The Crazy Shaw Family

Happy New Year!

2012-01-24T08:30:00.059-07:00

The happiest week!
We had Mike home for 8 days in December.
It was the BEST!
We picked him up at the airport with gma and gpa and
went straight to Chuck-a-rama for lunch.

The kids LOVED having dad back,

and they LOVED picking anything and

everything they wanted to eat!

A couple days later,

Mike and I had a getaway night!

Here's the thing:

In our entire 11.5 years of marriage and

our 6 months of dating...we NEVER

went out to just "Dinner and a movie"...

So we decided to try it.

We had a great evening.

We went to Olive Garden and ordered way too much food!

Then we went to the Gateway and saw Sherlock Holmes 2.

Loved it.

Then we had a night at the Sheraton.

Christmas Eve!

We had a nice family home evening with some neighbors.

Mike gave the kids army shirts. They loved them!

(sorry, Hailee was wearing shorts, must have hiked up a tad.)

Christmas and Sunday morning!

Jared was thrilled with all his gifts.

His favorite was a gun/knife/tactical set from Hailee.

A close second was this little stuffed

LUMA (from Mario Galaxy) that Danny made for him

(he made 4...including one for me!)

I got a cameo. enough said.

I just love this pic!

Jared was stoked about his remote control truck.

Danny got one too.

Kara bought cupcakes!

Peanut butter...my favorite.

As soon as I got home from church,

I crammed the whole thing in my face!

After a quick snack and a change of clothes we headed

to the Litchfield's for 2nd Christmas!

This is my favorite picture ever!

She was throwing wrapping paper everywhere!

Jared totally gets the presents thing.

We went home after the Dr. Who Christmas special...

which made us all cry.

The next couple of days we had some chillin' with dad time.

Family talent show time...

playing with cousins time...

Wishing we had a baby sister time...

And then saying goodbye to dad again time...

no pics needed here.

I quickly recovered for some shopping with the girls time...

and having a make up fest for happy new year time...

Happy 2012!

Year of the Dragon!

Frankly January has been spent trying to get us back on schedule!

I decided to take Jared off of chocolate.

I don't know if he is truly allergic to it, but so far in

3 weeks he has only puked once...so that is improvement!

And then we celebrated my birthday over and over and over!

January 14th: Chuck-a-rama again with gma, gpa and

Kara, because the kids LOVED it!

January 16th: French braiding lessons from Brenda.

January 17th - January 20th: Decorating for Chinese New Year and my birthday!

January 21st: Flooded basement. 3 hour delay to plans.

Then Kara and I did our hair fancy--wore crowns, wore hoodies

and went to Cheesecake Factory for my birthday!

They even sang happy birthday to Queen Natalie!

Kara used 90 bobby pins to get my hair up...it looked awesome!

January 22nd: Super early church!

I am sorry, but we don't do well on Sundays...

So super moody because everyone is tired.

We went to Litchfield's for dinner. Yum.

January 23rd: Chinese New Year!

On Saturday (2 days before party)
the basement FLOODED again!
Ahhh, we sucked up the water we could and enlisted
the neighbors huge fan to help dry the place out!
It blew down lots of our decor...

But the show must go on.

We had a fabulous spread!
It is the Year of the Dragon!
(so my awesome friend took my 7 year old daughter to
her house ALL day to make this phenomenal Dragon cake
out of ROOT BEER cupcakes!"
(babysitting and cupcakes, do birthday's get better?)

I had to incorporate all 12 of the
Chinese Zodiac signs into the food...

We ate, played games, ate cake and candy and played!

Mike arranged to get me something

I really wanted/needed! A table saw!

Anji made me this awesome hat!

(I convinced her to teach me how--wish me luck!)

And check this out. So awesome--from Kara!

31 feels good.

And we are celebrating again next Sunday!

Ha! Milk it!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

Here's our card this year...I didn't mail out tons,

sorry if you didn't get a picture

of these darling kids!

2011 Update on the Michael and Natalie Shaw family:

Mike left for Army basic training on January 4th, so most of the year was spent without him. {sad face}
Contact was limited for much of the time...now the family is happy to be able to skype with him frequently—or at least when the Internet is working! (Pretty poor reception in those barracks!)
Natalie was able to fly out to Oklahoma for his graduation from basic in March.
In May/June Natalie packed up the kids, rented a car, and drove to Arizona. They picked up Janell (thanks Chris) and drove to San Antonio, Texas to spend a week with Mike. He only had evenings and weekends with them, and had to be returned to base each night. But it was a glorious time to be together. Right after that Mike left for Fort Benning, Georgia for more training!
Mike had 2-week leave in mid July and flew home. The time went too quickly! He was back in Georgia for jump school. After graduating and getting his wings pinned in him he began more rigorous training.
He is still in Georgia finishing up some medical type schooling to prepare him for the next phase of training. He will be home for Christmas and a few days prior. That’s all Natalie wants for Christmas.
Honestly, it’s miserable without him.

The Shaw’s are anxious to be a family again—no idea when that will be...the Army doesn’t allow much planning ahead!

In the meantime, to keep Natalie’s mind off the fact that she is miserable without her love’s duet...
She has been painting, creating, crafting, making, doing, messing, and playing like a maniac! And selling some of those creations...and filling the basement to the hilt with others. Kara is her fabulous partner in crime.
Natalie also continues to homeschool her children. This fills the days and makes for lots of quality time together.

Daniel turned 9 in June. They had a fantastic Super Mario Brother’s birthday party for him in the backyard. Lots of food, friends and fun! Danny loves reading...he is permitted to stay up an hour after the other children if he reads books. He has gone through several series and Natalie is always looking for other good suggestions! Dan loves photo editing and “plays” PhotoShop frequently. He has stepped up as man-of-the-house and taken care of his mother and siblings. Danny has been taking piano lessons and is dedicated. He has never complained of practicing. His little fingers even lend well to tickling the ivories—plus they give him extra attention. Danny and Hailee just performed their first recital with 2 duet pieces. Danny wasn’t even nervous! He is very logical and a deep thinker. He has insights that impress his family. Danny is an outstanding Cub Scout and likes doing projects. He has date nights with Natalie occasionally and gets to sew, make and create things. He loves speaking, giving talks, narrating commercials and making little movies...if only he had a movie camera.

Hailee Marie is 7, she will be 8 on April 1st. She is the queen of the spotlight! Hailee is definitely not shy; she loves attention, microphones, mirrors and skype! She is a joy. She makes the fun times super! She has been taking Hula dance for over a year now and is such a doll! She can really get those hips shakin’! She’s also been taking piano lessons for a year. She loves piano and loves to sing along with the songs. She has a musical ear and likes to pick out familiar songs without the music. She loves to draw! “Hailee is the best artist in the family,” said Danny. She takes after Mike! She loves to make people laugh, and it shows in her comical artwork! She loves drawing funny comic strip pictures! However, Hailee is still very much a pretty princess and loves to get dressed up. She won the Little Miss Farmington Court title (1 of the 5 girls) and was able to participate in the Miss Farmington Pageant in June. She loves wearing crowns to church and sparkly glitter on her cheeks...which her mom has no problem with!

Jared is 3 as of September. He decided he was a man in August and was potty trained in a couple days. He is so fun. He really is a lot of joy, and fills in, as Natalie’s “little orange boyfriend”. He knows all his colors and orange is his favorite. He loves Mario brothers as well and frequently dons an eyeliner mustache to fit the part of Mario. He is inventive and creative. He is growing up so fast. It’s only been a couple weeks since everyone began understanding everything that he says. This makes for a happier home. Jared loves that his daddy is in the Army, and pretends to be a mean sergeant. Natalie and the 3 children all dressed up like Army Rangers for Halloween this year. It was a lot of fun!

