Backyard, Birthday and Children update

So I know it's been a while since I posted anything of real value and I am about to redeem myself, so prepare for a post with lots of pictures and old info that you probably don't care about but will read anyways....either out of morbid curiosity or because you just have nothing else better to do.....
THE BACKYARD

Greg got the drinking fountain up and working....

He also turned our backyard into a cement rock quarry...

BEFORE

AFTER

THE OBLIGATORY RANDOM CHILD PHOTOS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREG!!!

Wednesday was Greg's Birthday (WooHoo!!) and to celebrate we did the economical thing and had lunch at Red Robin. Did you know if you sign up on their email list they send you a coupon for a free burger on your birthday?? It's true....and since our birthdays are only 5 days apart we both got free burgers, and our server even brought us free birthday sundaes. AND, if the day couldn't get any better, she didn't sing because she didn't want to be the only one!!!

And of course the kids enjoyed themselves too...since this was a holiday we had just missed the massive lunch rush and there was NO ONE there when we got there. We giggled a lot and Freddie screamed (in a good way, that's his way of expressing he's happy) and we didn't get the normal looks we do when he gets vocal!!

Look at that beautifully round head!!!



And this gorgeous girl!!!

PRIMARY FUN

On Thursday we had a Primary Activity day, and since Greg was home he came with the kids and while I helped supervise, Karyl got to make a graham cracker gingerbread house....I think she did a pretty good job for just barely being 3!!!

Oh what to my wandering eyes did appear...

Or, in true Primary Fashion....
"I looked out the window and what did I see??"

My husband had multiplied into a group of grown men....all moving conrete from our backyard into the unsuspecting little U-Haul truck on the side of the house.

I was all ready to go out there and start moving concrete chunks. Now I'm not sure if I'm relieved or sad....relieved because I don't have to do the hard work, but kind of sad because I was looking forward to the work out. Oh well, guess I'll have to take the kids for a walk later today =)

Oh, and Greg's Birthday is Wednesday, so for those of you who might feel a need, please feel free to call him and sing Happy Birthday....he won't be at work so he can't hang up on you with the usual excuse that he's busy at work!!!

Have an exceptionally wonderul and exuberant Monday...I know I will!! I think I am going to make some cake pops today. I have all the ingerdients except the lollipop sticks (which Wal-Mart should have) and food coloring for the chocolate if I decide to color it...we'll see. If I get around to them they will be posted on "Life After Diapers" later today.

Stupid Countdown Clock

I know, this new counter is kinda ugly (I personally don't like the picture at all...) but my other one that I loved has stopped counting so I had to find another. I don't have the time to scour the internet for another great one so this was what I came up with. At least it's got the count right and when I find a better one I will post it =)

Happy Saturday!!!

2 weeks left.....

Can you feel the excitement????

Only 14-1/2 more days until New Moon....
That's right, I'm a grown woman counting down the days until a movie release....
I think this is the first time in my life I've ever gotten this excited about a movie!!!

Of course, I won't be seeing it the day (or night) it comes out, I'm too *cough cough* mature to stand in line with hundreds of screaming teenagers....but I will hopefully *crossing my fingers* be seeing it the weekend it comes out.

I re-read New Moon today. Before you laugh at me and call me crazy...there is an explanation as to why I read the book.....Greg was jackhammering the backyard all day, so I couldn't watch TV because, well, I couldn't hear it =) So I decided to pull out the book and read it. In between chapters I did lots of other stuff, like Karyl and I had a tickle fight and wrestled on the bed...THAT was awesome!! Freddie and I worked on his sitting skills, and he's REALLY good with the Boppy pillow...and he's getting up on all fours, so crawling is only a matter of time!!

Life was pretty good today...despite the fact that my backyard is a cement rock quarry. Let me tell you, there is nothing more enjoyable than watching your ever-adorable husband hack away at cement with a sledgehammer, a giant metal pointy thing (I'm using that as a technical term...) and a jackhammer. There are so very few manly men left in this world who aren't afraid to get dirty and sweaty, and I am SOOOOO glad that I got me one of them!! Think of the Brad Paisley song called "I'm Still a Guy," I have the poster husband for that song, and I wouldn't trade him for anything!!!

