The Lee Crew

Can You Believe It?!?!

2012-02-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

I know, it's been forever, but I finally sort of have a minute to add some new pictures. I wish this was easier! We are doing well finally after having several of us sick. I'm actually happy to say that January and February have flown by. I've kept myself busy with sewing projects and just recently painting projects. I've been planning our trip to Disneyland! We leave on the 25th!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!

As the kids get older I realize just how lucky I am to be a stay at home mom! I am constantly driving them all over the place. We were really busy for awhile with both Madi and Parker in basketball, Madi and Savannah in dance, Madi and Ashley in piano, and let's not forget....Scouts, Activity Days, Young Women's, Preschool....oh, and Ashley has early morning Math, and Parker has after-school reading class too! Madi and Ashley are both starting Volleyball this week and Madi will be trying out for the traveling basketball team. It's not going to slow down for awhile.

I'm still the Activity Day Leader and the pianist in Relief Society. Nate is still the Young Men President. We are busy but happy.

I had to post this picture of Parker because he has watched me sew doll clothes all winter. Well, he must have felt left out because he begged me to make some for him. I let him pick out the material and so I made his doll a pair of Utah Ute pajamas. If think it's sweet. (Don't tell him I told you, he's embarrassed)

Our house is always a party around the holidays. Madi and Ashley begged me to let them have a Valentine's Party. We had 17 girls here! I should have had Savannah and her friend Ellie in the picture too. So.... if you count them and myself, that was 20. Nate and Parker didn't want to have any part of it so they went to the Boat Show in Sandy and then to a BYU basketball instead.

Food

Dancing

More Dancing. I pretty much let them plan all the games. I helped with a few but I pretty much let them do what they wanted. These girls have ideas and know how to have fun. They played hide in go seek in the dark for a good share of the time.

I thought it was cute how most of them wore pink or red!

Crazy!!!!

Parker's talked his dad into buying him Cosmo?!? Which is it guys? BYU or Utah? (look at his p.j.'s!)

Parker shooting the ball.

Getting advice from Dad at half time.

Dribbling.

Madi's team won the Championship game! Madi's #24. I took video and forgot to take more pictures. Dumb. We were so proud of them. She's doing well and scoring every game. She made 6 points in the championship game. That's a lot considering they only score between 12 to 24 points the whole game.

Savannah's enjoying her American Girl Doll, Ella. They were exercising in this picture.

Our yellow playroom was fun, bright, warm and hammered. The pictures don't show it, but these walls were drawn on, had holes in them etc. Our Ace had my favorite Benjamin Moore paint on sale for 75% off and I knew I had to paint.

So here's what it looks like now!!!!! We used mom's Bennington Gray (really tan) and turned it into Parker's new room. He's thrilled to have a bigger bedroom and two closets now!

Here's Parker's old room. He picked out this beautiful blue color for it. But, we decided to let him move into the playroom. Now, I need to decide if I should move Ashley in here (she loves blue and green) and let Savannah have Ashley's pink room or should I use it for my sewing/playroom or do I use Savannah's room upstairs for my sewing room (Savannah sleeps downstairs anyway)? We're still undecided so it may just stay empty for a while.

I kind of like the empty look for now. Anyway, yeah! I posted! Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I sure love you all! Have a great week!

Escalante Trip - Early June

2011-08-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's been too long

2011-07-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

I hate blogging. I actually put these pictures on over two months ago but never finished.

This is the girl's final dance performance in May. they all did such a great job. It was fun that they all were in red this year.

Madi is an amazing dancer. She sure shined that night. We were so proud of Ashley and Savannah too.

Savannah's first trophy! She has antennae because her dance was a "ladybug" dance.

Ashley's sure growing up and did such a great job.

Saying "goodbye" to our old boat. We sure loved it (all of us). We hope these young boys haven't sunk it yet.

Savannah's preschool graduation. She sure loved her teacher, "Miss Paula," and will go to her again next year.

Yipee!

This is what Jonathan got to see when he came home from his mission. Weren't we a great welcoming crew?

This is one happy excited "Mama"!

Darin, Tayna, Heidi, and Tyler.

The moment we've all been waiting for!

The kids were especially excited to see their Uncle Johnny!

The Family

I'll try to be a little more up to date next time.

Birthdays + Baptism = Busy

2011-04-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 8 on April 6, 2011! He was so excited for this birthday because he'd be baptized!

He got lot of presents but his favorite was his Scout shirt. With every present he opened he said, "I hope this is my Scout shirt!" He also loved his new scriptures.

For his birthday, I thought it was cute that he just wanted it to be with his family. Traditionally, I let the kids have a big friend party for the 8th. He's such a sweet boy. He wanted to have an Easter Egg Hunt and dye eggs, so we had Easter a little early this year!

Parker was baptized on April 9, 2011 in Brigham City. We chose to go there since it would be so much closer for all the family and he could be baptized with his cousin Adam. We were so thankful to have so many family members come. I was especially surprised that my brother Nolan, from Washington, could be there. Tori and Brian even hurried home from a trip they were on in Arizona to be there. Thanks FAMILY. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

Grandma Harper embroidered a towel to use on his special day.

Grandma Lee gave the boys each a big candy bar bouquet. It was sure a special day for these boys. It rained and snowed all day, but that didn't matter. The weather cleared by the time we left for Malta to spend the weekend with our parents.

All dressed in white!

I love this picture! It's pretty special to have two sets of great grandparents come to your baptism! The Baxter's and the Crump's.

In our Sunday best after church.

This post is all backwards, but this is Parker's Pinewood Derby. This was the day after his birthday! It was sure a fun busy week for him. He was thrilled to have the winning car for his pack and took second place overall!

He also got the "Best Design" award.

Madison had a big project in her Social Studies class. They are studying the Medieval time period and had a big "Castle Days" where they had to make a castle and then dress up for the day. She got second place "Judges Award" and won a squirt gun and a big bag of Swedish Fish. We had fun doing this project together.

Ashley had a big "I Can Learn" program. She got to sit by one of her BFF's, Macie. This weekend I let Madison have a "Girl's Night Out" party. Parker and Ashley each had a friend over too. Nate was camping with the Scouts so we had to party without him.

(Lucky him!:)

We are sadly saying good-bye to the good old boat. We bought a newer one and will be selling this one (hopefully soon). Call us if you're interested. This boat has been in the family since '92. It was sure a great boat and we had lots of fun memories on it.

Helen turned 60 this year! All her kids except for Jordan (who's serving a mission) came. Tami flew out from Mississippi and Lisa drove from Arizona. We surprised her at Maddox. She was totally surprised.

After the lunch we met at the church in Perry so all the kids could see her too. James also celebrated his birthday.

It was also my Mom and Dad's birthday in February. It starts with Dad's on February 17, Mom's the 19th, and Helen's the 21st. Mom and Dad stopped by on their way back from being in St. George.

The kids always wish they would stay longer.

Dennis, Helen, Scott, Terra, and their kids stayed a night with us on their way to see Lisa and Brian in Arizona. They got to see Madison play basketball.

The kids sure enjoy having people come to visit us. They'll sure be happy to move closer to family someday.

Savannah and her friend Ellie. They love to be twiners, so I made them matching skirts. (They're still good friends, even after the awful haircut).

Savannah at her "Bring a Pet to School Day". This was a funny story. This poor fish. I thought I was being so careful driving it to her school by pouring half the water out and putting it in another bowl just in case it splashed. Well, I stopped (slowly I thought) at a stop sign and everything went crashing up to the front of my van, rocks, water, greenery and a little fish flopping all over my carpet. I about died! I decided I didn't have time to go home, so I scooped up the fish and put it in less than a 1/2 inch of water and drove to her school. I didn't know if the fish would make it. It kept flipping itself out of the water on the rocks. I quickly asked her teacher if I could get some water from her faucet. Luckily, the fish lived and Savannah was so excited to show her fish, but our poor car was a mess and leaking water all over the road!!! Her teacher asked how I got it here without any water and I said that it did have water, it's just all over my car now. Everybody got a pretty good laugh out of that one.

January to February 2011

2011-02-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my 38th birthday by having our good friends, the Graf's come for cake and ice cream. While we were visiting, the kids made a big "Happy Birthday" sign out of cups and plastic plates. They were pretty proud of themselves.

Three Parker's

It's pretty funny that Parker's best friends are both Parker's! They love to play the Wii every chance they can get.

The shirt says it ALL!

Cute Sisters

Parker took "Start Smart Basketball" this winter. He sure loved it.

I helped with Parker's class Valentine Party and Savannah insisted that she had to come. She sure wanted to do everything just like her big brother.

During these cold winter months the kids have been very creative in building forts and playing together. Well, their latest creation was to put all the kitchen chairs together and make themselves a little "treehouse/clubhouse".

They insisted in sleeping there too! That didn't work out though and they all ended up in their beds.

I have to admit that I enjoy the winter months just for the fact that my kids tend to play with each other more. Winter is pretty quiet and peaceful at our house and I enjoy not having an overload of neighbor kids running in and out. I'm almost dreading the warmer weather just because of that. I hope I can control it a bit better this summer.

Sorry about the random post, but I'm bored!

December Part II

2011-01-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2010! We had a great Christmas Eve at home in Richfield. The kids were so excited this year. I love the spirit that feels our home and the love we feel for everyone. This post is overloaded with pictures. I had a hard time cutting them out. I just love Christmas so much!

We always throw out some reindeer food to make sure the reindeer stop at our house!

Parker caught in the act!

Christmas Eve Dinner. It was pretty fancy as you can see.

Remembering the real reason we have Christmas.

Christmas P.J.'s

Savannah loved her new pajamas.

Getting ready to count down before running down the stairs.

Madison was pretty good this year.

Parker was good too.

Telling each other thanks for the presents.

You gotta love this picture! She hasn't changed much in a year.

Nate spoiled me with a new Apple computer!!! I'm loving it!

The kids were thrilled to get a new four wheeler just their size.

Just when we thought Christmas was over, it started all over again when we went to Malta to stay the week with Mom and Dad. We had a wonderful week getting to be everyone but Jill and Jonathan.

Nate was excited for his present!

Savannah loves Grandma.

Ashley, I tried to put as many pictures of you guys as I had. You are beautiful by the way.

The Crump Family Christmas Party. We had a blast playing minute to win it games.

My 87 year old Grandpa still can compete with the rest of us! Amazing!

Savannah and cousin Jordan. They're only days apart believe-it-or-not!

The day after we got there we took our kids skiing with Holly, Kent, and Jack. It was freezing but we all had a great time. We put the kids in lessons and they did awesome. We plan to go skiing many more times!

It snowed like crazy while we were there. It was so beautiful! The kids loved hot tubing and daring each other to run out in the snow.

Another Hot Tub Party!

My brother Nolan, Ashley, Grace, and Thomas

Cute Cousins. Heidi, Savannah, and Jordan

My brother Darin's Birthday. Tayna made everyone a wonderful dinner and pies. He's so lucky to have his party with lots of family around almost every year. Love you, Bro!

The kids loved playing together.

These two look like they're turning into teenagers. Brandon is!