That’s the Shaw’s! Keep up with them year round at crazyshaws.blogspot.com

Love,
Mike, Natalie, Daniel, Hailee, and Jared

Freezing lights!

2011-12-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

I love going to see Christmas lights!

We decided since there wasn't a huge blizzard

(it was just freezing...teenage temperatures)

that we would go with some friends to see the

Christmas lights at Layton Park.

We bundled up!

Yes, there are 3 pictures of me in this post!

Hay and I donning our matching awesome hats

that I was reluctant to buy, but Mike insisted,

and I have been ever-so-grateful,

because these are the BEST hats around!

heh!

We went with our friends!

I took pictures of the kids at their favorite light display.

Jared loved the dinosaur hatching from the egg.

Dan loved this green little beaver.

Hailee loved the mermaid.

and everyone had a great night!

We went back to our friends and had hot cocoa. Yum!

Huge Windstorm!

2011-12-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

This morning there was a huge windstorm!

The power was out from about 6 a.m. until afternoon.

I decided we should take a walk and feel the wind in our hair!

Gary was inspired and moved the vehicles...good thing too!

We lost our big pine tree (well, the shared pine tree)

ahh, jeepy is safe...and sort of blocked in...I

could get out if I wanted, but I am hesitant

to go anywhere right now!

Here it is filling the driveway!

And yes, it tore up the sidewalk.

Here is some damage between our house and

Grandma's house (6 houses down the street)

tree fell on a car...

tree after tree down for the count...

Wightman's old house...

Brady's big tree.

Hailee cried when she saw this one down.

Tender heart.

I was talking to our neighbor Barry,

we both commented on how much

Mike would "love" this...

He loves chopping up wood...

The mobile homes in the area took a beating as well.

We are blessed to be safe and warm...

and posting on the blog! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a SUPER day!

and we are SUPER thankful!

(and we all wore Super Mario tees)

Yes, Jare wears a mustache regularly. It's eyeliner.

Michael read LOTR!

We ate a fabulous supper!

(I could only eat a tiny bit because of the whole going

to the ER the night before and having

Pleurisy and all that pain in my torso...Yes, it was crazy.)

Dad smiled.

Jared picked his nose.

(When I told Jare that I had to go to the hospital while

he was sleeping, he said: "oh, you had a

battery up your nose?"...I said no, then he said:

"oh, you have something in your chest?"...he

remembered that grandma went to the doctor

when she had a cough for a while...good memory...)

The kids loved playing the new piano.

Nutcracker date!

2011-11-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

A sweet neighbor of ours gave us 2 tickets for the

Nutcracker Ballet Matinee!

So Hailee and I went this morning!

We had a great time together! I love that little woman!

Halloween Tripping!

2011-11-02T12:21:00.001-06:00

We drove to St. George with Grandpa Shaw on Thursday.

Kara and Grandma Shaw came down on Friday night.

We had so much fun playing hard with cousins!

We did some crafts and laughed!

On Saturday night we went to meet Mary's adoptive family.

They are amazing. We came fully in costume!

We had dinner with them and then went to their ward's trunk-or-treat!

We took a bunch of pics before...but none there...

Kara threw a great costume together last minute!

I suggested a cracked porcelain doll...

she masterminded the huge eyes!

We were a family of ARMY Rangers!
All regulation uniforms, of course!

Mary was the Mad Hatter!

So fun!

Because Alisa's first birthday was on Halloween,

and Kara had to get back home for school on Monday,

we celebrated her birthday on Sunday!

We decorated cupcakes!

(Dad, Dan, Hay, Jare and I stayed home

from church...stomach flu)

Yum!

Alisa got some fun presents and is always smiles!

On Halloween day, Joseph and Izabelle had to go to school.

We came over at 9:30 for the Halloween parade!

After the parade we went to the St. George Temple Visitor Center.

It was wonderful.

Happy Family

After the Temple, we got SQUARE PUMPKINS (happy meals)

at Arctic Circle and went to the park to eat lunch!

Then we played hard!

Halloween night!

We dressed up again!

Went to the Fawson's Trunk-or-treat at their church!

Toadette won our "FAVORITE COSTUME" vote!
So we took a picture of her!

Jared (the sarge...) fell asleep in the car through the trunk or treat.

Then we went to Brad's sisters and went

trick or treating through the neighborhood.

Mom, Mary and Alisa went back to the house.

It was so much fun!

Jared was a real soldier...he kept up with all the

big kids and LOVED trick or treating!

A great trip.
Tears were shed as we left the Fawsons.
(All from Hailee)
Thanks everyone for making our Halloween great!

A trip to the DENTIST!

2011-10-26T08:30:00.001-06:00

Basic cleaning and check-ups at the dentist today!

The kids were so excited, they kept asking

when they would get to go to the dentist!

Unfortunately, we have to go back in 2 weeks for more.

Jared's first time...he really liked parts of it!

and he screamed like a maniac during other parts!

Okay, he was mostly good.

Yay for dental care!

I'm a happy mom!

Pumpkin Patch!

2011-10-25T08:30:00.002-06:00

What a fun night!

We went with our friends to the Pumpkin Patch!

I let Dan, Hay and Jay pick out whatever pumpkin they wanted...

with the condition that they had to be able to carry it!

Ha! The kids picked great and we spent a

whopping $4 on pumpkins.

We came back to our place to carve them!

After a little dinner and some cinnamon rolls...

We carved our pumpkins and lit them up with those

LED flicker candles...love those!

So fun.

Dan was great. We had a couple movies going...

so he wasn't as motivated to carve as Hailee.

We watched the Legend of Sleepy Hollow

and Spookley the square Pumpkin.

Jared wanted a tiny pumpkin, he named it punky.

I told him it was too tiny to carve...

so we should just draw a face on it.

He said "you do it mom, but make him cute."

He loved it!

Hailee was Miss Hilarious as usual!

She was so motivated to carve her pumpkin...

but the slimy guts made her gag.

Repeatedly.

I am so glad she didn't throw up...

but I did catch it on video for Mike...

he likes this kind of stuff.

Here's the video Mike! :)

Happy Halloween week everyone!

Haunted Woods!

2011-10-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

Our neighbors have a great yard that winds down a path

of scrub oak and into the backyard of another neighbor...

every year now, for 4 years they've done the

Haunted Woods Spooky alley for Halloween...

This year. I wanted in.

I asked if I could help.

Mostly because I love Halloween!

It was so much fun! This is the perfect amount of scary for kids!

The last 3 years, at least one of my kids ended up crying.

The neighbor kids already had a pretty great idea of

what they wanted to be and what they wanted to happen.

I had a meeting with them to reign in any out there ideas...

(only one, tying a little girl up in the tree...)

So I changed that a bit to have a giant spider tethered

on a rope that we could lower like a pinata onto unsuspecting travelers.

To make the spider I used 2 black garbage bags...

lots of crumpled newspapers and grocery bags...

and lots of clear packing tape to just tape the thing together.

I used 2 black shoelaces (72") to wrap the

creature and make it suitable for hanging.

legs were rolls of black butcher paper...

taped on...simple!

We hung it in the tree in the background of this pic!

Dressed and ready for scary!

Mad Scientist, Headless horseman,

ghosts, zombies, spiderman,

witches with a brew, dry ice and lots of screaming kids...

And a fabulous lit 'river of death'!

So. Much. Fun!

It was great!

I didn't get pictures once the event started...because

it got dark SO fast! But we had a great night!

