Happy Birthday Alison!

Today is my sister in law's birthday and I have to say that I love her to death! She has been there for me through soooo many things and is a great friend. I love you Alison and hope today was awesome for you.

I've been Tagged!

I'm not posting any pictures, but I was tagged by my friend Randa, so here goes how our little family started!

1. Where did you two meet?
We met in the lobby of Valley View Towers up here at USU. We were both sitting in the lobby watching the "Old" Beverly Hills, 90210, and Aaron was making rude comments about it and so i turned around and according to him told him to come sit up by me so I could yell at him easier. I don't recall saying I wanted to yell at him, I recall telling him to "Shut up"!

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
Boy, he is such a jerk and nerd!

3. Do you remember what he was wearing?
I don't remember the clothes, but he had a bright yellow jacket on that he wore everywhere.

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?
In my dorm room.

5. Where did you go for your first date?
To the Miss USU Homecoming pageant.

6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple?
A week.

7. How did he ask you out?
We were sitting in the lobby again and he pretended that a friend of his wanted to ask me out to homecoming. First, I told him to explain to me what his friend looked like and after about 5 descriptions, I realized it was him and then he admitted that he wanted to take me himself.

8. Has this person ever proposed to you?
Yes.

9. Do you and this person have any kids together?
We have a beautiful daughter and two rowdy sons and another son on the way.

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person?
The statute of limitations hasn't run out on that one yet!

11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person?
Probably within a couple of months.

12. Do you trust this person?
Yes.

13. Do you see him as your partner in your future?
Yes.

14. What is the best gift he gave you?
In all honesty, I would have to say the gift of marriage and our children.

15. What is one thing he does that gets n your nerves?
When I ask him to do something and he doesn't just do it, he waits until it is a good time for him. He is always getting after our son for not responding right when we ask him to do stuff.

16. Where do you see each other in 15 years?
Life is so unpredictable, I can't even imagine.

17. What causes the most arguments?
Household chores.

18. How long have you been together?
15 years.

19. Are you married?
Yes.

20. Who do you tag?
Alison, Erin, Melanie, Doreen. Ardis, Karin.

Happy Birthday Aaron!

So, this past week was my sweetheart's birthday. I won't tell you how old he is now because he is still trying to come to terms with it himself! We kept it low key. He had TONS of schoolwork to do the night of his birthday, so I had the kids make him home made cards and I made him a steak and potatoes dinner. Now, for those of you who know me, know that he does the cooking in our house and that I burn or ruin everything I cook, but I attempted and successfully made steak and then sauteed onions and mushrooms to go with the steak and then made mashed potatoes. So, that was my gift to him, a meal that turned out!! I also made him a cake and that turned out yummy! So, he is now another year older but still the man I feel in love with.

Happy Thanksgiving Late!!

I know that Thanksgiving is over but I have kept forgetting to post about ours. We had a very nice, relaxing holiday. We went to Amy's dad's house and shared a delicious, but simple meal with him. We TRIED to go see the lights down at Temple Square, but we drove around for a half hour looking for parking and finally gave up. We could've parked at the Gateway Center but Aaron asked me if I wanted to walk the 8 blocks to Temple Square and I immediately said no! So, we came back home that night. We forgot the camera, so sorry, no pics!

Baby Name Game

Okay, time for another game. We are looking for good boy names. Since we have names starting with C and A going, that is preferable. But, we're open to any suggestions that people have. We think it will be interesting to see how creative people can get.

And the baby is a.....

We are happy to announce that we are having another boy! We had to go to a specialist at the hospital for the ultrasound since the history with Christine and because of my age when the baby is born. The doctor says everything looks great. Everything is measuring on time. So, thanks for playing our guessing game.

My Niece's Birthday!

Happy Birthday you beautiful little girl. We went to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law in October and help celebrate my niece's birthday. She is so big and so sweet. We had a lot of fun and the kids had a blast playing together.

Halloween

Everyone has been bugging me about updating my blog and since I did say on Facebook that I would TRY to do it this weekend, I thought I had better keep my word. We did our church's trunk-or-treating on Thursday, October 30 and then trick-or-treating. They collected so much candy that I'm going to start throwing it away! Christine we dressed up as a Tiger. Callan was a motorcross driver and Connor was Indiana Jones, although most people mistook him for a cowboy, since his hat was so big on him! The kids had a really good time and ALL of us were halloweened out by the time the end of the weekend came!