The Money Shot

I have captured what I think my brother, David, would call a "money shot"....

To find out what these tasty little treats are, and how to make them, check out my other blog "Life After Diapers"

Go ahead, it's on the right side of my page with all the other blogs that I stalk ------>

RaNdOm photography

That's right, this is THAT random....I finally charged the camera battery and cleared some room on the camera and here are some GREAT pictures from the past few weeks of the kids and the house...

Greg, Misi and Uncle David have been doing a lot of work on the house the past few weeks and it looks amazing!! They got the front fence in (yes, it's a white picket fence...but in our defense we only painted it white because that's the color of the house and it pulled the fence colors back towards the house rather than making it stand out). They also finished the side driveway (the RV accessway) and finished painting the shed.

The new project is tearing down the old and nasty (and useless) covered patio and building a deck....that's right, a deck!!! We have such a great view of city lights from up there and it will be a perfect place for people to lounge and talk while kids play down below. And, don't tell the kids this, but it will be a PERFECT place to jump off of into the pool for consenting adults who sign a liability waiver!!!

Above you can see the view we'll have (at night it's amazing!!) and the shed all painted pretty!!

And here are some great fun shots of the kids...could they seriously get any dang cuter???

Trunk or Treat....

So this year we attended 3 Trunk or Treats...the first being our own Ward on Tuesday the 27th, then it was Grandma and Grandpa B's Ward on Friday, and Grandma M's Ward on Saturday. Karyl had a blast at all of them and I think we are training her to believe that Halloween is a weeklong holiday!

She was so good at Trunk or Treat with saying "Trick or Treat" and she said Thank You to every single car!! She had a great time and now thinks that to get candy all she has to do is say "Trick or Treat"...Oh Karyl, if only the world really did work that way!!

On Tuesday, there were 3 Cinderellas there, and not so surprisingly they were all the same age so they played together for a while while we ate dinner...this is the cutest picture!!

Here is Karyl at Grandma and Grandpa B's party...she had a blast!!

We do have pictures of her from Halloween and Grandma B's party but they were all taken by Uncle David and the Aunties, so we'll have to post those later!!

Untitled

Yeah, this post is kind of a mash-up of random thoughts, so I lacked the creative insight to come up with a title...

A few things...
I know, I know....Karyl's birthday pics are coming. I just have to upload them to my computer. They are on Greg's but it won't let me post from there right now...grr...

Did you see the counter on the right side -----------> Yep, 25 days.....I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!

Once our Anniversary hits we pretty much declare the year over since from there we do nothing but celebrate something...let me show you the breakdown so you understand why our year is pretty much over...

October: 15th - Anniversary, 20th - Karyl's Birthday, the Halloween...
November: 11th - Greg's Birthday, 16th - My Birthday, then Thanksgiving...
December: The obvious...Christmas and then New Years...

And if that wasn't enough, now we have Freddie's birthday in the same month at Valentine's day..

When we celebrate, we do it in mass effect =)

See...totally random...

Oh, and I am LOVING my piano!!

Good night!!

Say "Hello" to my not-so-little friend...

I told Greg this could count as my Birthday present, Christmas present and any other present for the next 10 years!!! I know, a lot of you probably didn't know I was that into pianos, but I have wanted a REAL piano since I started singing in 4th grade. I have had a cheap keyboard but when we got married it was moved a few too many times and had to be disposed of.

This is seriously the best present I could have ever gotten, and to add to the excitement, this piano will be 100 years old next year...it's an antique!! I have to thank my friend Christa for making all this possible because this was her baby and I promised her it was going to a nice home. Thank you Christa, you have no idea what an angel you are...

This empty spot we made for the piano last night represents more than just some floor space we cleared out...this represents a spot in my life, even more so in my heart, that has been empty for many, many years...just waiting to be filled. I can't express how amazing it feels to finally be able to fill that spot with this beautiful piano, and to know that I can play it any time I want, and I can teach my children to play it.

Welcome home!!!!

Now I need to get back to work...after I dry the tears!!!