At the end we gathered in the backyard of the neighbor

for Halloween cookies, snacks and hot cocoa!

Yay!

2011-10-05T19:16:00.000-06:00

Hailee Potter and the Rainbow

2011-10-02T00:17:00.000-06:00

Firstly, Jared scratched Hailee's head in the

shape of a lightning bolt...so naturally

we've been calling her Hailee Potter...

She also discovered a fantastic rainbow tonight

that only last a few minutes before the downpour...

It was really amazing...

Celebrating Life...one year later!

2011-09-25T08:30:00.009-06:00

Just thinking about life today...as

I recall my brush with death last year.

I am so thankful to be alive.

The kids and I celebrated with some Hot Fudge Sundaes!

{except I think I have a canker sore now!}

Here's Hay...enjoying it...but mostly enjoying

the fact that I am holding a camera at her.

Here's Jare..."I like candy"...

And Dan...focusing.

ya, it was gewd.

Hot Fudge sauce Recipe:
(since I know you all want some)

1/2 cup Butter

1 cup sugar

2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup Milk

Boil in saucepan until reaches SOFT BALL...

Remove from heat.

add 1 tsp vanilla

Stir like a maniac.

Pour over ice cream.

(you can pour onto a platter and let it cool

and then eat by the spoonfuls too!)

My cyborg son.

2011-09-22T01:31:00.001-06:00

It was an extra crazy day!

I was excited since the carpet was dry and the room

didn't stink, thanks to Stephanie Shaw!

So I started to pull the furniture back into the

TV room and set things up.

As I was doing so, my crazy son, Jared started sneezing,

coughing and calling for me from the hall.

When I checked on him, he informed me

that a battery was up his nose.

I FREAKED out!

He has put things up his nose before...oh yes.

But I was all alone...and panicked!

I called Wee Care and they said I should bring him in...

So we hurried over there.

Danny and Hailee sat on either side of Jare and held

his hands so he wouldn't touch his face.

No offense, but the doctor there was NOT

equipped for battery nasal extraction!

They didn't even strap Jared down, so as soon as he got close to

reaching the battery, Jared would move and it would get deeper.

And he cried a lot.

I brought an extra battery so that the doc knew

what he was up against!

(by the pen for size reference, but this thing was thick too!)

Okay, so Wee Care couldn't do it.

They transferred us to the ENT clinic down the street.

(this whole process took hours...here we are in

the waiting room watching Toy Story 3)

Danny told Jared,
"Jare, you're not a robot! You don't run on batteries!"

Ah, the specialized clinic!

They said kids come in all the time with things lodged in them...

but they have never had a repeat offender...

so hopefully Jared will learn his lesson!

Jare loved the rocket chair!

I LOVED the papoose board!

Finally--strap that boy down--

he's 3, he wont hold still for nothing!

Ready to go!

Just by the awesome equipment,

I knew that they knew what they were doing!

Out!...the doctor said,

"That is huge! I don't know how he got it up there!"

And yes, I saved that mooggery battery...

We have yet to see the bill...

I am sure we will save that too, and put it on Jared's tab.

When Jared was born,
I saw his sweet little nose and knew he was a man...
little did I know that that sweet little nose would
cause me so much stress!

Monday...and a graphic picture!

2011-09-19T23:23:00.001-06:00

Today was a wedding shower for

Kara's friend at work, Jyana!

I took the kids to JA City and we partied!

I had good intentions of taking party pictures...

but this was the only one I got and it's not fabulous...

But here is Jare enjoying the bank...

Hay and Dan sat in the cafe and did their

workbooks and reading.

They were really good.

then we helped clean up from the party!

Then we played and played...I helped Kara a tiny bit with some work.

We left around 5:30 and went to the DI.

I forgot the DI closes at 6, so there wasn't much time...

but we still got some treasures!

We went to Thrift Town afterwards and found some good stuff.

(they are mostly gold...) But they are dying to be painted...

Then on a whim, I took the kids to Crown Burger...

it's was 8 and we were hungry!

We had a great family night!

*********Graphic picture***********

Jared had too much and lost it in the parking lot.

like the good mother I am, I took a picture.

Happy Family night!

We came home and went right to bed...

The Everything-in-the-world-happened-in-one-day day!

2011-09-18T09:44:00.000-06:00

Yes. Everything happened yesterday.

Well, not everything.

I had a sore throat on Friday night and got to bed late...1:00 a.m.

I saw every hour of the clock. Also heard an epic thunderstorm.

Woke up at 6:00 to get things ready for the big Yard Sale day.

Yes. my brother and his in-laws were joining the fun

at my house and bringing loads of stuff over to sell.

So, I went into the family room

(in the basement, where we primarily reside)

To find the carpets wet.

soggy wet.

totally wet.

flooded carpets.

filled window well.

filled stair well.

suck.

Worst flood to date.

{yes. this has happened before--

yes. it was supposed to have been resolved.}

I began to move things as fast as possible. Knowing I

couldn't do it myself, I woke up my 9 year old man

of the house and he helped. He put on his boots and bailed water.

Luckily my parents live close, so I called

them and asked them to come help.

Afterall, I had a yard sale to run too!

After sucking up the window well and stairwell,

and vacuuming up 20+ gallons of water off the carpets...

we set out some towels...and little feet to walk on them.

Now we have fans blowing the ever-loving crap out of the carpet.

The stench will be great for days.

So, I blew it. No pics of the yard sale.

I consider it successful, in that I moved everything I wanted to move.

After the yard sale...Hula picnic party!

Super food...was such a blessing I didn't have to

cook in my "non-operational" kitchen!

Here's for today being better!

Little clowns!

2011-09-13T18:13:00.000-06:00

The other day the kids wanted to dress up like clowns...

despite what you may think, I don't have a drawer of

colorful clown hair and foamy noses...

so we improvised with snow hats and makeup!

They are little clowns!

Lego Man Hand...

2011-09-07T21:56:00.000-06:00

So, today Jared was complaining that

something was in his eye.

No kidding. Right in his left

eye in the tear duct area

I could see a little yellowish thing that

looked like a tomato seed.

(made sense, we had tomatoes for lunch!)

But I couldn't flick it out with my fingernail...so

I pried open his eye to find a

Lego man's hand...

Just the hand and the arm part that fits up into the sleeve...

but still, that is a huge object to stick in your eye!

All I can say is WOW.

Jared's 3rd birthday!

2011-09-04T10:17:00.001-06:00

I was going to plan an elaborate GUN party for

Jared...but, took the simple approach.

Afterall, he's 3.

In the morning we decorated his TARGET cake

He knew he was 3!

And let him open one present...

He said "is it a handgun?"

It was a SPACE gun!

He was so excited for his birthday party all day...

and 15 minutes before it started he wiped out on the floor!

I love the drool.

Family came over and we had dinner.

Way too many flies joined us!

Then presents! Jared was thrilled!

He got cookies, glow in the dark bugs and a water gun from Litchfields!

Gerald and Christina got him 6 mini shooter guns!

Which of course turned into a mini backyard battle!

Christina and Gerald admiring their handiwork!

Grandpa joined the fun, and shot Jared in the face!

So grandma helped Jared shoot grandpa...then things were better.

After watching Dr. Who at Litchfield's, we came back and

blew out candles again on Jared's TARGET cake!

(again, notice the simplicity!)

We had so much fun!

Happy Birthday Mr. 3!

Nothin' much...

2011-09-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

We haven't done much this past month...

battling different illnesses and whatnot left us

feeling like we missed all of

August--and the rest of the summer!