Cousin Jack from California. We sure don't see these guys near enough.

We gotta make gingerbread houses every year.

My cute sister Holly and her handsome little Ryan. I miss you.

The girls loved playing with grandma. They love all her dolls and doll clothes, Little People, and Mall Madness.

This is how we celebrated New Year's Eve. We watched the ball drop. Talked for a while and went to bed before 11:00 p.m.

Happy New Year!

We celebrated the New Year at 10:00! The kid's didn't know. Ha Ha

Thanks family for the wonderful holiday! We sure love you and had a great time being with you.

December Part 1

2011-01-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Ashley's 9th Birthday on November 30, 2010. She's sure growing up and turning into such a beautiful girl. We had planned to have a birthday party with her friends on her birthday, but one of her best friend's also had a party that same day. Ashley, being the peace-maker she is, decided to move her party to the next week! She is amazing. We are so glad she was born in the middle to keep the peace between us. She got a new coat and black boots. She looked so cute! We sure love you Ash!

Parker still loves his big (but little) sister.

Savannah at her dance recital. Her and Ash were so cute and brave!

We went to Temple Square on our way to the Lee Family Christmas Party. All the way there it had been raining pretty hard and we were pretty sad we'd miss going there, but by the time we neared Salt Lake the rain quit! We were so lucky and had one of the warmest, least crowded nights we'd ever had. It was wonderful!

As soon as we were about done it started raining again!

The Lee Cousins

Playing Christmas Bingo

Grandpa and Grandma Lee - We sure enjoyed the Christmas Party and wished we could have spent even longer with everyone. G&G flew to Texas and Mississippi for the holidays.

The kids were sure excited to get their presents from Grandpa and Grandma and their cousins.

I'm posting pictures from our Christmas Parade of Homes only because my family really wanted to see them. So here you go.....

The front room

Dining room and kitchen. I wish I could have turned on all the lights for this picture.

The kitchen window. I loved looking at pictures of Christmas's past while I did the dishes.

I just wrapped a few pine/berry picks around to create the wreath on my chandelier and hung a few glass snowflakes and icicles. I'm leaving this until the snow melts!

The "real" tree in our bedroom.

Savannah's cute room.

I love this new picture wall in the basement. I plan to add many more pictures to this wall as I can afford it.

Madi's room was so cute. The bedspread matched her sheets and pillows so great! Thanks mom!

Ashley's room. Wish this showed her cute tree in the corner.

Parker's cute little room.

The family room with a few borrowed pillows. Sure wish they were mine.

The front room. This looked so pretty with the garland and lights. I added vinyl lettering above the picture that said, "Wise Men Still Seek Him."

This garland above the desk has bells in it that actually play Christmas carols. I had them playing throughout the parade. I had a lot of comments about that.

The upstairs bathroom by Savannah's room.

The basement. I think this room was everyone's favorite. It was definitely the favorite tree in my house.

The downstairs bathroom.

Sure wish you all could have seen it in person. Pictures never show how great it really was.

Finally, Ashley got to have her party! We decorated cupcakes, went bowling, and came home for pizza. The girls played for a while after that. She had a great time!

Sunnie Rae, Macie Lee, Ashley, and Cassidi.

Making sugar cookies and delivering them to neighbors has become one of our family traditions. It's a lot of work!

Savannah's 4th Birthday! She especially liked her Strawberry Shortcake Doll and house and the handmade doll clothes from Grandma. We sure love this little girl. She's so much fun. She makes us all smile. She especially loves me right now and tells me at least a dozen times a day, "Mommy, I love you SO MUCH!" She's loving preschool and dance right now. She thinks she's pretty big right now, but also enjoys being the baby when she wants to be.

Savannah wanted a green cake?!.@ (only because that's what her big sister's like....I think she would have chosen pink). This is as fancy as a get lately - pretty pathetic....I know.

Yes, we do have a boy. Parker had his second grade Christmas program on the biggest snow day of the year. It probably snowed a foot and a half that day. People had to park so far away. His program was in the tabernacle because the school's gym was still not done. The program was great and Parker knew all the songs. Poor Nate had to leave before it was over to manage the flooding down in St. George. Luckily, the dams didn't break.

More Christmas to Come!!!!

Savannah Age 2

2010-11-17T09:16:00.001-08:00

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A Sneak Preview

2010-11-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, our house is going to be in the Richfield Area Christmas Parade of Homes. We show it on December 1 to the committee and then it's open to the public December 3 & 4. I'm excited and have had fun getting a few new things. I keep telling Nate that we'll be able to enjoy all this for years to come. I didn't take pictures of everything yet, but just wanted to let you get a little glimpse.

The three trees we made probably 10 years ago. I'm going to get the book, "The Three Trees," and set it on the end table just in front of these.

Our mantel with our new picture. I need ideas for this. It's too plain. My vision is to get "real" whispy pine bows and drape them down more, add a few ornaments and lights, maybe candles?

The Christmas Village ended up in the office this year. We actually love it here because we spend so much time in here.

Our new tree! I love it!

It's definately a kid tree and has all their old ornaments on it mixed in with the new. In the background you can see the new advent calendar Holly sent us for Christmas. Thanks Holly! We absolutley love it.

Madi's Room. It still needs some work but I'm excited to use the new quilt mom and dad gave us. Her pillows matched perfectly.

Ashley's room. This looks even better at night with the lights on.

Parker's little room and tree. My good neighbor Colleen helped me a ton rearranging his room. It looks great.

A snowflake that used to be brown is now white with glitter.

My old tree updated. I'm still not in love with it. Let me know what it needs. Don't ever buy green ornaments to go on a green tree. They blend in too much.

A closer shot.

Savannah's little tree with the angels I had made when we were first married. They've been sitting in a box for years. I think they're happier now.

A simple snowflake in her window.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

O.K. I know this is terribly late to be posting Halloween, but I thought I should post these before I put my Christmas pictures on.

Our Halloween Party was a blast this year. We had a smaller crowd this year, but it was actually great. We divided up into three groups and went on a digital camera scavenger hunt. We drove around town doing all crazy kinds of things. The most amazing thing we were all able to do was find road kill and have a small service for it! One group even got to sit in a police car!

That's me with the red hair of course! I was the queen of hearts and Nate was the Mad Hatter. We are fitting into a small space here.

Now we are posing as statues. The guy in the back with the knife wasn't one of us.

Our group at the best restaurant in town, "The Rice King Buffet." JK

Beautiful Savannah. She wanted her face painted for her preschool party. I did my best. We didn't have quite the costume to go with it, but hey.

Parker at the cake walk.

Parker and the Mad Hatter

Ashley's class party. I was the party rep and we did the mummy wrap, did the relay where you put vaseline on your nose and pick up cotton balls, and tried to wiggle a cookie from your forehead to your mouth. They also did Bingo and decorate cookies.

Savannah's preschool teacher, "Miss Paula."

Parker and Madi playing games at the Haunted Forest at the Fremont Indian State Park. Our kids love this place. It's the second year we have gone here now. They get more candy here than they do trick or treating. Parker and Savannah won cookies too. They also have a pumpkin decorating contest and a haunted hay ride. They also have chili and caramel apples for sale.

Savannah's dance class party. I think she wore about four different costumes this year. She's the little one with the red polka dot dress and big red bow. They performed a cute little dance to a Halloween song for all the moms.

Savannah and Parker at the Haunted Forest. Now she's a unicorn. Ha ha

More party animals from our party. (Can't you move these pictures any more!) The couple in the yellow shirt came dressed as, "Nate and Jenny Lee." Pretty clever I must say. Wish we had the pictures from the third group. They were hilarious.

O.K., I'm done! Now I can feel better about giving you a sneak preview of our house for the Christmas Home Show!

Christmas Memories

2010-11-10T20:03:00.001-08:00

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2010-07-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe I'm going to blog again. I'm reminded why I don't like to do it. All my pictures come up backwards and with huge spaces in between that I have to delete. I can't cut and paste. I think I need a lesson.

I'm so far behind I'll never catch up, so I thought I'd just start with our two big events in July. The Gary & Susy Harper and Dennis & Helen Lee Family Reunions. We were so lucky to be in charge of both of them this year. Ha Ha! No really, it was nice because we almost duplicated them. Our two big activities were going to the Raft River Steadman Slide and then to my parents new house on the river. They were both a big hit and we couldn't have been happier with how they turned out. Our families are awesome. Everyone got along so well. Many of us live far away from each other so it's always so great when we can spend time with the family.

These pictures are all out of order and mixed. Sorry I'm not the best blogger. If anyone wants to share some pointers, please help.

Dawson, Braden, & Madi at the Steadman Slide

Dennis and Helen - We tie-dyed shirts at the Lee Reunion. It was a lot of fun to see how different they all turned out.

The Lee Family gets bigger every year. Two more baby girls our on the way.

Angie, Paecen, Terra, & Tanner riding the tube.

The zip-line at the slide.

Dad, mom, Savannah, Madi, Me, Ashley, Nate, and Parker

Lunch with the Lee Family

Another picture of the Lee Group

Ashley, Tyler, Tayna, Nolan, Holly, and Jill at the River House. Nolan made the rock wall! They did some amazing landscaping this spring/summer. It's so beautiful! Everyone loved it.

Brandon, Madi, and Kyle. These kids loved to jet ski. It's hard to believe they're old enough just to go off on their own now!

Madi's 11th Birthday! We were lucky enough to come home for her birthday. It was Richfield's big Fourth of July celebration that day. It started off with a parade, games in the park, lunch at the Chinese place, diving for money at the pool, a movie at our newly remodeled theater, little fireworks at home and big one's at the city! She had a great day!

Our Hawaiian Luau with the Harper's. This was about our only meal eating outside. It was pretty cold and windy for most of this reunion. We still had tons of fun though.

Part of our talent show was seeing who could stand on their head the longest! Our Madi Mouse won!

My cute mom and dad. They worked so hard to make their place look amazing. I really admire their work ethic and sticktuitiveness! Thanks so much for making such a beautiful place for our families to enjoy!

We went to the Twin Falls Temple one night and out to eat. It was great! We love the temple and being together without the kids sometimes too!

I have hundreds more pictures I could share but it takes too long to put them on here. I just want our families to know how much we love them. You are all wonderful amazing people. Thanks for making these reunions so memorable! We love you all!

D.C.

2010-01-25T14:12:00.001-08:00

Washington D. C. - January 9 -16, 2010

After at least five years, Nathan and I were able to leave our kids for more than one night! We were fortunate to have my mom and dad come to our home and tend them! The kids were thrilled and so were we. I guess we all needed a break from each other.

We flew out of Salt Lake and had a short layover in Denver. I was able to read the fifth and sixth books in the "Great and Terrible" series while we were gone. When I have time, I love to read! It really brings me a lot of satisfaction. I just started Dan Brown's, "The Lost Symbol." I wish I could have read it in D.C. because that's where it takes place.

We got to go to D.C. because Nathan had a TRB Conference there. He attended this conference two years ago and told me I had to come this time. I wasn't too sure about leaving the kids but when mom and dad said they could tend I was all on board.