Karyl's belated birthday pics...

For Karyl's big 3rd birthday we headed to where else??? DISNEYLAND!!! Being that she's 3 now she needs her own pass to go with us and Disneyland is letting everyone in for free on their birthdays. So, we packed up and headed there for a few hours that morning. Karyl dressed in her Cinderella best and we wandered the park while everyone wished her a Happy Birthday and she promptly told every Cast Member that she had just turned 3. The first ride she wanted to go on was the Jungle Cruise, then Dumbo and the Merry Go Round.....then she rode the Rockets with Daddy and Grandpa and then after lunch she and Grandpa went on the Haunted Mansion. She ended her Disneyland adventure with a new friend, Dog Dog Junior (the original Dog Dog is still around, but he is for sleeping only....) and a nice long nap back to Grandpa's house for the traditional birthday festivities.

Even Freddie had a good time celebrating Karyl's big day!!!

Grandma made her chicken nuggets for her birthday dinner (she requested them) and then we had one of our traditional Albertson's chocolate cakes for dessert. Good old Albertson's helps us celebrate every special moment in our lives.....it started with them doing our wedding cake and now we are hooked on their birthday cakes!!

We also visited Uncle David and Grandma M that night to say goodnight...Grandma M had to work but got Karyl a GIANT dinosaur book that she LOVES!! This little girl loves her books!!

KARYL - Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

3 Years ago Karyl surprised us and came into our lives. She seemed so tiny at the time, 8 pounds 1 ounce....

She was so pretty in pink....I guess she was doomed from the beginning to be a "girly girl"

Now today she turns 3....we can't believe it!!!
Greg says that if you want time to really fly by, or you want to re-live your Play-Do squishing, watercolor painting, running in the sprinklers childhood, have children.... time will go by so fast you won't remember half of what happens, and you'll remember what it was like to live without any fears!!
Karyl has spent the last 3 years surprising us, and in honor of her birthday here are some things that she has surprised us by doing...
*She knows her alphabet verbally.
*She can count up to 20 and can count objects up to the same number.
*If you ask for her street or where she lives she can tell you her address...well, she will tell a Fireman or Police Officer if they ask =)
*If you use the smaller numbers she can do math...addition and subtraction.
*She can recite many a Spongebob episode word for word while it's playing.
*She knows basic Spanish, Gracias a Dora.
* She can sing the Taylor Swift song "You Belong With Me" as a duet with me...I love it!!!
*She can sing lots of primary songs and LOVES doing it!
*She remembers her Nursery lessons and can talk about them when she gets home.
*She can do a somersault...kind of...
*She LOVES to dance and "shake her booty"
*She loves being girly....nail polish and lip gloss. This poor girl was born to the wrong mommy, I didn't even own a bottle of nail polish until about a week ago, and that one was because she picked it out.
*She loves her princesses and to dress up...and she loves to tell the stories of the Princesses and sing their songs!
*Her favorite Princess has to be Ariel....she loves that Mermaid!
And MANY, MANY more things...these are just some of our favorites!!

Karyl is a girly-girl who is the size of a first grader with the attitude of a teenager, and even though it's trying sometimes we wouldn't trade her for anything!! We love her more than anything and are so thankful that Heavenly Father saw fit to send her to us when he did. Sometimes we don't know what's best for ourselves and she has definitely been an amazing and priceless addition to our family and our hearts.

We love you Karyl and can't wait to celebrate many, many more birthdays!!!

A Walk in Walt Disney's Footsteps

For our fabulous 4 year anniversary, Greg took us on a tour at Disneyland entitled "A Walk in Walt Disney's Footsteps." It was a tour based on the history of the park as it pertained to Walt Disney. It was WONDERFUL!!!

Here are some neat things that we learned:

*We were shown where the smallest hidden Mickey was located in the park.

Do you see it in the middle underneath the "A" in MAIL??*The Tiki Room was originally supposed to be a restaurant, but during the show nobody ate, and in the restaurant industry that doesn't do well for profits...so the idea was nixed and it became just a show. The attached kitchen is used for Main Street.
*The Tiki Room has a basement that is the exact same outline as the building, when it opened it used to house a computer the size of the basement to run the show...now it holds 2 laptops on a table.
*The Tiki Room is run completely by hydraulics!