But we are back to normal and hoping to get some

fun things in this weekend...Saturday is

Jared's golden birthday--he wants a gun party!

He already has tons of guns, and laid them out on the stairs!

He found some of Hailee's clip on earrings too!

Lots of help in the kitchen!

We are ready to rock September!

We are already formulating Halloween!...of course!

How am I doing?

2011-08-28T17:38:00.001-06:00

***Boring post warning:***

Lots of people have been asking me how I am doing.

I am truly blessed. The Lord is gracious and blessed

me with 3 children to keep myself busy.

I miss Mike enormously.
I try not to cry, but to carry on...like him.

He is doing the hardest thing he's ever done...and so am I!

He can't talk about his training, but he had a little time off

today and wrote me a note on facebook.

Hi Natalie, I wish i could tell you a tale of the epic nature of our training. I can tell you that there have been a few times so far that I was able to have some time alone. I wept because i was so thankful to have

1.survived

2.thankful to be here

3. so thankful to have 3 little kids and a beautiful wife at home praying for me.

I love him and miss him. But I know where he is and what he's doing. I'm good.

Thanks for all the support and prayers!

Litchfield Reunion!

2011-08-22T12:59:00.000-06:00

For 2.5 days in July, the entire Litchfield Family was together!

Mike flew in from Georgia...Janell and Chris drove up from Arizona...

So we hired Jodi to take some professional pictures of us!

The whole family...everyone but Jared smiling!

Siblings...

Grandma and Grandpa...

(Barbara and Kay)

Families in age order:

Ron, Anji, Edith and Maya

Maya and Edith

Mike and Nat

The crazy Shaw family

Daniel, Hailee and Jared

Gerald and Christina

Chris and Janell Waters

Tony

Michael Lange

Jeni Christensen

Grandkids!

Jeeps

2011-08-19T10:38:00.000-06:00

Jared woke up this morning and said,

I had a dream that I saw you mommy and I said

"goodmorning sweetheart"!

So cute.

In action...

2011-08-18T11:00:00.000-06:00

I found this picture of Mike on an Army friends' blog!

Yeah, I love it!

A fair day...

2011-08-17T18:47:00.001-06:00

Today was a fair day...as in, the County Fair!

First booth as you walk in was ARMY!

Sergeant Farnsworth (Mike's recruiter)
was there and we snapped a pic...

as well as plenty of bragging about Mike!

Strolling through the Bunny Barn...

Hailee asked if we could have a bunny.

I think she felt funny after asking because she

finished with "nevermind".

This one was Dan's favorite

This bunny was massive. I want a chocolate bunny that size.

Then a trot through the Hen House...

I think my kids were a little freaked out, but happy to see real

roosters with that red mo-hawk thing...

Then some fabulous FREE pony rides!

So fun!

Even Jared loved this, he occasionally said "ye-haw!"

The kids loved the giant American Eagle with the Hospital booth

A couple of clowns made the kids balloon creations

Hailee had a parrot perched on her shoulder most of the afternoon!

Dan got the high score for the day (4:00pm)...so he

got his name on the board and a high five!

I totally splurged and bought ride tickets for the kids.

They started out on the simple roller coaster...
even Jared was excited to ride.

The ride went around seriously like 20 times...

By the time it stopped, Jared was so upset!

He cried {but later apologized to me for crying}

I understand, it's an adrenaline rush!

Hailee and Danny rode on the Sizzler ride...they

refer to it as the ride 'where they got squished'.

It was so funny to watch! I was seriously laughing my head off!

They went on a Jet ride...but Jared refused
to ride anything after the first one.

On our way out we stopped by the Army tent again.

They had a hummer of sorts out there that the kids could sit in.

And a Sergeant Major standing guard. :)

I let the kids each buy something at a cheap toy tent...

Big surprise, Jared bought a gun.

It was so fun!

Prizes, games, treats, cotton candy, rides, balloons,
heat, water bottles, spinning wheels, raffles, contests...

My only disappointment was that no one had churros for sale.

I would have bought at least 4.

Had to share...

2011-08-15T19:41:00.000-06:00

Saw this on pinterest...I love it.

Love

2011-08-14T12:00:00.002-06:00

I love him, this is just one reason why.

Growing up

2011-08-04T23:04:00.001-06:00

It is one of my favorite milestones as a mother...

The day that my child pukes in the right place!

so, Jared left the dinner table coughing and in a hurry.

I followed him to find him in the bathroom...

he said "don't come in mommy"

{and then proceeded to throw up}

So, I took a picture.

Then I went in and took care of him.

{In his best efforts to throw up in the sink,
he did have an accident and peed all over that stool.}

What a little man.

{still not feeling well at the Shaw household}

Ourventure day!

2011-08-03T18:12:00.000-06:00

We went to Brigham Young Park in SLC for

Hailee's Hula Performance!

It was a company party of somekind...Luau themed!

I've been thinking about Lilly pads lately...

this flower sealed the deal.

A stunning orange dragonfly...

Hailee changed and ready for Tahitian!

Way fun!

Then we met up with Kara and drove clear to

South Jordan to Chik-fil-a for lunch...

she had some free sandwich coupons,

so I think it was worth the drive...

and we might have stopped at the DI in South Jordan on our way back...

just sayin...

Best 2 weeks of the year!

2011-07-28T08:22:00.002-06:00

Friday the 15th:

Because Mike coming home was a surprise to the kids,

I told them to go get their shoes on so

we could go on an adventure ride!

{no questions asked.}

At 8:00 p.m. we drove out on 2-15 headed to the airport.

As we got close we saw a huge airplane taking off...

the kids were thrilled and Dan said "I wish we

could get closer to the airplanes..."

I said we should totally get closer, and go to the airport!

We drove to the park and wait and I called Mike.

He was at the very end of the pick up loop.

We headed that way. The kids and I were just

talking and chatting...I pulled over to the curb.

The kids looked over, saw Mike,

and then continued talking...

It took a few seconds for their brains

to "clue in" to what they saw!

Then we all screamed, cheered, hugged,

jumped up and down!

We got Mike for 2 weeks!

We went to Denny's for some late dinner...

Then got back home to see Gary and Brenda

(who were on a quick weekend errand for their mission)

And Kara!

Saturday the 16th:

Mike woke up early and ran 8 miles...

Kara and I went to some yard sales with

Gary, Brenda and Mike...then we dropped off the

men and continued on for a while!

That afternoon we went to Barnes Park for a picnic dinner and games...

Janell and Chris were here from Arizona too!

Saturday night we were off to Cherry Hill for

Hailee's Hula Performance!

Hailee is such a little star!

Sunday the 17th:

Church was great! Everyone loved seeing Mike!

Afterwards, we got family pictures taken professionally by Jodi!

The whole Litchfield Family here together--it's been years!

{pictures to eventually come}

Monday the 18th:

I had a card party in the morning...

Mike and Michael went hiking up Francis peak {previous post}

That evening we had a huge neighborhood barbeque!

It was great to have lots of friends and family and tons of food!

Tuesday the 19th:

Hang out in the morning...Mike and I went through all the forms.

Mike took Hailee to Piano lessons

and then to Dairy Queen for a date.

We went to see Big John in the afternoon and Steve.

Then hurried back home so Mike could go

mountain biking with Erick Arnell {previous post}

Kara came over and we fried up some tacos!

Wednesday the 20th:

Hang out in the morning...

Mike went to play with the SWAT team on base...

I took Hailee and the kids to Hula.

I finished up some things for Saturday too.

Thursday the 21st:

We had a fire and set up the tent in the backyard!

We slept under the stars. Mike, Jare and I slept

on the tramp until 3 a.m. and then went inside.

