Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day! Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful mother's I know. I love you all so much. Mother's are incredible, truly. I have really enjoyed my mother's day. We went as a family to feed ducks and play at the park. I am in love with my children and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be a mom.

Zoo Day!

We went to the Zoo! It was such a good time. The kids had a blast and it was fun to spend time as a family. Owen's favorite was the train ride and the tigers. Avery loved the turtles and the monkeys.

1 Year Down!

Jeremy did it! He finished his first year at Salt Lake Community College! I am so proud of him. He is getting an associates degree in Welding. He has one more year of school. It sounds like a lot, but the first year has gone by really fast.

Jeremy is doing great with welding, infact he had the best weld bend in his class. It reached 15,000 psi, which basically means pounds per square inch without breaking and in the welding world that's a great thing!

Cheers to one year down and one to go!

Alaska!

Did you notice the countdown above? I can't wait, Jeremy and I are going on vacation. Alaska, here we come. We will be going on a Royal Carribean Cruise and our three stops will include Juneau, Skagway and Victoria Canada.

Cause it makes me laugh!

Aquarium Fun!

We have been needing to break up the routine, so we decided to take the kids to the Aquarium. Owen has been before when he was younger. I really thought it would be a blast for Avery because she really loves animals. Well, turns out she was not so thrilled the majority of the time. We couldn't tell if it was the fish she was scared of or maybe the fact that it was pretty dark through out. Regardless of her acting up it ended up being a really good time and I got a few good pictures. The absolute best part of the aquarium were the penguins. They were not there the couple of other times I have been. They are adorable. Hopefully by the next time we go, Avery will appreciate the surroundings more.

A bit of chaos...

Does your life ever feel like the above picture? (courtesy of Avery)

Lately...chaos. Fixing the car, again, and well, Again!

Everyone has been sick, atleast once.

The dentist is coming back into my life...ahh!

Jeremy just about broke his foot, but not quite.

Um, should I dare say the word money?? Almost non existant...

Hmmm Life is quite the ride.

Good thing I know it always comes around! :)

Melinda Bryant Photography

I have this amazing photographer. Well, I like to claim her as my own. She has been taking pictures of my kids since Avery was about six months old. She is completely talented and I am especially in love with the latest pictures that were done with the kids.

It was messy.....really messy! They played with paint, but it made for some GREAT shots. This is just a taste of the pictures. There were even more great photographs.

Thanks Melinda for your amazing work!

Bangs!

About a week ago I took the kids in for haircuts. I decided Avery would look adorable with bangs and she does. She does look older though. Everyone thinks she is three, but she just turned two.

Today was her two year old vaccinations and she had to have four shots. She didn't even cry. She was trying to act so brave. I'm so proud of her. Turns out Avery is in the 90th percentile for her height and the 5oth percentile for her weight. The nurse told me she is 3 ft tall. What? I can't believe what a tall girl she is. She definetely didn't get that from my side. Thanks to Jeremy's genes we should have some tall children.

My Spirited Child

Avery is what you call a spirited child. Meaning a child who is a little more intense than others. One that is more persistent and louder than other children. Their tantrums are longer and more dramatic. I read about this at babycenter.com. I was questioning in my mind what I was doing wrong as a parent. I thought I wasn't handling Avery the right way.

Owen was very different at Avery's age. He was very calm and when he got upset I could fix it easily by holding him or distracting him. Avery on the other hand is very different. She is so very passionate about the things she wants. Although it can be very challenging in stores or in the car, or even at home, I can't help but love this girl with all of my heart of coarse. She keeps me on my toes and makes me look at how I come accross with my children and I have also tried some of the tips they mention at babycenter.com. So far the tips have been helping and it gave me reassurance that there are other parents going through the same thing!

I love my passionate, intense, persistent, spirited Avery!! (She looks so innocent in the pictures below. LOL :)

Owen's Romantic

Today is Valentines Day! Happy Valentines everyone. My Owen is probably more excited than you and I. He decided to get a girl at school named Annabelle a special valentine. So, not just the Spiderman valentines that he is going to give everyone in the class. He got Annabelle a small Teddy bear, which by the way mom picked out for him. Apparently he thinks his mother has good taste. Actually he was already in his pajamas (Spiderman of coarse), so he waited in the car with dad.

I am so proud of Owen. I think it takes a lot of guts for a five year old to give a girl a valentine. Did I mention this Annabelle is six. Yeah, he must like the older women. :) This morning he put a new outfit on and brushed his hair and teeth. He said "Mom, I am SO excited!" You will see by the pictures below that Owen used his best handwriting while writing her name. What a sweet boy I have! I hope he is always this kind and generous to the girls and women that come into his life. I love this boy SO much!

Happy Valentines!

He loves me!

So, I forgot to mention that Jeremy and I just celebrated our 5 year anniversary on January 28th! We went to a hockey game together and it was fun to spend time together.

We have talked in the past about getting a new wedding RING for me on our 5 year anniversay but didn't see it in the near future because of finances. Well, thanks to our tax return and thanks to Morgan Jewelers for giving us full trade in price on our first RING......

We did it, I got a new wedding RING! I am in LOVE with it and in LOVE with my husband who helped pick it out!

I'm Addicted!

I am completely addicted. Me, of all people. Remember how I told you I am running? I still am., every single night. I love it! I don't even allow myself to decide between running or not running. There are no options! I run, that's final. It's been so good for me. I feel AMAZING! I have lost a total of 10 pounds! It did get to 12, but I am at a plateau in weight right now. I seriously have never felt better. If your considering getting back into shape, do it! It clears the mind and it feels so good to have your clothes starting to hang. Yay for exercise!

Tea Party!

Avery had her birthday party with friends and family! It was so much fun. I couldn't have done it without my mom inlaw. She is amazing when it comes to planning parties. Thanks Dru for all your help!