Our plane and the airport in Denver.

We stayed at the Hilton near DuPoint Circle, downtown D.C. It was just newly remodeled in my favorite colors of blue and browns. Because Nate is a Hilton honors member, we got to stay on the executive floor where they had breakfast, an open bar and snacks all day.

Our first day in D.C. was a Sunday so we rode the Metro to church. On our way there we met another couple from Utah who had in D.C. were attending the same conference. They were sweet and led us the rest of the way to the church which used to be an old Safeway. It was sure a small building and folding chairs were used in the chapel.

After church we walked to the "Mall" which is the big area where the capitol, most of the Smithsonian's, and monuments are. We went through two of my favorites, the Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of American History.

This is in the beautiful National Gallery of Art West building. I later realized this is where much of the "Night at the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian," was filmed.

Natural History Museum

Of all the museums, I would say kids would enjoy this one the most.

Natural History Museum
The animals here were all stuffed and quite fascinating.

Nate in the Museum of American History. This is in the transportation part - very fitting for Nate's profession.

Nate with the big Tyrannosaurus Rex behind him.

Me in front of the Natural History Museum.

I loved looking at all the beautiful jewels. Many belonged to kings and queens.

Natural History Museum

Julia Child's Kitchen! - American History Museum

Going down, down, down, down into the metro. Wow! The metro was a whole new world to me. It was scary, exhilarating, and fun all at the same time. At first I was so nervous and worried I would get lost or mugged, but after a couple rides alone I felt safe and sure of myself.

The famous Air and Space Museum.

One day Nate was able to take a break and we rode the metro to Arlington National Cemetery. This is the big Colosseum right behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I felt like I was in Rome.

We watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was a very solemn experience. It's amazing they keep this guard up 24 hours a day 365 days a year no matter rain, snow, blizzard, hail, etc. It was bitter cold (bone chilling with the humidity) the day we were there. I really hoped their uniforms were warmer than my coat!

On my last day alone, I treated myself to Madame Tussaurd's Wax Museum. I really enjoyed it! They were so life-like it scared me at first because I thought they'd all the sudden come to life. They created them to their exact measurements, so it was fun to see how tall or short past presidents, movie stars, athletes, singers, etc. were in comparison to me.

The Obama's. They're really tall!

Jennifer Lopez. I was surprised at how tiny and short she really is.

The atrium of the National Gallery of Art Building. I sat in here and ate my lunch one day.

Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were in the Gallery of Art Museum. I really enjoyed looking at art. It's so amazing and beautiful.

A view from the Old Post Office building. From here I finally understood why they call this area the Federal Triangle!

The amazing Capitol Building. We took a tour of it just before we flew home. Nathan was able to line it up through Utah's Senator, Bob Bennett's office.

An awesome view from the new visitor's center built below the ground.

The amazing artwork painted around the dome.

The painting on the ceiling of the dome.

Because of their weight, this statue and many others have been moved into the new visitor's center. They were causing too much stress on the floor.

The Old Post Office Building

My favorite.

The Washington Monument

After being on my feet all day, Nate and three of his co-workers met me at the center of the mall around 6:00 p.m. We took a "long" walk to see all the famous monuments at night. It was wonderful but I was freezing cold, hungry, and my legs had had it. I had painful shin splints during most of our trip. I really enjoyed seeing these amazing monuments and loved the personal tour we had of F.D.R.'s. We took the metro back to DuPoint and finally had dinner around 8:30 - 9:00. I was exhausted.

Nate and I really enjoyed this trip and our time away from the kids. I learned so much and have a greater desire now to learn more about American history. It was so good for me and helped me realize I'm still capable of learning and doing things on my own. I feel revitalized and ready now to set and keep some goals I've been wanting to make for a very long time. I loved this city and have a greater appreciation for our past presidents and all the men and women who fought and gave their lives for our freedom we now enjoy.

Thank you Nathan for taking me on this trip and believing in me.

Thanks mom and dad for making such a big sacrifice to take such good care of our kids.

My Baby Turned 3!

2010-01-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

Savannah was born December 19, 2006

Savannah on her 1st Birthday

Savannah on her 2nd Birthday

Savannah on her 3rd Birthday!

I know I'm way behind on my blogging but better late than never. I had to do a special post about my baby girl! Savannah's birthday was very low-key because we were still in recovery mode after our trip to Hawaii. Madison got her dressed up in a cute dress and sweater, did her hair, and MAKEUP (she thought she was old enough I guess). We started the day out with presents and cake! She was thrilled with the princess shoes G&G Harper gave her. She got a book and lots of clothes from us and a playdough set from G&G Lee.

Wow! I sure love this little girl. I never want her to grow up. She is so sweet, cute, funny, smiley, loveable, smart, silly, kissable, etc. We all love her so much. Our family wouldn't have been complete without her. I'm so glad that she and I get to spend so much time together. I have two more years with her before she goes to school. I'm afraid that's going to come too fast. She is my little buddy and I regard her as one of my best friends. I love you Savannah!

My favorite picture of her. She makes this face quite often!

Savannah and Cousin Heidi

Grandma Harper

Grandma Lee

MELE KALIKIMAKA!!!!

2009-12-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

Mele Kalikimaka or Merry Christmas!

We just got back from Hawaii! It was our biggest Christmas present ever! We left on December 10 and got back December 16. We wish we could have stayed longer but airline tickets were a lot more after the 16th. We flew nonstop from Las Vegas to Honolulu. I was really worried about flying with four children (especially with Savannah) but they did quite well. It their first time flying so it was pretty exciting for them.

Nate and I love Hawaii. I've been there four times now and this was Nate's third. We have special memories of Hawaii because ten years ago we adopted our first daughter, Madison Kulia, there! We have wanted to take her back to her birth place for years. For some reason, the timing just felt right this year. We have a special relationship with Madi's birth grandparents. They visit us at least once a year and have asked us to come to Hawaii for years. Their wish finally came true! We love this special family so much. They showed us so much love and kindness while we were there. We truly enjoyed every moment we had with them. Madison seemed to bond magically to all of her Hawaiian cousins. Ashley, Parker, and Savannah did too!

OHHH! The sand!!! I loved the fine warm sand of Hawaii. I'd love to be back there right now! When we left Richfield, it was -10 F. Hawaii was in the upper 70's to 80's the entire time we were there. I think it rained 10 drops. It was PARADISE!!! My favorite things about Hawaii are the people, the weather, the smell of flowers everywhere, the sound of the ocean, sunsets, and definately snorkeling!

We went to the Hawaii temple visitor center after church and took lots of family pictures with our adopted Hawaiian family.

There are six siblings in their family. They are all married and have kids.

Lots of beautiful Hawaiian Babies!

Our Hawaiian Beauty!

We can't believe that ten years have passed by so quickly and that Madison is so grown up! We feel this vacation was important to her to know where she was born, learn more about Hawaii's culture, and feel first-hand the love and support of her birth family.

Sunset Beach!

Our Hawaiian Grandparents!
Look at that white boy playing Rugby!
We went to a park in Laie on Saturday and had a big picnic, played at the beach, played Rugby, etc. The had a big blow up toy the kids played on too. It was a great day!

Savannah's catching a wave.

The kids ready to go to the Polynesian Culture Center.

Thanks Grandpa for this special day!

We sure had fun trying to learn the hula and other arts at the PCC.

Sweet Savannah! She seemed so grown up trying all these things.

A beautiful waterfall.

Hawaii's Christmas lights! The pictures never do it justice. Their lights were so beautiful on these big palm trees. It was a neat feeling being there during Christmas.

At the luau. We had such a great time! The food and entertainment were spectacular. I loved their new show, "The Breath of Life." It was so amazing! It had me in tears.

The pool by our condo. The kids loved it.

Hawaiian cousins at the luau.

Parker was so tired by the end of the night. It didn't make him any happier to be the lei holder.

The beautiful beach by our condo at Turtle Bay.

Nate and Savannah.

Ashley Baby.

Madi Baby.

Parker Baby.

Savannah's little footprint.

Wow! We loved this vacation. It was truly a trip of a lifetime.

This is only a few of the 300+ pictures we took, so I may have to do another post later.

Look Who's Turning 8!

2009-11-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

We are so excited Ashley's turning 8 on November 30! She has been counting down the days for at least a year now. It will be a great day when I don't have to figure out how many more days are left! She is such a fun, sweet, spunky, and happy girl. She's got a big spirit in a tiny little body. We feel so lucky to have her as part of our family. We are excited she has chosen to be baptized. She was so cute in her interview with the bishop. She told him jokes and knew all the answers to his questions. She's ready!

A few weeks ago I took Madi and Ashley to Provo for a fun 'Girls Day Out!' We started out at Claire's where Ashley got her ears pierced! She was so brave and didn't hardly flinch. We then had her pictures taken at JCPenney's. They were great! She looked so beautiful. We shopped, went to lunch, and then finished the day with a movie. We had a great time together!

I Love You ASHLEY!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween! From our big adult party, ward party, class parties, to trick treating, we were busy but had a blast. It's my second favorite holiday. Savannah dressed as Minnie Mouse or Snow White depending on the moment, Ashley was a witch, Parker was a Star Wars clone, and Madi was a Vampire Lady. I was a Vampire Vixen and Nate was a colonial pirate. Nate does the outdoor decorations and I do the indoor.

Sorry about all the pictures, I didn't know when to stop!

The Lee Halloween Party 2009

The Party HostsLet the Party Begin!Our Sexy Drink Mixers! My friend Julie and her husband We partied inside. . . . . .and outside . . . . The Bentley's - they provided the tall guy and most of the outdoor decorations.

Doug & Britney
Larson's

Landen's

Krueger's

Baldwin's

The Jensen'sThe Christensen's

The Niemann's

The Larsen Sisters

The Jewkes

The Graf's

Kirschner's

Wabel's

Rappleye's

Riddle's

Our games were a big hit this year. First we played, "I Have Never Ever." Everyone takes the number of beans as you have guests, then you start by saying one thing you have never done. I said, "I have never been arrested." Everyone that had been arrested had to get up and put a bean in the bucket. You go around doing this. It was hilarious and very interesting.

We then played "Who, What, and Where." First you send three people out of the room. As a group you decide what the "who, what and where" will be. Everyone needs to be prepared to act each one out (no words are allowed). You invite the first person in and he/she asks three people at random to act each thing out. The second person is called in and the first person acts out what they saw or what they think the three things are. The third person is invited in and the second person acts them out. The third person then guesses what the three things are. We did Elvis, Las Vegas, and a diaper. It was a riot watching people act out putting a diaper on their spouse.

The last game was called "The Best Game." We divided the group into four teams and gave them a paper. They had to choose which person could be the best at each task. The catergories were: The Best Limbo Dancer

The Best bubble gum blower

The Longest standing long jump

The Best Stupid Human Trick

The Strongest Thumb in a thumb war

The Longest Distance Flown from a paper airplane

Everyone really got into it.

The Limbo

The Thumb War

The Long Jump

The Bubble Blowers

The Best Stupid Human Trick!!!

Lexa Larsen!!!!