Dan and Hay slept the whole night in the tent!

I made the best smore ever.

Friday the 22nd:

Haircuts! Here's the befores:

Mike did the boys with a matching Mohawk!

Jared loved his, Dan...not so much!

I cut Hailee's right where she wanted it!

A simple slight a-line.

We let Jare keep the mohawk for the weekend!

I finished up my projects for Saturday and went and

got some hot & ready pizzas!

We watched a movie and enjoyed the night together!

Saturday the 23rd:

I set up a vendor booth at the Aloha Festival!

It was slower than I expected, but managed to make a profit!

Kara was there with me most of the day.

Family came in the evening for the Hula Performance.

Sunday the 24th: Mike got to say the opening prayer in church.

I taught sharing time...it was crazy!

We shook cream in a jar to make butter and
then ate bread and butter.

It was ~~a little~~ chaotic, but the kids loved it!

After church Mike and I raced to get temple recommends signed!

And made a visit to the Stake Presidents house
to have him finish them off!

We then went to Litchfield's for dinner.

Monday the 25th:

We did not watch the parade.

We had a lazy morning...okay, I did.

Mike went on a 5 mile run with Jerod Jeppson.

That afternoon we drove out to the

Ranger memorial on Antelope Island.

It was a beautiful day.

Happy little wifey

We went to the lake's edge to skip rocks!

Even Hailee was successful!

{Jare was asleep in the car during this portion}

Happy little family

That night we went to the Taste of the Town

event at Layton Park...

It was my first time ever eating lamb!

The kids loved it too!

It was great because Mike and I had lamb,

herbal lemonade and salad...

and the kids got hot dogs and snow cones!

Tuesday the 26th:

Mike went to lunch with John.
We stayed and quickly cleaned up

some parts of the house...Dan went to piano lessons.

That night Mike's old boss Ralph came over for a barbecue.

It was really nice, the weather was perfect!

We made a late night trip to Walmart to get some

things for Mike before he heads home.

Wednesday the 27th:

Mike and I went to the Salt Lake Temple for a session!

It's been a long time since we went to SL. It was so nice!

We came back and started watching Lord of the Rings and ate tons of food.

Then the power went out...I fell asleep on the couch with Jared.

Mike took Hailee to Hula lessons.

When they came back we ate more and continued watching LOTR.

We had popcorn, enchiladas, ice cream with hot fudge,
crackers & hummus...

Yes, definitely a "load" day!

at about 9:30 we stopped and just played for an hour.

Mike played his tin whistle. The kids sang songs. We hugged and cried.

Mike tucked all the kids in bed.

Thursday the 28th:

Mike and I left at 6:00 a.m. and took him to the airport.

I cried on the drive home.

I miss him already.

My Cute Kids

2011-07-21T10:17:00.000-06:00

Jared Loves guns!

Hailee and Danny are so silly

Biking With Erick

2011-07-21T10:13:00.000-06:00

Erick brought me past Morgan to go mountain biking

We rode about 13 miles

I crashed Just in time to look up and see this rainbow.

Thanks Erick!

Rattle Snake Ridge

2011-07-21T09:50:00.000-06:00

Mike here entering my first "Bio Log" on the crazy Shaw Web site.

My Brother Mike & I hiked 11 miles up to Francis Peak to the manliest peak in Utah.

We climbed the ridge

We cut through a lot of brush

Found some snow in July

only a 1000ft of elevation to go

We used a GPS tracker to map our rout.

We found six rattle snakes on the way up!

We were so tired, I've wanted to hike to Francis Peak since our family moved here.

Mission accomplished

Aloha Festival!!!

2011-07-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

Hailee's Hula school Ili O' Polyensia is

having their annual Aloha Festival!

At Layton Park

Saturday July 23rd

9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Vendor booths all day!

I will have a booth there--come check it out!

It's free to walk around and shop all day!

$7 tickets for the evening performances!

$10 tickets for a huge Hawaiian dinner!

Super Mario Brothers Party!!!

2011-06-28T17:04:00.000-06:00

"Best Birthday Party Ever!" said Ryan...
We did have a fantabulous party!

Dan turned 9 last week, and has never really had a "friend"
birthday party...so I insisted this year!
I think I got more into it than he did...

We did the Super Mario Brothers theme!
(loosely based on Mario Bros. 3 for those of you like me)

We had 16 kids come...

They had to go through the obstacle course in
order to earn their Mario mustach...
World 1: Grass Land

Hop across 4 blocks...while carrying a padded sword

World 2: Desert Land
Use padded sword to hit the angry sun...

World 3: Ocean land

Use a rubber band gun and hit target of King Koopa

Then use the "warp zone" to get to world 4!
They carried a balloon through the slip n slide to use in big land.

World 4: Big Land

They popped the balloon they carried on this chair...

World 5: Sky world

They got a straw and a cotton ball and had to blow
the cotton ball across the tramp...

World 6: Ice Land

Reach into the bucket of ice cubes and pull
out a marble to use in Pipe Land!

World 7: Pipe Land

Race the marble through the track...

World 8: Fire Land

Back at Fire Land they roasted hot dogs and
marshmellos for lunch!

They were awarded with mustaches!
Even the girls loved this part!

So. Much. Fun!

We played in the slip n slide...

girls and boys had a little water fight...

We did a fun variety of duck, duck, goose...

we called it goomba, goomba, Koopa!

And when you "tagged" your Koopa, you

got to pour water on their head!

The kids loved it!

The candles didn't light up outside, so we

tried it inside after everyone went home.

Thanks everyone for coming!

It was a blast.

Testimonial story:

When we were setting up for the party, it was slightly

breezy and we worried that the party wouldn't be as fun.

Hailee asked if we could say a prayer. We did.

We took the table cloths off the tables...

kids don't care anyway. And we had a terrific party.

After the kids began to leave the wind picked up and it was very windy.

When we got all the games and festivities cleared up it started raining.

The Lord loves his children, even to allow them a

couple nice hours for a Mario Brothers birthday party!

11 years of bliss!

2011-06-22T00:30:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Little Man!

2011-06-20T02:08:00.000-06:00

How did this little thing...

Turn into this...

suck his thumb...

Be so cute...

Defend galaxies...

Make us laugh...

and become my little man!?

Happy Birthday to my 9 year old man!

Daniel is an amazing person.

He is loving, obedient and smart!

I did something right in my premortal

life to deserve him!

Our EPIC Adventure!!!

2011-06-14T14:12:00.001-06:00

Our Epic Adventure...all worth it for this!

We rented a Prius and drove to Arizona...

{we got an average of 43 mpg}

12 hours plus a gallbladder attack...no biggy.

We made it to Chris and Janell's. Slept there.

Took Janell and drove to Texas the next day.

We stayed in a Super 8 in Van Horn.

Yes, we jumped on the beds.

On Friday while we waited for Mike to get off duty,

we went to the Alamo and did the River Walk!

Hailee was thrilled to see the "3 Amigos"!

Finally--

That afternoon Mike called!

We raced over to Fort Sam Houston to pick him up!

It was like in the movies!

The kids ran with their arms open saying "daddy!"

So priceless! They picked up where we left off...

lots of hugging and snuggling and playing and tickling!

Saturday we went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 3D

Super fun! The kids loved the glasses!

Sunday we went to church on base with Mike!

He led the music and they had a great meeting.

Afterwards they had a lunch!

Jared loved the pupcakes!

On Monday (memorial day) we went to

Sea World San Antonio!

Sea world gives all military 4 free passes per year!

Since we had Janell with us, we just had to pay for 1!

I am good with that!