Baby Games

It's no fun placing bets on when the baby will be born, since we get to set the date for the C-section, but to keep this pregnancy interesting, let's play Guess That Gender!

We kept it easy for you by making it multiple choice. You have a 50-50 chance of getting it right (though your odds go way up if you pick GIRL). If you vote BOY and end up being right, Aaron will hold you personally responsible.

In case you haven't figured it out, Aaron is hoping for a girl. Amy reluctantly admits that she also wants a girl (but mutters something about not jinxing things). Callan wants a boy (that's it- he's grounded!). Connor doesn't care. He just wants to stay youngest forever.

So, prizes! If you guess GIRL and you are right, you win the chance to provide a cute girly or tomboyish outfit for her to wear. If you guess BOY and you are right, you win the chance to babysit for a weekend- for FREE!

It's OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL!!!!

We are happy to announce today that we are expecting another baby!!! I am 11 weeks. We were surprised at first, but now that I have seen the ultrasound and see the baby kicking, I am very excited now. I am EXTREMELY sick. Anyway, hope everyone is doing well.

4th of July

We had my dad up the Saturday after the holiday and did some fireworks out in front of our house. Aaron even got into the action a little bit!! Both boys liked the sparklers and Callan LOVED the poppers!!

Ogden's Dinosaur Park

A couple of weeks ago, we took the boy's down to Ogden to go see the Dinosaur Park. They had a great time and Connor just kept yelling"SNAKE" because all the tails reminded him of snakes, I guess! Anyway, here are the pictures that Aaron took. There are two that Aaron and I especially like. There is one where Connor is standing by one and he's pointing up to it. The light is shining on him in just the right way. Then there is one with both boys folding their arms and trying to look "TOUGH" standing next to one of the dinosaurs!

Happy Father's Day!

We forgot to take pictures AGAIN! I have to say that my husband, Aaron is a GREAT dad. We started life out with a disabled daughter. Most guys his age would have gone running. But, he knew how special this little girl was and has taken her to many doctor's appointments and sat by my side in waiting rooms while she went through surgeries. He has helped me recover from 3 c-sections and has done an AWESOME job helping to raise our two boys. He has been a great example to our boys by making goals and working VERY HARD to accomplish them. And most of all he shows our children how important family is every single day. I love you Aaron and cherish watching you with our children. Happy Father's Day!

A tribute for Father's Day!

This year we couldn't seem to find cards that were the right ones for our father's. So, I wanted to share with all of you how special 3 men are in my life.

My own father- He and my mother adopted me, so I always consider how lucky I was to be given to such an awesome dad. He is the most caring guy I know. He will do anything for you and has the BIGGEST heart I know. We had him up for a barbeque yesterday and my kids LOVE him and worship the ground he walks on! He is always there for us to help out in any way he can. Thank you dad for EVERYTHING! We love you.

My Second Dad- My second dad, Tom is the most wonderful guy. He has been in my life since I was in 5th or 6th grade. He has helped me through SO many trials in life. I have to HONESTLY say that he has been my rock. He also has the BIGGEST heart. He makes sure that all of us kids are living life the way WE want to and doing the best at what we are doing. He has always taught us with strictness, but also shown us COMPLETE love along with it. He is also a grandpa with a big heart. The best thing I love about him, is he treats my mother like a QUEEN! I have had a rough year and haven't treated people the way I should and I hope he knows that I love him and will always cherish him as a dad. Thank you for helping me to be the person I am today. We love you.

My father-in-law- He has to be one of the strongest people I know. He has gone through some EXTREMELY emotionally and physically demanding circumstances the past two years and has been a GREAT example of turning to his faith and depending on that. He loves my kids and is another man that treats my mother-in-law like a QUEEN! I love him for all the help he has been when it comes to my daughter. He has given countless blessings and been there when Aaron and I were trying to be the rock for our daughter, but about ready to collapse from emotions. The best thing he has done is raise a TERRIFIC son whom I was lucky enough to marry and share a life with. Thank you for the great spiritual example you have been to us. We love you.