To say the least, we had a great party! We were so excited so many people came. We have a lot of good friends here and we love getting to know people more. We feel this party helps a lot!!! So until next year. . . Party on Dudes!!!!

Halloween's Coming!

2009-10-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

So, most of you know how much I love Fall and Halloween. Well, I'm so glad that it's coming! I'm gearing up for the 2nd Annual Richfield Halloween Party!!! Last year was a riot and we had so many come. I'm hoping this year will be just as great if not better. I really look forward to this even though it's a lot of work. There's something about getting all dressed up and acting different than I usually act that really makes me happy. I love to bring people together and entertain. I always look forward to seeing the costumes people choose and watching them act so crazy. It brings out such a different side of people. I too feel that it brings us closer together as friends and as a ward.

This year I'm proud to say we grew our own pumpkins! First time ever! The kids loved watching them grow and loved getting to harvest them.

This year's party invitation!

I guess you could say I made a whole graveyard full.

Creepy Cats! I made these thanks to Martha Stewart

The new Fall/Halloween Rag quilt I just finished! I wasn't sure if I like it at first but I do now. Boy, I'm glad it's done!

Parker and I got to go on his 1st Grade Field Trip to Maple Grove. It was beautiful up there with all the Fall colors.

Conference Weekend we met Nate's family at his sister Tara's house. We had lunch together and then went to Hill Airforce Base. It was great to see them again. Nate's mom flew to Mississippi to see Tami and her baby the next day. This is boy #3 for her!

We spent the weekend watching conference in Malta with my parents. The kids were actually pretty good because they all got quite sick.

Madi, Nate and I watching conference. We had a great weekend inspite of all the sick people. We love to spend time with Darin, Tayna and his family too. We always wish we could live a little closer to home. Thanks everyone for the great weekend.

Savannah and her best friend Elle. They love to play dress-up and dance. Between the two of them, I think they own every Disney princess costume!

Happy Fall Everyone!

LAKE POWELL 2009

2009-09-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

WOW! I know it has been forever since I posted. We had a great summer! It was very busy and I wish would have posted all of it. We sure enjoyed our family reunions and trips together.

Lake Powell was our final getaway for the summer. We took the kids out of school two days, but it was worth it! We chose to go to Wahweap Marina this year because most people around here go there. I loved it but probably prefer the scenery of Bull Frog. These pictures are out of order, but we stayed in Kanab the first night. I loved it! We stayed in an old but remodeled Best Western. For some reason it felt so reminicent of my childhood. I loved the outdoor pool and hot tub. I loved the little town and the beautiful red rock mesas all around. Many old movies were filmed there and I loved thinking about them and going to a really cool museum with the props and scenery from the movies.

The day we got to Lake Powell we decided to have lunch in Page and go on a tour of Bryce Canyon Dam and take a little hike to Horseshoe Bend overlook. We checked in at the Lake Powell Resort (not a house boat) and took the kids swimming at the pool. This all felt so different than our past trips. This was the first time I have ever taken kids to Lake Powell and I must admit I was very nervous. We had a great time and I loved being able to have a good shower and sleep in a nice air-conditioned room. I did miss the house boat feeling though.

Well, here's a ton of pictures. Hope you enjoy!

This is what most of the rocks look like there.

The view from our hotel room

Wouldn't you love to have her tan?

This was on our last day after a fun filled day out on the water.

We drove the boat over to Antelope Marina. It was sure a cool place.

The kids loved playing in this big swimming area and getting ice cream at the store.

The Sand Hill - Probably, the best sand and swimming spot there.

It's huge! It's quite a hike to the top. The kids loved running and rolling down it.

Nate's getting good on the wakeboard

Parker and Nate. The Dam is right in front of us.

I still can do it!

Madi's Skiing! We bribed all three of them to do it so they could get a souvenier.

Nate & Savannah on our walk to the pool. Beautiful!

Antelope Canyon was breathtaking.

Savannah's favorite activity! The sand was so fine!

Horseshoe Bend Overlook

This one's for mom.

Our four cute kids!

Another one for mom!

Hopefully we'll never see him behind bars.

We loved this place in Kanab.

My favorite picture of Savy right now!
This is about the only picture of me on this trip so I had to put it in here.

A cute little cabin used in Disney movies.

The cool hot tub and pool in Kanab

Special Moments

2009-06-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks of school were so busy! I tried to make it to at least one activity for each of the kids. I went to Ashley's Field Day, Parker's Graduation, and Madison's Field Trip in Filmore. I also made it to Madison's fourth grade program and Parker's kindergarten program (Ashlely's was earlier in the year). Somehow we were able to visit our mom's for Mother's Day and go to my brother, Jonathan's, missionary farewell.

Ashley and her friend and neighbor Parker. They were fast and won the three-legged race!

Parker and Nate after his kindergarten graduation. He and his class all met their goals and were above grade level on their tests. It was amazing to see how much he learned in one year!

Madi and I at her field trip in Filmore. In fourth grade they learned all about Utah's history. It was fun for me because I learned Idaho's history as a kid. We did her report on Box Elder County because we have so many memories and family who were born there and live there still. The capitol of Utah was originally located in Filmore because it was central to all of Utah. They realized soon after they built it that they'd made a mistake and chose to relocate it in Salt Lake were it is today. I think they made a wise decision don't you?

My cute brother Jonathan and Parker the weekend of his farewell. I think Parker looks a lot like him. We will sure miss him but are so excited he is serving a mission in Toronto Canada!
My parents were able to come down to see the girls in their dance recital. I was so glad because Nate was out of town and we have no other family down here. They were able to come because they had taken Jonathan to the MTC earlier that day and we're just two hours from here.
The kids were so happy to have them come and stay a night with us.

Ashley looked so sweet in her pretty pink costume.

Madison looked so grown up and beautiful in her white costume.

Happy Mother's Day to Helen!

Happy Mother's Day to Mom and my grandma Harper!

School's Out for Summer!!!

2009-06-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

O.K., life has been busy and I haven't posted for awhile. The last few weeks of school were so busy and then I've been working hard on getting ready for Girl's Camp that starts next Wednesday. I've had family say they wanted to see what we've done to our backyard (I think this was in April), so here you go!

I've had this vision soon after we moved here that I wanted to tear the grass out along our brick wall and put a giant sandbox in. Well, with a little persuasion, hard work and some money I got my wish! It was a giant project but we did it! It's amazing what you can do if you just put your mind to it. This picture is after we pulled all the grass out and Nate scooped at least a hundred buckets of dirt out. We rented a sod cutter and decided to replace a big patch of bad grass with the good grass, so that was even more work.

Luckily my cousin Scott lives nearby and we borrowed his tractor. This is Nate putting the sand in.The finished project!!! The kids have spent hours and hours in here. They love to dig and make lakes and streams (our water bill is going to be high). They still love the swing set. We definitely have the party house in the neighborhood and get tons of kids over here at times. We go through tons of Popsicles and dirty little feet running through the house but I'd rather have my kids home than anywhere else. I've had to make a rule that no one can come until 10:00 a.m. I'm trying hard to have the kids get jobs done, read and do some workbooks in the morning. I just got the book, "The Tale of Despareaux," to read to the kids this summer. The kid's on their last day of school. I'm excited to have them home, especially Savannah!

This is just another day in my backyard. I think I have 8 kids out there right now!

I had to post these pictures of Parker and Ashley. They are both missing their two front teeth right now! It's pretty cute to see their toothless grins. Ashley's missing her two top teeth and Parker his bottom. We've taken the boat out already! The kids love to go fishing and we caught a bunch on Piute Reservoir on a stormy day. The sky would thunder, the wind would come, the rain would pour, and the fish would bite! It was quite an adventure!

Parker lost both his teeth at the same time one day in church. He must have been pretty bored to pull two teeth out!

Who Is Your Vote???

2009-05-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Adam or Kris?

I have absolutely loved American Idol this season. There has been so much talent! I luckily have a DVR so I can watch it after Young Womens. I have looked forward to it every week and will be sad when it's over. I don't know about you, but I think America has voted 'right on' this year! I really liked Danny and thought he was my fav, but in the last couple weeks my opinion has changed. I won't tell you who I'm voting for quite yet because I want to hear your vote! Nate and I both loved Allison and think she'll be amazing in years to come. We also hope Danny will go on to do great things.

So. . . . who's it going to be? The baby face, sweet, quiet and ever so talented Kris?

The wild, amazing, gay?, rock star who can sing any note Adam?

Who do you LOVE?

Family & Friends

2009-04-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

I'm making this post today because I feel so much love in my heart today for my family and our friends. I don't know if I'm feeling lonely or what, but I just realize how grateful I am to have such a great family (both sides) and so many friends (past & present). You all mean so much to me! I'm sorry for the times I may have hurt or offended any of you. I'm very human and am trying to be better. Thanks for still loving me anyway. I love and appreciate you all.

We were so excited that Nathan's parents and grandparents came to visit us back in March. We really enjoy having people come and see us down here in the middle of nowhere. We had a great visit with them. The kids enjoyed riding the four wheeler with their grandpa's and Ashley got to read a whole bunch of books with grandma. She works with kids Ashley's age all day at the elementary school in Malta, Idaho, so she really knows how to help. I wish I could have her help everyday. It's hard to get all the reading time you're suppose to with each kid. I love this picture! We're so lucky our kids still have their great grandparents. I wanted to get all the kids in this picture but they had to leave for school too early.

We had Great Grandma and Grandpa sleep in our bed and little Savannah thinks it's her bed too. She snuggled right in with them and feel asleep. I thought that was so sweet. I love the smile on Grandpa Baxter's face!

We love our new friends Jill and Brady Larson and their kids, Leah, Daniel, and Jonah. We went up a hill just a half mile or so from our house and hid eggs along a trail leading to a cave where we had hid more eggs. The kids loved it! It was so beautiful up there. We also rolled our Easter eggs down the hill. All ready for the Easter Egg Hunt. Our kids match up in ages quite well!

I love this picture of my little sister Jill and her sweet baby Taylor. She lives in Ohio, way too far! I got to see her when we all went to the temple together. I miss all my siblings very much. I love them all and always hope that someday we can live closer to each other. Holly lives in California, Nolan's in Washington, and Jonathan will soon be serving his mission in Toronto Canada. Darin is the only one who obeyed mom's wish of living no more than two hours away. He built his house just 200 yards away.

My family! Me, Darin, Holly, Dad, Mom, Nolan, Jill, and Jonathan.
My brother Darin and his sweet wife, Tayna, by the Twin Falls Temple.

I caught my dad playing the guitar and singing a cute song he made up to Heidi and Savannah. He's so cute! Watch this!

Spring Break!

2009-04-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

The kids were out of school for Spring Break and we wanted to do something that didn't require a lot of travel (since we get plenty of that). We decided to explore a place nearby called the San Rafael Swell. We really enjoy seeing beautiful places that are practically in our backyards - no matter where we live. We packed a lunch and loaded up in the truck because we'd be off-roading it for quite a while. I grabbed a good book and we were off, until we realized we didn't have the camera. Of course we had to come back!