The kids loved the shows!

They rode the kiddy coasters

And don't worry, Jared warmed up to the carousel.

We watched all the shows, I sat with Dan and Hay in the

splash zone at the shamu show...we got soaked!

Yes, Jared fell asleep on Mike's shoulders...

Lovin' the Penguin encounter!

Because Dan and Hay were tall enough,

I convinced them to ride the 'Steel Eel' with Mike and me.

It's huge! Lots of steep inclines and fast drops!

Here's our before picture:

Here is the after:

Yes, Hailee cried. Dan felt tricked.

(later during the week, Hailee did say this

was her favorite part of the trip)

Daddy bought the kids all Cotton Candy!

I ate tons of it!

Ferris Wheel family pic!

After a couple more evenings of fun,

lots of swimming and playing...

and way too much eating out...

We enjoyed our last night as a family!

We are a Happy Family!

And said our goodbyes...again...

Thursday morning the kids and I and Janell

packed up and headed to St. David.

We stayed with Uncle Dan and Aunt Terry that night.

Saw the old house...which they have been remodeling!

Drove to Tucson to hang out with

Aunt Kris and Uncle Mike for a couple hours

The kids were thrilled with the saguaro cactus!

Then we drove 5 1/2 hours back to Chris and Janell's for the weekend!

We saw a bunny, a frog and lizards at their house!

The Waters Lodge!

yes, the antelope!
Jared loved this thing!
He would sneak around the wall and shoot it with his toy gun.

Chris and Janell are professional Antler hunters

and collectors--these babies are huge!

Chris and Janell took us to the "wash" and

we had a great little evening cookout!

Really, we spent most of the time collecting beautiful rocks!

(which I am going to tumble)

Ahh, the 4 wheeler...

All 2 kids had rides with Janell...

Me too...then she forced me to drive...I was scarified!

Dan and I shot the 22 and Chris got out his big guns!

and conked a rabbit so the kids could keep it's paws...

(yes, this freaks me out too...)

Thanks Chris and Janell, you guys are so much fun!

Thanks for letting us visit!

The trip was long...we drove 3,600+ miles...

We watched a billion movies in the car...

We would have driven 10X as far for all the fun we had!

Ye Renaissance Fair

2011-05-13T18:00:00.002-06:00

My first experience with Medieval times!

I had a blast! I think the kids did too!

It was exactly everything my geekyness desired...

I am after all a Chaotic Neutral Half-Elf Ranger Illusionist!

The kids and I and our friends the Deakins

went to the Renaissance Fair!

As Homeschoolers we all got in for $2,

rather than $8-12 a person...

so totally justified fun!

And yes, of course we dressed up...you do know me--right?

Jared was a halfling, Hailee a princess,

Dean a Jedi (their medieval right?),

Danny a Sorcerer, Namaan a knight...

Angie and I dress up like maidens of somesort!

This guy was by far my favorite:
He was at the entrance of the fair, just talking for all to hear!
Hailee was stoked that he had a satchel...
He told her it was his "possibilities bag"

We like the huge arrow too...

This was the Queen!
She was so cute and spoke so royally to Hailee:
Hello Fair Maiden...where art thou from...
and the whole bit!
Oh yeah, Hailee insisted on lots of pictures!

We met 2 fun fairies! They didn't speak,
but were very animated in their actions!

Next we met Captain Jack Sparrow!
The kids loved him! (okay, maybe I did too)

He was way fun to watch!

Hailee saw this girl in an Astrid costume
and asked for a picture!

Then the Joust!
This guy was the Prince...we cheered for him.
He did end up winning the joust we watched.

Hailee was surprised that there
were real horses and real jousting!

Then she ran over to this little boy
(to totally make his day)
and compliment his chainmaille and axe.

Ahh, finally the joust!

If I would have let him, Jared would
have come home with a kitten.
This was his favorite!

After the joust the kids watched a puppet show--
They LOVED it!

Dan discovered a fire dancer.

(Dan informed me that she wasn't very modest,

but she was putting torches in her mouth)

So we watched her for a while...way cool and freaky.

There was a magician.
There was minstrels playing period music.
There was lots of booths of food and novelties.
I saw some really cool boots on a guy.
One time, I refused to buy something
for Jared and he said "sheesh!"
There was a girl on stilts.
There was a stockade you could try out.
There were belly dancers. We watched for a while.
One did a dance with big pieces of silk material...Hailee loved it!
There was a "fairy and knight" stand.
Hailee decorated wings.
Namaan and Dean decorated swords and shields.
Dan found a cool wood turners shop and
bought a cup and ball toy similar to this

There was some great smelling food and popcorn...
we didn't buy any food though.
I did buy some flavored honey sticks...
like a plastic pixie stick size tube filled with flavored honey.
That may have saved Jared near the end.

There was face painting, jewelry, pony rides and all
things you'd expect at a carnival too!
We loved the atmosphere and the weather was perfect!
Not too hot!
--and it didn't rain!

My 3 boys...

2011-05-13T17:01:00.000-06:00

Well, as a funny surprise the kids all changed

into some of Danny's clothes to

surprise me in the kitchen!

They had silly glasses, and yes,

I called Hailee, "Danny" several

times during the evening!

{tried to post this yesterday, but

something was up with blogger}

Too Funny!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T00:35:00.000-06:00

Oh the joys of motherhood.

The misery...

The nausea...

The discomfort...

are all quickly forgotten when I see this:

and this:

I am so thankful to be the mom!

Happy Mother's day everyone!

All in a days work...

2011-05-04T23:18:00.000-06:00

So, spent some time in the garage

working on a billion projects...here's one.

Jared (2.5 yr. old) came over after riding

on his truck for a while and said,

"mom, I need to take a break!"

I was like, "sure Jare, whatever!"

He went inside...a few minutes passed...

I sent Dan to check on him...apparently, he had gotten into the butter...

and the keys...and I guess he thought

them an okay combination!

Finally Spring!

2011-05-01T20:24:00.000-06:00

It's finally Spring!

(well, it snowed yesterday...so ya never know!)

We got ready for church and did a mini photo shoot...

I got this little getup at a yard sale for Jared yesterday...

he loves wearing a tie like his brother!

Seriously? This was my favorite thing all day!

He struck a pose himself!

Feeling pretty hot-to-trot in his fancy vest!

Sweet Fluffy haired Dan...

really needed some gel today...

oh well, handsome as ever!

Ah yes, Miss Hailee!

We found this Spring dress at the DI!

She love the puffy sleeves!

Her royal photo shoot consisted of over 130 pictures...

Here are 10...in no particular order...

It was a glorious Sabbath day!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:53:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter!

Hailee and I wore matchy dresses to church today!

Mine was 75 cents at the thrift store,

hers was $2 from a yard sale...

way fun!

{although, difficult to get a good picture!}

After church we went to Litchfield's for dinner

and Grandpa's 64th birthday party!

The amazing aunt Christina and uncle Gerald did an

egg hunt for the 5 little kiddos!

Last Thursday we went to a friend's house and had lunch!

Complete with homemade bunny bread!

We did an Easter painting craft...

and dyed eggs!

{This one is mine}

Thanks for looking!

10 minutes...

2011-04-21T23:36:00.001-06:00

A perfect evening...6:45 pm:

Jared asleep on my bed

Hailee watching cartoons

Danny ready for scouts...

I was headed to a meeting,

but had 10 minutes to spare until my ride came...

what did I do?

Yes. I took 129 pictures of myself.

I figured, if I got kidnapped...
or middleagedladynapped...