In Memory

I don't know how many of you watched Meet the Press with Tim Russert on Sunday mornings, but I would flip to see who he had on his show and if it was someone that I was interested in, I would watch. He was always on the Today show talking politics. Anyway, he passed away suddenly of a heart attack on Friday. Throughout the weekend, I watched the different news shows and they all paid tribute to him and talked about what an awesome man he was. I know that everyone who knows me knows that I went through a loss a year and a half ago when I lost one of my best friend's from college from a sudden heart attack. The death of Tim Russert brings back the pain and sorrow that I still go through time to time. One thing I have learned is that you should NEVER put things off when it comes to ANYONE you know. If you get the inspiration to call someone or go see someone, there is a reason why you are getting that inspiration. My friend, Tonja, and this journalist, Tim have been remembered as being EXTREMELY nice people. ALWAYS with a smile on their faces and nothing bad said about them. How many of us can look at how we treat people and how we conduct our lives and know that when we pass on, people will say that about us? I know that being the nicest person and never being mean would not be something someone could say about me and that makes me sad. I know I can't change overnight, but I think we should ALWAYS try to live everyday and be as nice as we can and treat people with respect and kindness. I know I didn't know him personally, but I say Heaven has received two AWESOME people in the past 2 years, We'll miss you Tonja and Tim.

No, we're not dead!!

Hey Everyone,
I will be posting some new pictures soon. We have done some pretty cool things lately, but Aaron has the pictures on his iphone and since he has it with him 24/7, I have to wait until we can both sit down and do it. Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up to date like I was. I have been having some health things going on. NO, NOT HEALTH PROBLEMS, just health things, dealing with those wonderful things us ladies like to call HORMONES!! Anyway, somedays I feel like crap and others I feel okay. So, if you call me and I'm crying, raunchy or just all around not being nice, just know I'm probably having a bad day, IT'S NOT YOU!! So, give me some time and hopefully, the old cheerful, social Amy will be back!!

Connor's Basketball Hoop

Well, Connor is finally showing interest in something, and that is Basketball!! Aaron and I went to a sporting goods store the other day and Connor saw the basketballs and the hoops and just started screaming with DELIGHT "Baball, baball"!! Aaron thinks it's kind of funny because Callan is turning out to look like he might take after Aaron and be the tall one and he LOVES to sing. And then there's Connor who looks like he might be short like me, and yet he LOVES basketball, how ironic!! Anyway, Aaron went and bought him his very own little basketball and hoop and needless to say, Connor is in HEAVEN!! Here are some pictures of him trying it out.

My Bellydance photos

Well, it took me a week, but here you go. The one shot, I'm in the back row in the middle and the other picture, I'm in the front row in the middle. My hair is cut up to my chin for those of you who haven't seen me in a while. Again, I had a blast and can't wait to do it again.

THE PERFORMANCE!!!

I want to thank everyone who wrote words of encouragement. I had a BLAST!! It was one of the best times of my life. Hearing the audience cheering and showing the attitude of the music and the dance is my favorite. Aaron makes fun of me because I supposedly have a "dance face" and it came on glowing and shining. Anyway, I'm going to be working my way up in this bellydancing company to be in the groups performing. I"m soooo excited!! Aaron took pictures, and hopefully by next weekend I will get them posted, but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone again.

My BIG week

Well, I will be fulfilling a HUGE dream come true this Friday night. When I was a child and through high school, I DANCED. It is my PASSION. I was on my dance team in high school and took ballet all through childhood. When I would work on a dance combo of any type and get ready to perform it in front of people, the RUSH would start coming. And yes, EVERYONE knows that I"m the social one between Aaron and me!! But, I love getting attention through performing a dance combo. Because it's not just me, but I know people are watching me and I can COMPLETELY feel the music in my soul. So, after getting out of high school, going to college, meeting and marrying Aaron and having 3 kids, my PASSION IS BACK, BABY!! I have been doing bellydancing for about 2 1/2 months and this Friday, I will get up and perform in front of my husband and tons of other people. I cry as I write this because THIS IS WHO I AM. Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family, but I do have to have something that's ALL MINE and that I can lose myself in and this is it. But, I do want to say thank you to a couple of people. First, Aaron because he could choose not to help me with the kids while I go practice, but he is COMPLETELY supportive of me. Second, my mom because she has know since I was a little girl that I was born to dance. And she always has supported me and been there for me for this. And third, my friend Kristal because since we moved here and I met her she has talked about it. She has never been pushy about it or tried to force it on me, but she knows how I feel about dance and just would bring it up around me and at a time that I knew was right, I decided to give it a try and now, I'M AMY. So, cross your fingers for me and think happy thoughts!