Nate had found a really cool guided tour book with a map that helped us find all the cool things along the way. It was a great book.

Our first stop had us hiking down into a canyon at Rochester Creek where we found this cool wall that had Indian petroglphs on it. It was really quite fascinating and made me yearning to learn more about them and what the pictures mean.

Our favorite wall at Rochester Creek.
Nate and Savy
Madi liked to scare us by getting close to edges.

Our second stop was the small town of Castle Dale. They had a really nice museum there with dinosaurs and lots of indian artifacts. The kids sweet talked their dad into buying them bags of pretty rocks and Parker got a 3D post card of a dinosaur. We also went to a great Pioneer Museum with lots cool old things. Ashley loved it and said that it was her favorite part of the trip.

These walls sure reminded us of Lake Powell.

My baby is sure growing up.

Our little family.

This was a beautiful place called the "Little Grand Canyon".
We ate our lunch over-looking this beautiful canyon and Savannah got to take a nap. Wow!

One of our favorite stops was searching for this dinosaur track.

Another really cool Indian petroglyph at Buckhorn Wash.

Overall, it was a great day and we were glad we went. Sometimes these little day trips that don't cost much money are just as fun as the long expensive ones are!

6 on April 6th!

2009-04-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 6th Birthday Parker Nathan Lee!

I normally throw a big birthday party for my kids when they turn 5 and 8, but Parker got his party a year later because life was crazy when he turned five. We were preparing to move from South Weber to Richfield. I'm so glad we waited. Parker has changed so much in this past year. When we moved I was so worried for him. He was extremely shy and quiet and didn't have too many friends except for a few cute boys in our ward. He was Ashley's little shadow for so long. I don't think he got to say much because she said everything for him. He did everything she did. NOW, he's his own little person! I'm so happy! He's acting like a real boy! He's loud, he's tough, he's full of energy, and he has lots of friends.

Parker is such a special boy. I have a real soft spot in my heart for him. He really is a great kid and can be so sweet. He is obedient and helpful (when he wants to be). He is doing really well in school which I'm so excited about. He qualified for all-day kindergarten here which has been a huge blessing. He went from only knowing a few letters to reading quite well now. I'm so impressed how he will bring his book to and from school everyday without having me remind him. He's been so excited about it. He loves his two teachers which really helps. Parker just started a tumbling class and has almost got his cartwheel down.

Parker's Favorite Things:

Food: Chicken Nuggets

Color: Blue

Toys: Skateboards & Cars

Movie: Monster's vs. Aliens

Vacation: California

Restaraunt: McDonald's

Hobbies: four-wheeling, snowmobiling, playing

People: Family & lots of friends

We had a Monsters vs. Aliens Party!

I don't know what I was thinking with this party. I decided we should invite all the boys in his kindergarten class, his primary class, and his best neighborhood buds! I think that was maybe 24! I thought maybe half would show. Well, we had 20 boys here!!!! It was nuts!!!!! I'm never going to do that again and especially not let them stay two hours! We survived though and the boys had a great time.

The best game was the big Monsters vs. Aliens war outside. Each boy got either a blue or green water noodle and hit their opponents. It was wild and crazy! Boys are rough but sometimes not too tough. We had a few break out in tears. Madi put together a fun opstacle course downstairs for them and we made icecream monsters and had cupcakes with worms on them. Each boy got to take home a Happy Meal box with Monsters vs. Aliens pictures all over it(w/o the food). We put a bean bag and candy in them and their water noodle from the war. It must have been a hit because when I went to his class the Monday all the boys knew me and told me how cool the party was. I was glad!

Parker has lots of friends! Watch this!

We played the water game.

We printed out Bob the Blob eyeballs and stuck them on their foreheads.
I made about 30 bean bags and two Bob the Blob boxes!

PRESENTS!

SO HANDSOME!

A funny video of Parker finding his big present!

Savannah, Parker, and Madi on Parker's new skateboard.

The FAM on Parker's special day.

I LOVE YOU PARKER!!!!

Fun in San Diego!

2009-03-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

This post is a little long, but I couldn't resist. I took almost 300 pictures of this trip!

Wow! We loved our trip to San Diego! It was hard to come home. I've been craving some sunshine and it's just what we needed. We drove to St. George and stayed with my Grandma Harper the first night. It was so good to see her. She's doing great. We were glad to have my brother Jonathan travel down with us. It was helpful to have one more adult in the car. It was still hard traveling that far though. We stayed with my mom and dad in their condo right on the beach. We had a gorgeous view.

The beautiful San Diego Temple.

A beautiful sunset taken from our condo.

This is what Savannah's hair can look like before I do it! Crazy!

We went to Sea World on Friday. It was great! It felt like hardly anyone was there. We didn't have to wait anywhere. We loved all the shows and Parker especially wanted to go back the next day!
The dolphin show was one of our favorites.

Madi and I sat in the soak zone at the Clyde and Seymour show. We got pretty wet alright!

My dad bought fish to feed the Manta Rey's. The kids loved it! The highlight was when a seagull flew by and took the head off the fish Madison was holding!

We loved the bright coral colored flamingos.

One of the kid's favorite parts was the new Sesame Street area where they had a few rides and a huge jungle kind of gym they could climb and run around on.

Saturday we went to the Maritime Museum and toured through several boats right on the harbor. With that we went on a harbour cruise. After that we went to the cutest little shopping center called Seaport Village. We had lunch there and had fun listening to beautiful music and watching the kids chase birds around.

The ship used in the movie, "Master and Commander".

My girls touring the old Russian submarine. I thought it was cute they were all wearing pink that day! Parker scoping out the enemy.Madison cuddling up to grandma on the harbour cruise. It was quite cold on the way out. Savannah loved the rocking of the boat and feel right to sleep.
After lunch we drove over to Coronado Island and went through Hotel del Coronado. It sure was beautiful.

We walked to the beach and let the kids play in the sand for a while.

Until . . . they started throwing sand on each other and . . . We saw Savannah pooping on the beach! You gotta watch this video!

On Sunday we went to church, walked around the San Diego Temple and Old Town San Diego, and relaxed (just a little). I loved this picture of Dad and Nate holding Savannah's hands.

Monday, we took the kids to LegoLand! Park and Ashley loved it! Madison was pretty upset the rides weren't more challenging, but eventually had a good time. Savannah like the rides she could go on. Luckily it was another good day and we didn't have hardly any lines to wait in! The only draw back was it was quite chilly that day.

Parker and Ashley trying to shoot the targets on a ride in Land of Adventure.

Tuesday was our last full day. We went to a light house and back to Sea World. We ended the day with a walk on the beach at sunset. Parker and Jonathan even braved the frigid water and went for a swim!

I Can Only Imagine

2009-03-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

My cute mom and dad started their three week vacation by staying at our house before they went to St. George, Vegas, Palo Alto, CA, and San Diego. It was mom's birthday, and dad's was just two days before. We all enjoyed their stay so much and it's so great to see how awesome and better my mom is each time we see them! I had the opportunity of going to the St. George parade of homes with my mom and dad. It was a beautiful day! The sun was shining and it just felt so good to be with my parents and enjoy looking at these beautiful homes. It was like happy medicine for me. Our favorite was the most expensive of course. It only cost $3.5 mill - a real bargain for 15,000 sq. ft.! I mean really, who on earth can afford these monsters. It was incredible inside and out. Here's just a few of my favorite spots.

The backyard - complete with pool, slide, patio, dressing rooms, gourmet kitchen (bbq), and this amazing cave with hot tubs and a flat screen T.V.! Why not! The basement took my breath away. It was huge! You can't even see the raquetball court, putting green, etc. This house was made for party people like the Augers!Another view of the enormous basement.

I loved this kitchen!

Our good friends the Reynolds and Augers from South Weber surprised us by stopping in on their way home from St. George! It was so good to see these great people!
Thanks for coming! We love you guys!

John, Nate, and Lane

We are leaving tomorrow for San Diego! We are so excited! We will be staying with my parents in their timeshare right on the beach! My brother Jonathan is going to ride down with us. He will be good entertainment for the kids. I'm excited to spend this time with him before he goes on his mission in May. He's going to Toronto Canada! All my siblings are coming home the weekend we get back to go through the temple with him. It will sure be a special day for all of and especially for my mom and dad. This is their dream come true to have everyone of the kids be in the temple together. We are so blessed! I owe it all to having such great parents!

Christmas in February

2009-02-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

What is this? It's finally here! After months and months of begging, the old man finally gave in to the kids! The hot chick did too...ie red, yellow, and blue instead of green and brown.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

2009-02-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone! I usually don't do much for this holiday but this year I've had a little more fun getting in to it. It started off by making sugar cookies for Young Women's. I'm the first counselor and it was the Mia Maids turn to plan the activity. We decided to "Heart Attack" the less active girls in our ward and the bishopric. You tape hearts all over their front door, garage, etc. I ended up getting the stomach flu that day so I missed going to the activity but they came to our house and "Heart Attacked" us. Nathan caught them in the act and scared them to death! I made cookies again for my kids to decorate and saved some to decorate myself for the ladies I visit teach. I watched a lady on Studio 5 decorate cookies one day and went to their website for the recipe and inspiration. I was quite happy with how they turned out. If you ever want to try a new sugar cookie and frosting recipe go to their website.

The plates of cookies I made for the girls I visit teach.

I also decided to make my family heart shaped pancakes for breakfast today. They loved it!

I volunteered to do a game at Madison's class's Valentine's Day Party. We played a fun game where you sit in a circle and whoever is IT goes up to a friend and says, "Honey, Do You Love Me?" The friend has to answer back without smiling, "Yes, I love you, but you can't make me smile." We also played the game, "Puppy, Do you Love Me?" The person who's IT is blindfolded and given a pillow. Everyone sitting in the circle moves to a different chair. IT locates a person with a pillow and sits down on the pillow on their lap. IT asks, "Puppy, do you love me?" The person then has to bark and IT guesses who it is. If IT guesses right, the friend is now IT. If they guess wrong, they have to move on to another person. Apparently the kids liked it because Madi said they played the games again at recess.

Madison and her good friend, Melissa.

Madi and some friends.
After Madison's party I drove over to Parker and Ashley's school to see if I could help with their parties. I was so lucky! I got to help with Parker's and go to lunch with Ashley! It was a fun day! Luckily Nate was home and could tend Savannah for me!

Parker is quite the ladies man! Can you blame them?

Ashley and two of her cute friends.

Ashley got to sit with a bunch of boys at lunch today.

Savannah Banana in one of her crazy outfits!

Another crazy outfit.

