borrowed an ATV from a co-worker so that he could participate. They saw 2 rattlesnakes, lots of other desert animals and had a fun time. Aaron is still saving his money to buy himself a big boy toy!!

On Friday, May 30th, our Church Primary group had a bike safety activity. About 60 kids got together to learn about bike safety and to take a group ride. The big kids rode around the neighborhood and the little kids rode around the church parking lot. Kaya and Logan rode their scooters. They had a lot of fun riding around with the other kids.

The above picture is of Kaya and her friend, Belle. Belle is actually about 6 months younger than Kaya but she's 1/2 Polynesian. Belle is one of Kaya's favorite friends to play with. Kaya likes to go to Belle's house and play dress up with all her fun dress up clothes.

The video below is of Logan riding his scooter home. He is almost 22 months old and has mastered the scooter. We had to go out and buy Logan his own scooter because the kids would fight over Kaya's ALL THE TIME!! I wanted to wait until his birthday in August - but I couldn't take the screaming and fighting anymore. It's pretty funny to watch him ride. He's better than Kaya on the thing!

After the bike activity, Kaya's friend from across the street came over to play. Her name is Hailey and she is about 2 months younger than Kaya. They also go to church with us. They have a good time playing house and dress up.

Kaya's good friend Whitney recently moved to the other side of the foothills to a town called Saratoga Springs. (About a 20 minute drive) Kaya has been asking about her friend every day for the past 2 weeks since we told her they moved. We get to go visit with them next week. Whitney's Mom told me today that Whitney has been collecting rocks from their backyard to "show Kaya". We miss them already!!

One of my favorite parts of living in Utah is the awesome thunder & lightning storms that roll through during the summer. The picture below was taken at about 10:30 in the morning just shortly before the storm rolled over us. We had thunder that shook the house during this storm. I LOVE it!! We have been trying to teach the kids to enjoy it too and not be afraid. Logan LOVES to swing. I had to drag him in before the rain started. Look at the awesome clouds in the background!!

Heather had a busy Memorial Day weekend at work. Over the course of 2 weeks they received a total of 4500 Chrysanthemum plants. Finding room in the grocery store, keeping them watered, and cleaned up was a HUGE task. Very overwhelming!! Memorial Day is a big holiday here in Utah with people buying flowers for family members buried here.Aaron's mom came up for the weekend to attend a funeral. On Memorial Day Monday, we had the opportunity to attend a memorial service in West Jordan for veterans. Governor Jon Hunstman was there along with Senator Orrin Hatch. They had a Blackhawk helicopter on display. The service included a 21 gun salute, bagpipes, and a Blackhawk Helicopter fly-by. It was a VERY wet and rainy day but we were touched as people paid tribute to all the veterans that have died for our country's freedom.