I would need some up to date up close photo's

to inspire the masses to find me.
zooming through them, I automatically deleted 40 of them...
Mike says that's cheating, but I say
THAT IS WHY WE USE DIGITAL CAMERAS!!!

here are some really choice ones...
(I made them small because I am mildly vain)

zoinks?

Is that what the back of my hair looks like?

There is one stray hair in my MOUTH! Really?

deep in thought...?

Okay, I like this one...you can make up the caption to mock it!

{Feel free to use this as you Laughing spot!}

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-04-20T11:32:00.001-06:00

Jean Edith Sperry Litchfield

Today, April 20th, is my mom's 64th birthday!

Loving her and missing her always.

Everyone that knew her says I look like her...

what do you think?

{I mean, she's crafting in this pic, so
there is definitely a similarity!}

Fabulous meat strips!

2011-04-19T13:51:00.003-06:00

Don't know what to make for dinner?

Try this!

Fabulous Meat Strips:

1/2 C. apple juice

1/2 C. Soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. Oil

1/2 tsp. ginger

2 pounds of lean steak, cut into 1 inch strips

(obviously from the picture mine are bigger than 1"...

just ask your butcher to cut it in strips!

And, I am not a food photographer...

Flank steak works great, but I have used other cuts too!)

Mix all ingredients together and put in zip lock to

marinate for 3-4 hours.

Grill or broil at 475* for about 5-10 minutes

on each side. It cooks fast!

My children love this! Really, what's not to love!???

Also, this works great as a freezer meal!

I make 2 or 3 times the recipe...divide them up into

freezer ziplocks and then freeze them!

They are easy to pull out, slightly defrost and grill!

Hair bows!

2011-04-14T22:58:00.000-06:00

Hailee and I helped out at a Young Women's activity

teaching some simple up-do's!

I had to mimic the Lady Gaga "hair bow"...

which all the young women loved!

It's way simple...

and great for one of those attention getting days!

4 SIMPLE Directions:

#1: Start with a looped ponytail bun with

the tail of the hair toward your face...

#2: Split that bun in half

#3: Pull that "tail" over the top of the split like a bow...

you get the idea...bobby pin in place

#4: Proceed to bobby pin and hairspray the crap out of it!

Pin, tuck and spray all those loose ends.

Pin the "loops of the bow" down on the sides...

(I didn't do this step on myself...but I did on Hailee)

Anyways, a fun step up from just a bun!

Great for those 2nd or 3rd day hair days!

Thanks for looking!

Cleaning made easy!

2011-04-10T12:20:00.000-06:00

Not sure if this classifies as a "sweet deal"

but it saves moolah!

click here for:

Homemade laundry soap

Homemade Dishwasher soap

Cleaning tips

Fools in April

2011-04-07T00:08:00.005-06:00

April Fool's Day!

'Round these parts...it's known as Hailee's Birthday!

Dan and I stayed up super late (1:00 am) decorating

on Thursday night so the room would look

stellar for Hailee's 7th birthday!

And it did!

We made 7 little cakes...and covered the island

with strategically place awesomeness!

Curly straws and mini colorful glasses were the icing on the cake!

We had freaky balloons with faces on them...

And went to Hailee's choice for lunch!

Chuck E Cheese's...

It's the first time they've ever been there!

When Hay was little she called it "Jacky Cheese's"

So that is what we call it today!

As soon as we pulled in the parking lot, a lady
came over and gave us a cup full of tokens!

We thanked her and went inside!

With 160 tokens and a large pizza we were ready for anything!

Hailee was stoked to meet the Rat!

(Jared--not so much--he ran off screaming)

We played and ate and played some more...and came
back to eat more and play some more!

The kids won 770 tickets! They all got fantastically
cheap prizes and were very satisfied!

Jared won the jackpot a couple times and
seriously raked in the tickets!

2 hours, 15 minutes of pure crazy fun!

Back at home we lit up those candles!

Sang and whacked Hay on the head...

After gifts and funness...the doorbell rang!

It was the FAWSON'S!

They hadn't planned on coming up for Conference weekend,

but pulled the best April Fool's joke on us!

We were thrilled!

So we invited Izabelle to go to the princess pajama party

with Hailee and me that night!

I had to stop at the bank to make a quick withdrawl...

unfortunately it turned into an ordeal!

The ATM sucked in my $100...and I had to rush to get

inside the building at 5 minutes to 6 (closing time)

They had me fill out some paper work...blech...

but Izabelle's tooth was loose.

I said she should just pull it out so we
could have a great evening together!

I grabbed my camera out of my bag and filmed this!

We got the money situation handled and hurried to the party!

Ariel, Miss Farmington, was there! Remember this post?

They remembered that it was Hailee's birthday and

had a cupcake and plush ducky waiting for her!

They also had 2 gift baskets as prizes for attending...
out of everyone there...

Izabelle's number was picked first!
We are a lucky bunch of girls!

Hailee took the camera for a while,
and I am so proud of her for

snatching a photo of how they keep those
dang crowns on their heads!

Billions of bobby pins! Thanks Hay!

Alison Bowe and her mom, Melissa were there.

Alison is a participant in this years Miss Farmington Pageant,

and she was the one that gave Hailee the opportunity

to try for the Little Miss Farmington role.

(Alison is on the right)

Ahhh, It was such a fun night!

We (basically I) tied fleece blankets for a safe center.

So much happened, it really was a fun/busy day!

{and the best birthday ever}

April Fool's! (love Jared)

My Soldier!

2011-03-20T11:23:00.002-06:00

I flew to Dallas Fort Worth airport and just

happened to pass this cute little candy shop!

Didn't buy anything, but had to snap a pic!

I flew to Lawton, OK and rented a car...

and drove right to my hotel!

I arrived on Wednesday and wouldn't get to see Mike until Thrusday,
so I called the missionaries...Elder and Sister Elmer...and they came
and picked me up and drove me around town so I
would know where to go the next couple of days!

There were some museums I went to, to kill a little time before

family day started on Thursday just after noon.

They gave me a prize just for going...
and I had to get some stuff for the kids!

these statue guys always freak me out!

At family day we met in a large meeting hall...

3 soldiers were granted their American citizenship for
their commitment and service in the Army...

Finally! I got to see Mike!

We met outside the meeting hall...and it took us a while to find each other!

Ahhh! I was stunned at my lean husband!

So happy to see each other!

Yes, me posing with Mario!

Next day...Friday the 18th was Graduation day!

Mike was the very last soldier...he told me it was
because it was alphabetical order...but "S" isn't the
end of the alphabet! (even I know that!)
So I knew something was slightly odd...

Last the best of all the game!

Mike received the Louis Birtz award
(a leadership award for selfless service)
as well as

Honor Graduate--one of the 4 in the whole battery! (of 169)
He had the stage all to himself...

(Louis Birtz Story goes like this:

On this night A battery had trouble with the lights used as aiming points. The incident that followed is the basis for the regimental motto. Pvt. Louis Birtz took up his station in front of the guns and held lighted matches so that the gun without the aiming point could be properly laid. He continued this all through the barrage, the guns of his own battery firing over him, hostile shells falling around him and the position saturated with gs. The next night Pvt. Birtz was riding back to the echelon on a caisson. He dropped asleep, fell off the caisson, was run over and killed. He was buried with full military honors and Raon 1'' Etape. This action gave birth to the motto

"Per scintillam flamma"

(Through the spark, the flame).)

Mike is the best...oh, you didn't know?

I surprised Mike too!

I arranged with his and our good friends, Rob and Ivy to come

from their home in Texas to see the graduation!

Mike didn't know until he saw them there!

Yay for surprises!

We are so happy and in love!
Here are his 2 award coins!