I sure love my kids!
& my hubby!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Sunshine for the Soul

2009-01-27T13:43:00.001-08:00

Beautiful Island Park, Idaho

Even though snowmobiling in January is snowy and cold, this trip felt warm and sunny to me. We had beautiful blue skies everyday we were there! It felt so good to have the sun shine in my face. We embarked on this 7 hour drive on Thursday, January 15 and returned home around midnight on the 20th. Luckily we stayed in Salt Lake on the way there. The kids always enjoy getting to stay in a hotel and swim. We were up there with our own little family until Sunday and then my brother, Darin and his family came that night. Monday morning my parents came. It was so fun to have them all come. The kids were ready for someone else to entertain them and they love their cousins and grandparents. Dad and mom tended the kids s0 Nate, Darin, Tayna, and I could go on a good ride. We rode to the top of Two Top and had a spectalular view up there. We sang Happy Birthday to our sister Holly while we were up there and sent her a picture of us. We picked up our new four wheeler on the way there and enjoyed getting to ride it around. We love the pool there and went several times. We watched a couple movies, played games, went to church, snowmobiled of course, went tubing, made t-shirts at the clubhouse, and went to Gushers in West Yellowstone. It was a great trip!

My favorite little house at Big Springs.

Darin, Tayna, and Heidi

My cute Dad

Mom & I and our sick little Madi. We were lucky she didn't throw up that night.

Mom and I decided our faces looked too fat in the first picture so we had Darin take our picture several times. It just wasn't getting better! We were laughing so hard my stomach hurt. Mom tried covering her face with a hat and I tried squishing mine together. Do we look any better?!

My mom is actually really skinny right now, it's just the Predizone pills that make her face a little puffy. I'm just plain fat! No excuses for me!

Savannah Bananna and her signature monkey face.
Dog pile on Dad!

Always in the kitchen!

Just hanging out! Ahhh!

Is that Ashley in the snow? Wow! She actually enjoyed playing around and tubing!

Nate and Savannah

Choo Choo!

Mom, Darin, Tayna, Heidi.

We some how packed Savannah swimsuit up on our last day there, so she had to go swimming with just her swim diaper. Her cousin Heidi thought she had a new fashion trend going so she shed her suit too! We're sure glad these two little cousins have each other.
Fun with the cousins in the pool.

All worn out! This summed up our trip. We were tired! Luckily the kids were so good for us on our long ride home. They slept at least half of the way!

Nate turns famous!

2009-01-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

Nathan's on TV!!!

Today, January 6, 2009, Nathan was having another busy day at work. He had spent the previous night and morning in Salt Lake and then had to rush down near Cedar City to access a big landslide that had shut down SR-14. He stars on KCSG-TV St. George and on KSL Chanel 5. It was pretty exciting to see him on TV. I'm sure proud of my big Region Director!

Ashley's Room - Before & After

2008-12-28T22:29:00.000-08:00

Ashley's room before:Ashley's room after:

This was really a labor of love. I can't believe that it's all done. At times I never thought we'd get it done before Christmas. We made it a big surprise for her on Christmas morning. It was really neat. I had a lot of help from a great neighbor on the quilt and Nate hung all the bead board and trim. He even did some painting, which he hates. There's a few more things I'd like to add to it, but they will come in time. Ashley loves it and has tried to keep it really clean because it's so pretty.

Making the pillows was my favorite part.

Here's the video of the first time she saw it!

Top 10 Reasons I Haven't Blogged!

2008-12-27T16:32:00.000-08:00

A video of Madi's dance.

Christmas Eve candelight dinner. Yes, we have pizza! The kids in their new p.j.'s
We let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve and Ashley wanted to open her present from her birthmother.You gotta love this! The kids get all these fun toys and all they wanted to play with is the box!

Parker's all geared up now to go snowmobiling with his dad.

Presents from Uncle Nolan and Aunt Ashley! We love these games!

Savannah got a new baby. She packed it around all day.

Madi got roller blades!

& a basketball hoop.

The big pile of boxes and wrapping paper!

This is Parker at Grandpa & Grandma Harper's after a long day of playing in the snow. He feel asleep before he could even eat his dinner. We actually got snowed in (or blowed in) up there for an extra day. It was nice in a way.

Mom had a special cousin's Christmas party that she patterned after what Sister Hinckley did with her grandkids. They had a great time. It was a very special night for them.

The cousin's dancing through the house.

Our present from mom & dad! I love it!

Ashley loves Grandma.

Parker loves Grandpa.

This is at Grandpa and Grandma Lee's house. Parker and Madi were "sort of" being pulled by Tori's dog.

The almost Newlyweds at cousin Dawson's baptism.

The kids loved watching the font be filled at the old Tabernacle in Logan.

We lucked out and were still able to celebrate Savannah's birthday after a long wedding day.

Aunt Tori and Dawson at his baptism.

Savannah and Parker eating at their favorite place, McDonald's. We ate there plenty because of all the traveling we did. I just won't to puke thinking of it.

We visited Santa for breakfast at the local grocery store here.

I left the kids for 10 minutes in the tub and this is what I came back to!Wow! Luckily, I just had to laugh over this one.

O.K. so these pictures are way out of order, but this is the day after Savannah's birthday at the Lee's house. It was fun to have so many of Nate's siblings there.

Just call me crazy, I know. I decided for Ashley's big Christmas present I would remodel her room. Never, will I do this again for Christmas! It was way more work and time than I thought it would take. Luckily I'm married to a good man that helped me a lot. I couldn't have done it with out him. Thanks Nate!

Kind of cute, but just isn't our little Ashley. She's my frilly pink girl.

At Brian and Lisa's wedding luncheon at Hamilton's. It was a beautiful place.

The happy bride and groom.

Madi, Ashley, and Aurora at the reception in their fancy dresses.

All the boys. They were looking pretty handsome.

The Lee Christmas party.

The Lee Christmas party. The cousins enjoyed playing in the hot tub.

Ashley's dance recital. She was thrilled to be the shortest and thus be the leader of the line.

I loved these costumes. Madison looked so beautiful and grown up.
Little Ashley lucked out and got a costume in her favorite color. PINK!

Ashley's dance.

#1. It's December & that means Christmas and all that goes with it.

#2. We have traveled over 24 hours in our car! Ughh! Two trips to Logan and one to Malta.

#3 Nathan's sister, Lisa, got married on the 19th.

#4 Savannah's birthday was on the 19th. She turned two!

#5 I've been Christmas shopping - plenty!

#6 The kids have been home.

#7 Nathan's been home.

#8 Nate and I remodeled Ashley's room. What was I thinking?!????

#9 I made Ashley's quilt and a bunch of pillows. Really . . . . what was I thinking?

#10 We've been busy busy busy, coming and going. We've sure enjoyed these few days after Christmas when we've had time to be home and relaxed!

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!

2008-12-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

Ashley is 7 now! We can't believe it. She is such a joy to our family. She's always got something interesting to say. She makes us laugh and smile a lot. She can be pretty funny. She's my sweet little girly girl. She loves pink and all things girly. I'm so glad that she's our daughter. She's becoming a big helper around the house. I know that she enjoys making me happy and has a kind sweet heart. She is doing well in school and likes her teacher and has many friends. She is taking dance and got to be the first in line to bring her class out on stage. She's proud to be short. Parker has outgrown her by two inches now. She loves to hold our cat after school and watch cartoons. She enjoys reading, playing games, playing with friends, and being with family. I wanted to do something more creative for this post and have pictures of when she was a baby but we didn't have a digital camera back then and I don't have time to scan them right now.

We love you very much Ashley. Happy Birthday!

Best Buds

Hanging out.

At Uncle Nolan's wedding.

She could still wear her blessing dress when she was 3.

This year - presents from grandma & grandpa.

Her size 6 coat that drowned her.

Birthday morning!
Yeah for presents! She had been waiting for this day for months!

Catching UP

2008-11-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

This is such a odd grouping of pictures but I wanted to post them since they were of some of my good posting friends.

My brother Nolan and his wife Ashley blessed their baby, Grace the Sunday after grandpa's funeral. We were so glad they chose to do it Malta so we and other family members could be there.

Look at how much taller Parker is than Ashley now!
Grandpa and Grandma Crump. They are my mom's parents and live in Tremonton. They are so awesome and in such great shape and health for their age. We love them and are excited to see them for Thanksgiving.

My sister Holly, me, Liz Memmott (cousin's wife), cousin Kristine, Tayna, and Ashley (sister-in-laws).

Holly, me, and my funny cousins, Todd, Scott, and Jed Memmott.

Our cute kitty. She doesn't really have a name yet - just kitty. I never thought I'd let a cat in my house, but my kids love her and I guess I do too. We make her stay in the garage at night and most of the day, except when the kids are home - then I let her in Parker was home from school the other day and got so bored! I hate it when they let these kids out of school so much! He decided to entertain himself by playing in the washer.He thought that was fun and then decided to put his naked baby sister in the dryer. Savannah thought it was great.

He thought it looked fun and got in too.
Savannah sure doesn't like clothes lately. I'm lucky to keep a diaper on her! It's driving me crazy! You'd think that with it getting colder, she'd want clothes on! Ughh!
If anyone has suggestions on how to get her to wear clothes I'd love to hear from you.

My Grandpa Harper's Funeral

2008-10-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa, Blaine Thomas Harper, died October 25, 2008. He was 76 years old. His funeral was November 1, 2008. He had several mini strokes and eventually his body wasn't able to function. We were all a little surprised how fast he died, but view it now as a blessing that he didn't have to suffer long or be in a nursing home. The funeral was very healing for me since my relationship with him hasn't been the best for several years. I wish I would have known what was happening to his brain and I would have reacted differently to several of our conversations. I do love him and will always have fond memories of what a great grandpa he was for most of my life. He was a hard worker. He had a lot of faith to come to Idaho and start farming. I can't imagine what courage that would have taken. The farm became a big success and was passed on to my dad and his brother. It has been a huge blessing in the lives of our families. It taught us all how to work hard and has given us a wonderful life style. Grandpa loved us and always wanted to teach us to Work Hard and Play Hard - Get it done and Have fun. He was full of little sayings like this. Anyway the funeral was great and it was good to see some much love and support from family and friends.

Grandpa and Grandma loved each other for 59 years!

This is at our family reunion last summer. Grandpa always loved to share his stories.

My dad was the oldest, then Gloria, Susie, Dennis, Marty (who died at age two), and Kathy
Nate and I with my sweet grandma

My brother Darin and his family

My Wonderful Dad placing his rose on the casket.

My boy Parker looking on.

Madi placing a flower.

Part of the family - there were two many of us to fit in one picture.
My beautiful mom and Ashley

My brother Nolan and his new baby girl, Grace, Thomas, and wife, Ashley.

Farming was Grandpa's great accomplishment. He loved it.

We will always love you Grandpa.

Our Halloween Party 2008!

2008-10-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

We did it! It's the day after our big party and we're still winding down from it. It was so much fun but so much work. I really do love throwing parties though. My favorite part of the night was just everyone introducing themselves and saying something funny that went along with what they were wearing. We dimmed this lights and had a strobe light going. People really got creative. It was a hoot! We played looky, looky, look. You stand in a big circle with you arms around your neighbors. You stomp your feet and on the last "look", you look up and if two people are starring at each other, you two are out. We also played a scavenger hunt that we had played at Cook's house where you find riddles and solve them to get a cauldron to perform a magic potion. Nate bought another guitar for "Guitar Hero" and the new Aerosmith game. That was a hit with the men. We had a great time sitting around talking and getting to know each other better. I can't wait until next year!
Our house was packed! We invited about 30 couples and we had around 20 show. It was so fun to have so many come. I loved it! We played an on going game called "Murder". There was one murderer and the rest of had to act out our death within five minutes of when the murderer winked at us. We had people dying on us all night. It was hilarious. Some people died laughing, choking, being shot in the chest, being attacked by bees, being stabbed by a sword, by dancing themselves to death, and by melting. We had some pretty good actors!