Baby Animal Days

We took the boys to Baby Animal Days this weekend. It was a lot of fun. They got to pet a whole bunch of baby animals and play games. Callan and Aaron led us on a treasure hunt that taught us about the history of Cache Valley. We stayed for about 2-3 hours.

Callan's Birthday at the Fun Park

After all the boys went home, our brother and sister-in-law came up to get our nephew and brought their two daughters and we packed up our kids and went to a place called the Fun Park. It's like a big jungle gym inside a building, plus they have games like Chuck E. Cheese's did. We had a REALLY good time there. We wore all the kids out, I think!!

Callan' Birthday Slumber Party

We gave Callan a choice this year between having a party with 7 kids because that's how old he turned or having a slumber party with 3 other boys and he chose the slumber party. The boys had fun, Aaron helped them make their own pizza's and then they ate a Transformer's Cake that we ordered for him. He opened gifts after that and got TONS of Transformer toys! The boys stayed up until about 11:30-12:00 and then woke up at 6:30 am, so it was a short night! We woke up and Aaron made a pancake breakfast for them.

Family birthday party!

Okay, so Aaron makes fun of me when it comes to birthdays, especially Christine's, mine and Callan's because they all fall within a two week period. So, I usually do two birthday parties for everyone. One family one and when I say family I mean aunts, uncles, grandparents that are around and one party either with friends or our own little family meaning me, Aaron and the kids. The funny thing is I do the same for him for his birthday and he doesn't seem to make fun of me at that time!! Anyway, we had a combined family party Sunday and Aaron's brother Thomas and his wife, Alison came up with their three kids and Grandpa Neil. We had cake and ice cream and got all sorts of cool stuff for our birthdays. Now, keep in mind, you have already seen Christine's birthday posts and then this Friday, Callan is having a friend's party. So, yes I may go a little extreme, but you only get one birthday a year, so why not go ALL OUT!!

Christine's 12th Birthday!

Our daughter, Christine, celebrated her 12th birthday this past Wednesday. For our family, this is always a good and happy day for us. She was born with severe mental and physical disabilities and we were told she wouldn't live past the ages of 2-3. So, for her to turn 12 is pretty amazing to us, our family and friends. We had our friends Josh, Kristal and Cora over for cake and ice cream. It was funny because usually when she gets home, she falls right to sleep, so we put her in bed. This night, I think she knew it was a special day because she stayed bright eyed and happy and smiley all evening. It was a GREAT night! Mommy and Daddy and your brothers love you Christine and we hope this year brings you more smiles and happy times.

Ice Cave

Last Saturday we went into an ice cave. It's kind of weird, you see a sign for it and turn and then you stop at a big whole in the ground. We went down into it and Aaron looked for samples for his lab work and the boys ran around and climbed on the rocks inside. Later that day, we went to some hot springs with our friend's and had a really nice, relaxing time.

Happenings in Family

Okay, so we totally forgot to take pictures, but our niece, Hailey, was baptized on the 1st of March. That was a beautiful time to spend with family and to see her growing up. Later that night, Aaron and I had a BLAST at a bellydancing festival in Salt Lake. I don't think I have mentioned yet, but I'm taking a bellydancing class and I LOVE IT!! When I met Aaron, I was going to school to be a dance teacher, but a few years back, I had the chance to teach dance and learned that my passion is learning a routine and then performing. One of Aaron's and my friends was already in the group and finally talked me into taking the beginning class last month and "oh baby", I have found my passion again. Anyway, at this festival, we got to see many different groups perform and Aaron got to see the body move in ways he didn't know was possible!! So, we were with our good friends, Josh and Kristal and she later performed.
The next day, Sunday, we threw a birthday party for my mother in law. We invited some of her close friends and my two brother in laws that live out of town sent birthday email messages to her. It was a another nice time spent with friends and family. We hope you had a wonderful birthday, Karen.

Callan's Science Fair

Last Wednesday and Thursday Callan's school did their first science fair since 2002. He was completely fascinated when we stopped by Mt. St. Helens in Washington at Christmas time. So, he and Aaron made a volcano out of a set that Granny Linda and Grandpa Tom gave him and explained how it works. He had a BLAST making it go off!! He did receive a ribbon, but between last week and now, he has lost it somewhere in his room. So, when we do find it, I will take a picture of him with it and post it. He's already looking forward to doing another project next year!! Good Job Calman!!

Aaron's Costa Rica Trip cont.

Here are the rest of the photos from his trip.