Here is Ophelia, one of the original singing flowers...she is since retired but comes out for the guided tours. All the makeup is done by hand on these!!!*The top of Sleeping Beauty's Castle is actually backwards, it was supposed to face the other way but the Imagineers decided it looked better this way. *The statue at the end of Main Street in front of the castle originally had Mickey holding an ice cream cone...and Walt Disney is 2 inches taller than he really was. He always wished he was taller, so the sculptor made him 2 inches taller in the statue.
*Walt originally wanted the Jungle Cruise to have live animals...then he was informed that they would sleep during the day and hide at night...so they made the animals robotic, and they never miss a cue!
*Behind the buildings in New Orleans Square you can see ship sails...Walt wanted it to feel like a "port town" and had those put in. Take a look next time, you'll see them.
*In the Club 33 lobby there is a picture of 3 musicians....they were Walt's personal band and 2 of them have since passed. One, named Earl (I think) is still alive and plays in the alley near the shops outside Club 33 until it gets too hot or too cold, then he goes inside and plays his guitar in the Blue Bayou. We got a picture of him there playing and got to say hi. I've been to Club 33 who knows how many times and never knew that about that picture!!
*The castle's bricks get smaller as you get towards the top...it's called forced perspective..they wanted the castle to look taller than it is. Out of all the Disney resorts, it is actually the smallest castle!!
*On opening day (July 15) they had laid the asphalt on Main Street the night before and it was a heat wave the next day and it re-softened...so all the women in their best stillettos left heel prints all over the place!!
*Walt Disney died a few weeks before Pirates of the Caribbean opened...so they had a scale model they had built and still had, and they put a doll of him in something with wheels and wheeled him through the ride...he did end up getting to ride the ride before he died!!
*Mickey wasn't the first character Walt came up with...he was supposed to be a lucky rabbit named Oswald but someone snatched up the Copyright and they couldn't use him, so Mickey was created. Just recently the Copyright for Oswald expired and it became free game again, and Disney bought it!
*Donald and Goofy and Pluto were all small role characters and somehow evolved into the co-stars you see today.
*It's a Small World began as a ride for the World's Fair....and when it opened at Disneyland children from around the world were invited to bring bottles of water from their country and dump them in the Seven Seas Waterway.
*Walt Disney's old apartment was right above the Firehouse...the night he died a Cast Member went up and turned on his reading lamp by the window in memoriam...to this day that light is on 24 hours a day in respect of all the hours he spent working there. Take a look, it's always on!!
*The Matterhorn was built to cover up the pylons (Not sure of the spelling) for the old Sky Buckets because the poles were eye-sores. It is hand made and no two pieces of rebar (again, spelling) and steel are the same shape or size!

After our 3-1/2 hour tour was over (didn't even seem like that long!!) we were treated to a lunch in a private area and then we headed off to ride a few adult rides while the kids weren't with us.

The one ride I really wanted to see was the "scary" Space Mountain...what a waste. We waited for about 45 minutes and it wasn't any different than the regular ride. The ghost was just kind of a image throughout the ride, it never once felt like it was anywhere near us. Bummer...

Overall it was a great Anniversary and for dinner we went out to TGIFridays after coming home and spending some time with the kids. We were at Disneyland from about 9am to about 3pm and we were exhausted. How people stay for the whole day we will never understand!!!

4 YEARS

What an amazing 4 years it has been!!!

Thank you Greg for being such an amazing Husband and Daddy!! I love you and can't wait to see what the next 4 years brings...and the next 4 years after that...and the next 4 years after that...

Ah heck...we have forever to see what other kinds of adventures we can embark on.

I love you and can't believe how lucky I am to have found you. Can you believe it's been 4 years since we got married....I bet we never thought we could accomplish so much in 4 years. In that short time we got married, had 2 beautiful children, bought our first house and even found ourselves owning a Minivan!! Can you imagine what is in store for us in the future?? I think we make a pretty amazing team!!