We had kitty litter and a brain tumor for dinner amongst many other delicious entrees.

The hippy/disco party hosts. I'm proud to say I made Nate's shirt and altered his pants.
It was a beautiful night so some of the party goers went outside.

Dave and Colleen Graff. The pirates made pinacoladas outside. Colleen is the Young Women President (I'm her 1st Counselor), my awesome friend, and almost next door neighbor. They won the best couples costume award.The Larsen's. She was super girl and he was Iron Man. They won the funniest costumes.
The Rappleys. He's our Elders Quorm President and she's an awesome photographer and good friend.The Snows. He's our Young Men's President. They're our great next door neighbors. Their daugther tended our kids for us that night.
The MacDonalds. Our good neighbors in another ward.
The Landon's. She's a cereal killer and he's her victim.
Cindy Baldwin. She was the Lone Ranger tonight. She's our YW's Secretary.
Paul and Becca. She's Madi's Activity Day leader.
The Sanchez's. They're an awesome couple that live across the street from us. The Jensen's. He was a tiger tamer. He's our 1st Counselor in the bishopric.

The Krueger's. She's the 2nd Counselor in the YW's with me. They were voted the scariest couple of the night.

The Hinck's. He's our good bishop and Crystal is his sweet wife. We love that they're Utah State alumni like us. The Larson's. They're our good friends from another ward. Jill is their Primary President and my great friend. Love them.The Seng's. Amy is our neighbor coupon guru and Mike works with Nate. They were Drew Kerry and that one lady. You know who I'm talking about. The Neimans. They were the comedians of the night! They won the best costumes overall. They brought the kitty litter and the brain tumor. They had me busting up all night. The Christensens. He was a biker dude and she was a she-devil. They're in another ward, but we still want to become good friends with these guys. Nate got creative this year and created this crazy lawn scene! This is the driver of the boat The bumble bee pumpkin head kid.
The scary witch skiing. It has been fun to watch people's reactions when they drive by our house. I can usually tell they get a kick out of it.

Before & After

2008-10-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

BEFORE & AFTER

I finally did it! I have been wanting to paint my bedroom a different color every since we moved in. It was a lovely lime green color before and now it's a beautiful burlap brown. It feels so much better now to walk in my room. It's warmer and feels more romantic and peaceful. I originally wanted to put some texture on the walls but because I've never tried that and because the Relief Soceity was coming this week to learn how to make bread, I was pressed for time. I'm happy though with how it turned out. Now I want to paint my bathroom the same color. Then, I want to paint Parker's, Madison's, and Ashley's rooms. When will it ever stop! I definately have my mother's blood in me.

HALLOWEEN HELP!!!

2008-10-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for Halloween! I have thrown a Halloween Party for our families for many years and now that we are so far away from them I couldn't give it up, so I'm inviting the whole neighborhood/ward. WHAT AM I THINKING!?!?

I loved the big adult Halloween Party Savannah Cook had for us in South Weber. I want my party to be like that; just tons of people; crazy; and fun. I need your help though remembering all the games she would have us play. Please rack your brains and send any Halloween Party game ideas you have. I made over 30 invitations!!!
I made these invitations and attached them to gourds I picked at the pumpkin patch. I think they turned out cute.
I got to go on my first field trip with my kids! It was so fun to spend this time with Parker.
We picked out the biggest pumpkin we could carry. I later found out we were only suppose to get small ones, so I paid them a little extra for it. Oops!
My friend Jill Larson and I went back to the pumpkin patch later that week. We braved going without our hubbies. It was pretty crazy. By the time we got out to the pumpkin patch it was so dark we could hardly see anything. I was trying to find those little gourds for my invitations and kind of left my kids to find the pumpkin they wanted. When I went to pay for our pumpkins they had each gotten at least 3 and Ashley had about 6! Nate's coming next time!

PLEASE SEND ME YOUR HALLOWEEN PARTY IDEAS!!!!

Hawaiian Visitors!

2008-10-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Lauaki's from Hawaii!!!

Madison's birth grandparents came to visit us from Hawaii! Siotame Fonua & Lollie Lauaki are wonderful people. We honestly love them and feel they are a great support to Madison and are whole family. Fonua works for BYU Hawaii and comes to Utah and Idaho every October for training. They are always so good to visit us (even when we forget to tell them we moved!)Luckily, they found Trevor Schenck in our old neighborhood who helped them get in contact with us. Thanks Trevor! Fonua traveled clear down here last Sunday and went to church with us(Lollie was sick). After church, grandpa Lauaki passed out lots of presents. It felt like Christmas! My favorite this time was a beautiful handstiched quilt to hang in Savannah's room. I'll send a picture of it later. They are always so generous. We feel spoiled. I tell people that kids can never have too many grandparents to love them. They came again on Friday and stayed with us for Saturday's morning conference. We love their visits and appreciate the love they show us. We are so lucky to have them in our life and look forward to visiting them in Hawaii hopefully soon! The kids thanking grandpa Lauaki for the wonderful gifts. They love him!
Savannah absolutely loved her new blanket! She sure looks like a little doll!
Saturday after the morning session of conference, we went out for Chinese food.

Our kids have always loved it.

Some of my Young Women girls. We are visiting some of the special sisters in our ward and recording their testimonies for our Young Women in Excellence Night. I have loved being with these girls and our awesome leaders. It's been so good for me to be involved with the youth again. I think it had been at least ten years. It has been a nice change.

Fall Visitors!

2008-09-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

My parents were finally able to come down and see us at our new home!!! I was so glad that mom was feeling well enough and dad was able to break away from the farm before beet harvest. They had stayed in St. George for a few days and then stayed at our house. We had such a good visit with them. I miss them so much! Being with them made me realize how much a love them and still need them. They are a great source of strength to me. Their positive attitude toward life even when times are hard has always amazed me. They are great parents and grandparents. The kids sure enjoyed their visit too and we let them miss school on Friday to spend time with them. Ashley even wanted to miss her field trip.

We drove to Fish Lake and enjoyed seeing the beautiful colors of Fall. It was our first time seeing this lake except for Nate, who has seen practically everything in Southern Utah now.

Nate and mom standing on the balcony of a really old lodge up there.Grandma and Ashley

Dad and Savannah in our backyard. Savannah sure loves her grandpa!

She snuggles right up to him.

The kids were sure interested watching grandpa re bandage mom's wound. She got staph infection from having a nerve taken out of her leg for testing. It has had a tough time healing because she is on predizone. We hope it gets better soon.

Parker loved showing grandpa is snowmobile magazine. He can't wait for SNOW! The girls loved playing Clue with grandma.

Dad and Mom at Fish Lake

Our friends, Chris and Michelle Matthews, from our new ward. We went up a beautiful canyon to Monroevian Park to have dinner together. It was fun to go from bright yellow leaves at Fish Lake to deep red leaves here. It was sure a great day.

Vacation in St. George

2008-09-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

We went on a great vacation to St. George August 18 - 21, 2008. My mom and dad booked a condo down there and could only use half of the week, so we were lucky enough to get the other half. Thanks mom & dad!!!! We feel lucky to be only 2 1/2 hours away from this beautiful place.

I loved this beautiful kitchen . . .
and family room . . .
Ashley and I went to the Dinosaur Museum and went shopping while Nate stayed at the condo to watch the football games and swim with the kids.
Our truck and boat in front of the condo.
This was the kids favorite place. Even though the pool wasn't heated they swam in here at least twice a day. Thank goodness we had good weather!
Another view of the pool area and clubhouse.
We took the boat out on Sand Hollow Reservoir. It was the perfect day for boating!
Ashley and Savannah on the boat. Savannah fell asleep for quite a while. There's nothing like the rocking of a boat to put babies asleep.
Wow! I'm wake boarding! I was so excited!
Madi is skiing now! She even crossed the wake a few times!
Ashley and Parker both knee boarded. Nate does it all. I wish we had a picture of him, but it's hard to take a picture when you're driving the boat.

Our sweet little dolly! She loved climbing on the rocks at Snow Canyon.
Madison enjoyed chasing lizards! Yum!
We took the bikes up the canyon and rode them down this nice paved trail.
Nate and I took turns pushing Savannah in the stroller. It was a great day!
Nate and I went to Tuachan and saw Les Miserables. It was amazing! We were lucky to have Emily Buchanan come from Cedar to stay with the kids that night. It was sure fun to see her.

Although our vacation was pretty much perfect, the last night we were there Ashley woke up at 3:00 a.m. crying that her head hurt. Her pain was so bad Nate took her to the emergency room. We found out she had a really bad case of strep throat. Her sinuses were plugged up too. Needless to say, Nate and I only had a few hours of sleep that night.

We always come home exhausted after a vacation. I always feel like they're a lot of work. I'm grateful though for these special times we have to spend together as a family. I know from experience that "The Family that Plays Together Stays Together!"

Labor Day at Bryce Canyon

2008-09-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

We decided at the last minute to go to Bryce Canyon. It was a little too cold for boating. It's just under two hours from our house. It was the first time me and the kids had been there. It was breathtakingly beautiful!! The kids loved it!

Ashley crashed and hit her head on a rock,

but she was ok. We warned the kids to wear good shoes,

but sandals was the shoe of choice!?!

Wow! What A View!

Trails wind all the way down through the rock formations.

This is a tunnel along on of the trails.

Trees grow with their roots out of the ground?

See ya all next time at one of Utah's Natural Wonders.
I know this is a little late but here's the kids on their FIRST DAY of SCHOOL!

Madison - Our 4th Grader!
Ashley - our 1st Grader!
Parker - Our Kindergartner!
Parker and Ashley walking into their school, Ashman Elementary. It has Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Madison's is Pahvant Elementary and has 3rd through 5th. I love it!

Parker's 1st day! He goes to all-day kindergarten. He has two teachers who are really awesome. He loves riding the bus and getting to take this lunch to school. I can't believe I'm down to one kid during the day. It has been great!

Lee Family Reunion - Downata Hot Springs

2008-08-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

August 7 - 9, 2008. I know it's been a while ago, but I wanted to get this posted. We had a great family reunion with Nate's family. His sister Lisa was in charge this year. We met in Logan first and had a big family picture taken. It was tough to get that many people together and smiling at the same time. Savannah was terrible. She wanted to jump in the pond that was right in front of us. Downata was a great place and we enjoyed swimming and going down the slides. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins and we enjoyed visiting with everyone. The Lee's are a great family to be part of. Dennis, Helen, Ashley and Lisa's new man, Brian.
Brian and Lisa. (Wedding Bells are in the future!)
Brian, Ben, Jordan, and Dennis. The kids loved playing in these tepees.
Good morning! Camping wouldn't have been so bad if Savannah would have slept.