Here is my Soldier at Golf Battery...

Here are Mike's huge muscles!

(he didn't realize how buff he got until he looked in my hotel mirror!)

This is Ruby, Mike's bunk mate...

The kids were stoked that I came back with

hats and souvenirs for them!

They love their daddy!

My soldier!

Thanks Mike for your hard work and sacrifices!

Did I already tell you that?

2011-03-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

I can tell that I am aging.

When I was pregnant with Jared over 2.5 years ago...

I knew that little boy would be smart! How did I know?, you ask...

because he's yoda!

Okay, not really...it's because I was losing my brains.

I find that since then, my memory has

become the shell of what it used to be.

I had the best memory...I could beat anyone

at a memory game hands down!

But now, I am scared to even

play memory with my kids!

So, I have found myself in conversation saying...

"did I already tell you that?"

in an effort to not repeat my stories to the same people...

you know, like an old lady...

I forget appointments, I forget important days...

I just forget!

Danny and Hailee get their feelings hurt if I say

that I have a bad memory...but it's true!

I have to write everything down...

and then sometimes I will still forget!

So, sorry!

At least my children will be smart and cute!

Hailee's button date night!

2011-03-04T19:48:00.002-07:00

For Hailee's date night last night, she wanted

to learn how to sew buttons on!

She is darling and a great handstitcher...but the

buttons proved to be a tad more difficult!

Click here for the full process!

Awesome Pincushions!

2011-03-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Pincushions!

I love these! They would make a great gift!

I made 12 for a Crafty party I had...these were the party favors!

And yes, they were a HIT!

Click here for the full tutorial!

These are so awesome, they made all my blogs today!

thanks for looking!

I am Frugal!

2011-03-01T21:40:00.005-07:00

-adjective

1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: a frugal manager.

2. entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager; scanty: a frugal meal.

I am VERY frugal! I am! I take after my dad!

My motto: "Use it up, wear it out...make it do or do without!"

So...I did our taxes and we are expecting a load for a return...

my mind went cyber shopping and here are some things I thought I would just love:

{I am totally on a "black and white damask" kick..}

This set of dishes...16 piece for $44.95
(I'd have to get 3 sets right? $150 later...)

Thought some cool bedding would be fun...
maybe too teenagerish for my husband,
but he's gone for a while...
($109.00 for this set)

($55 for this reversible comforter and shams)

So,

after thinking about it, I realized once again, that I am
much too frugal to buy new silly home accessories.
(Really, I mean, the most I have ever spent even on jeans
was $15 and that was in high school...the most floosy time of life!)

Instead the kids and I went to the DI today for some fun!

Check this out!

Birthday, singing and ties!

2011-02-27T23:24:00.001-07:00

Not only was today Mike's 35th birthday...

but Danny, Hailee and I sang in church...

Teach me to walk in the Light

The kids did the first verse, me the second,

and all 3 of us did the third.

The kids were perfect!

I was so nervous! I would much rather

have given a talk than sang!

(my first "solo" ever!)

My voice was very shaky...but some people

do the bravado thing on purpose...so it was fine...

I made my tie skirt back when we still had our MA school...

so that was probably 3 years ago. I saved the skinny ends

of the ties in the hopes that someday I would make

a matching tie skirt for my lovely daughter.

Saturday afternoon my dreams became a reality!

Hailee and I were matchy-matchy girls at church today!

Yay! I get a gazillion compliments every time I wear

this skirt, because it is so awesome!

And the charming boys wore their

matching chainmaille ties, which no one seems

to be able to get enough of...including me!

To top off the day!

We had home teachers come by...since I qualify as a

"single woman" the wife of the home teacher came too...

so it was way fun! They brought treats
for the kids...so the kids love home teachers!

then...

I got a phone call from Mike! Second time in 2 months!

He is doing great! He is super busy and is amazing!
He is still the Platoon Guide and interfaces with all the drill
sergeants...and the soldiers...he says he rarely has time to write.

They are doing the gas chamber tomorrow!
Doesn't that just sound super fun???

He said the weather has been in the 80's...so jealous.

I am really excited to go out and see him in 18 days!
They are heading into Blue phase now...not exactly sure what that means...
Also, he scored a 289 on his PT test...out of 300
...so he's only close to perfect!
And apparently he's lost 12 pounds...

Then Danny went to a baptism for a girl in his primary class...

Then I had a friend, Arleni, and her kiddos over for a simple dinner...

then over to the Litchfield's for dessert...yummy!

Then Gary and Brenda were set apart as full time "on call" missionaries...

Then the littles and I read scriptures...and now they are all dreaming!

Life is good!

Thanks for stopping by!

Danny's date night with mom!

2011-02-22T23:58:00.002-07:00

...I decided that Danny (8) and Hailee (6) should each get

a special night with mom once a week...at least while dad is gone!

The other children have to go to bed at 10...and

they get to stay up until 11 doing something they chose with mom!

We plan Tuesday nights being Danny's night and

Thursday nights being Hailee's night.

So, tonight was Daniel's night.

He wanted to make a patchy looking pillowcase!

Click here to go to my craft blog to READ MORE! :)

As always, thanks for looking!

The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe

2011-02-18T15:54:00.005-07:00

The kids and I just finished all 7 of the Chronicles of Narnia!
It got me thinking about my magical wardrobe...

{Really, check out the sheer majesty and fury of this
magically photoshopped rendition of my
wardrobe...or at least tee shirts!}

And for math today we learned about fractions and pie charts...

So, thought you all would like this pie graph of my tee shirts!
With a total of 67 shirts, this is the breakdown...
{I like me a black shirt...what?}

I am also pleased to report that this magical
photoshopped pile of clothing is my discard pile...
as I no longer fit the grandness of these clothes...

I am a dork, I know...

Thanks for looking!

Eventful day!

2011-02-15T22:18:00.008-07:00

Today was a great day!
Starting backwards!
Hailee was one of 10 girls invited to participate
in the Little Miss Farmington drawing!
(A sweet neighbor of ours is going to be in
the pageant and invited Hailee)
I didn't say much about it to Hailee, because I didn't
want her to be disappointed when she didn't win...
However!
They picked the Little Miss Farmington at the
City Council Meeting, so there was much excitement!
The Mayor drew the names and the current
Miss Farmington was there for
pictures and obviously her looks! :)
She was so nice to all the little girls!
He drew a name for Little Miss Farmington...
and it was...
not Hailee!
But then he picked names for
4 Little Miss Farmington Court attendants,
and Hailee was the second one picked!
She was ecstatic!

Here she is with Miss Farmington, Ariel.

Here are the 5 winners, they all got tiara's!
The Little Miss winner, Lexi, on the far right...

Here is the Mayor, Miss Farmington, and all 10 little girls!
Hailee has seriously good luck! That little blessed woman! :)

Early in the afternoon, Michael returned
home from his mission to Brazil!
He looks fabulous--and like quite the lady killer!
Anyhoo...

We had a huge spread of food ready for the homecoming,
and Christina {and Gerald} made divine truffles!
Don't they look store-bought-awesome!???
They taste that good too! :) Fun night!

Good night!

Thanks for looking!

Valentine's DAY!!!

2011-02-15T21:43:00.005-07:00

Valentine's day was loads of fun!
We had a fabulous lunch of toasted cheese
{with heart cutouts}

Then we decorated the door at the Litchfield's for
Jeni to see when she got home from school!

At night we babysat Edith and Maya
and had little hot dog octopi for dinner!
It was so fun!

It was a great day...I missed my sweetheart but
filled the day with others that I love!
Thanks for looking!