Braden and Madi are the oldest of the grand kids. They enjoyed hanging out together.
Parker boy was a daredevil. He went down every slide, even the ones he wasn't supposed to. He and Ashley both loved the 'Black Hole' slide the best.
Ashley coming down a slide. We are so excited that her and Parker are swimming so well. Ashley learned last year and Parker just started this summer.
Cousin Annie, Grandma, and Ashley. The kids had fun doing craft projects with grandma.
Tori and Tami.

The cousins. 19! Wow!
Nate's 9 siblings and parents (the kids are in order of age). Nathan, Jared, Tori, Ben, Tara, Scott, Tami, Lisa, and Jordan.
Savannah, Parker and Ashley loved playing at this little water park there.
Me and my girls.
Savannah has no fear. We even sent her down one of the big water slides!

Twin Falls Temple Open House

2008-08-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Madison, Ashley, Parker, my mom, and I went to the new Twin Falls Temple on August 6, 2008. We had gone to visit the family one more time before school started. It was good to be with them and try to help them out. My mom is doing better. She is stronger than ever and using her walker around the house. She got staff infection from an incision a doctor made on the side of her leg by her ankle. It has turned into a big open wound now that will not heal. They're doing everything they can. They drive to Pocatello three times a week for treatment. They have hope though that it will heal. I sure admire their faith and positive attitudes.
I added these pictures out of order, but this is what we've done with our family room.
I love my new furniture!
We were sure glad that we went to the temple open house. It was a special day and we sure felt the spirit there. The kid's favorite rooms were the baptistry and the celestial room.

Mom and Ashley

Madi and Parker enjoying the yummy cookies.

Beautiful Blessing

2008-08-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been feeling a little blue. I feel quilty that I get depressed because my life is and should be great. I have four beautiful kids, a loving husband, wonderful parents and in-laws, awesome brothers and sisters, a beautiful house, everything I really need and more, great friends, a strong testimony, etc., etc. I've been told I should try some happy pills (as I'd rather call them). I'm not sure. I want to try other things first I guess. Here's what made me happy today:

my KIDS

flowers

flowers flowers
flowers
kids and flowers
I love how beautiful my flowers are right now!

The best part about them is that they all just showed up!

TAG, YOU'RE IT!

2008-07-24T19:49:00.001-07:00

Kim - Thanks for the tag - sorry I'm so slow, my computer's been in repair.

Best mom tip?
I fail at this a lot but I know it's important - CONSISTENCY! I also feel it's important to teach your children to work. I also like to just have fun with them. I love to take the kids boating, swimming, to the park, to the library, etc. I like to know they are getting enough sleep. Everyone's a lot happier if we get enough sleep. School starts at 8:20 here! We're going to die!

Biggest time saver?
Swifter Dusters -Love them. I also discovered that a mop is great! I've been on my hands and knees with a rag for years but because I have so much tile now I bought a mop. WOW!

Your workout routine?
I walk in the mornings, take the kids swimming, and eat lots of chocolate! It's not working too good.

Your current ipod playlist?
I like all kinds of stuff, but I couldn't tell you who or what songs they are. I've never been good at that.

Something you can’t live without.
Food, water, sleep, my family - duh.

Your beauty fix?
I wish I had one. I guess Mary Kay products and lots of sunscreen in the summer.

Your fashion pet peeve?
Tight clothes.

Favorite restaurant? All the ones that aren't in Richfield. Macaroni Grill, Applebee's, Cafe Rio, Goodwood BBQ, Chili's, etc.

Your design style? I'm not sure, but I like Tuscany and Mediteranian.

1/2 hour to yourself, I've decided that I love to read if I find the right book. I can't wait for the next Stephanie Meyer book!

What are you doing? Let's see - I went for a walk. I've shopped online. I put my makeup on and combed my hair! (That can be unusual by this time of day). RC Willey came with my new rug and an end table. I've broken up a few fights over the new kitty the kids found. I put Savannah down for a nap. I'm blogging. I'm taking the kids to lunch in the park. I'm going to the chiropractor to see if he can fix my back that has been hurting since we moved and I'm looking forward to watching , "So you think you can dance," tonight.

Favorite TV Show? I like reality stuff. Nate and I like to watch silly shows after the news like, Everybody Loves Raymond, Scrubs, and Seinfield. We really don't watch too much because we only by the $10 cable and we only get 8 channels here. It's pretty pathetic, but at least we don't waste our time.

your dream vacation? Another Carribean Cruise! I'd also love to go on a tour of Europe.

Your first job? I moved hand lines, drove tractors, hoed sugarbeets, mowed lawns, yard work, housework, etc. on the family farm. The summer after I graduated I worked at a sandwich shop and McDonald's while I lived in Tremonton. I worked as a secretary at Utah State - Range Science Division. One of my favorite jobs was working at the Old Rock Church in Providence as a wedding coordinator and receptionist to the bed and breakfast.

What do you do now? I get to do what I've always wanted to do - be a MOM, and luckily I get a pretty good salary.

How do you relax at the end of the day?
I LOVE my new tub! It's a champagne bubbler tub that feels like a hot tub. It's great!

I tag : Tayna, Holly, Jill, & Ashley

Harper Family Vacation - Bear Lake 2008

2008-07-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Our family's summer vacation this year was pretty special. We were so lucky to have mom there most of the time. We sure missed Nolan, Ashley and Thomas though. We sure want to thank MOM and DAD for

The Family after church (one of the only times we looked good).
Brandon, Madi, Christopher, and their fun Uncle Jonathan. Madison loved driving the jet ski.
Nate and Savannah hanging out in the condo.

Jill, Matthew, Tayna, Jenny, Holly, and Savannah after dinner. We had to leave that night (Wednesday) because Nate had a meeting in Price Thursday. Everyone else stayed until Friday except Mom and Dad who also left Wednesday because mom needed to go back to the hospital. It was a sad day to have to see them go.
Kent and Holly shakin it up at our talent show. That was a fun night. Everyone had some pretty good stuff.
Ashley and Jack. One of the kids favorite things was to ride down the hill by Darin and Tayna's condo in the strollers. They got pretty daring and would go down backwards too.

After the talent show we treated the kids with ice cream cones from the little store there.
Ashley was queen of the beach.
One night Dad took us out for pizza. Savannah was showing off her fat belly.
The biggest accident of the trip was of course . . . . . Madison! She was racing in the pool one night and hit her mouth on the edge of the pool. She was in so much pain. I thought we'd have to run her to the hospital but luckily we got hold of our old dentist and he told us what to do. We got it fixed the day after we got home and you'd never know the difference.

A CIRCLE of FRIENDS.

I wish Savannah and Heidi would have been in this one.
Who's that guy? This one's for you Tayna!
We had some wonderful meals while we there. We only ate dinner together which worked out really good I thought. We played kick ball, had a fun family night, swam, rode bikes, played games after the kids went to bed, went souveneir shopping, etc. We especially enjoyed playing on the beach and surfing, skiing, and tubing behind dad's fancy new boat.

This Is For You Mom!

2008-07-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

My dear mom contracted a rare disease called Gillian Barre Syndrom (GBS) that made her feet, legs, and hands start to go numb around the end of April. We were first worried that it could be M.S. She continued to get weaker and eventually lost her ability to walk. Dad, Mom, and their doctor were impressed to take her to the U. of U. Hospital in Salt Lake. We were all so relieved that it wasn't M.S. and that GBS is a treatable disease that most patients totally recover from. After about 10 days she went home and was doing a lot better and walking with a walker. She was only home for a few days when her strength began to weaken again and she was soon back in the hospital. They gave her a few more treatments and sent her home again. Dad has been at her side as much as he possible and has been a wonderful caretaker for her. It has been great to see how much love and care he has for her. Well, after the second trip to the hospital her symptoms continued to get worse and they took her back to the U for the third time. They gave her a different treatment that totally filtered out all the plasma that was in her body and replaced it with new plasma. So far she has been responding wonderfully and regaining her strength back slowly but surely. We are all so grateful for medical technology, the power of the priesthood, and for fasting and prayers. We have realized just how much our mom means to us and are so grateful for all that she does for us. You can do it MOM! We LOVE you!

Mom at the Gateway during her third stay at the U. of U. Hospital. The doctors actually encourage her to get our occasionally to keep her spirits up. I got to go up there and stay over with her. It was a special time for the two us. My Aunt Susie also got to stay with her a night.

Mom at home doing some physical therapy.
Mom at home with granddaughters Heidi and Savannah
Madi and her friend Kami on her birthday.
The front of our new house.
This picture is for mom to help me know what to do with this room.
Another one.

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY MADISON!

2008-07-06T17:56:00.001-07:00

WOW! We can't believe Madison is 9. She is such a wonderful girl. We love her so much. She is so much fun and outgoing. She taught us a lesson about being friendly soon after we moved here. I think we'd only been here two days and she decided to host a party for the neighborhood kids. She hand wrote her own invitations and delivered them to several families. She had filled the swimming pool, set up games, poured them drinks in our best crystal glasses, etc. Several kids came over and she soon had a whole bunch of friends that she plays with daily. What an example!!!

Madison got an iPod and a charging station for her birthday! Talk about being spoiled. We also gave her a few new shirts, candy, and ribbons for her hair.We celebrated her birthday by swimming at the Richfield City Pool, eating lunch at Arby's, and seeing the movie Wall - e. Nate was a good sport and took them. He could hardly stand it!
Christmas in July?!?! That's the only paper we could find. Luckily I don't think she even noticed. (I cut Savannah's hair - it's pretty bad, but at least she can see now and I'm hoping that it will grow in a little thicker - poor baby)
Madi's been rocking out with her new iPod ever since she got.

We hope you all had a great 4th of July! We sure enjoyed Richfield's activities. They had a good parade, a park full of booths, games, and food, activities at the pool and rodeo grounds. There fireworks were awesome and we watched them from our neighbors front yard! It was great!

Summer Fun - June

2008-07-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Three days after we moved to Richfield, Nate's parents, Dennis and Helen, came to see us. They were on their way to the Lee Reunion near Paragonah. We were so happy to have them come and stay with us and to see where we live. We were so lucky that the Manti Pagaent was going on. We sure enjoyed the performance and were surprised our kids stayed awake through the entire thing because it got so late.

The kids enjoyed getting their picture taken with some of the cast members.
Madi, Nate, and Parker and the mosquito spray.
We had to have this! As soon as we got out of the car mosquitoes started eating us alive. Nate walked to the nearest store and bought this spray for $7 but it was worth it!
The Beautiful MANTI TEMPLE! I have always LOVED this temple. It reminds me so much of Logan where we were married. I'm excited that this will be our temple now!
Grandma Lee, Savannah, and Madison. The kids were so happy to have them here with us.
Grandpa Lee, Parker, and Ashley.
Friday, we went to the reunion and had a good time seeing Nate's relatives. We camped out in our tent in front of the big cabin. It would have been an O.K. camping trip except we forgot our air mattress. I'm getting way to old to sleep on the ground. I felt like my back was broken when I woke up.

LAGOON!!!!!! It was so fun to go to Lagoon just before we moved with the Lee Family. We had a great time with them. It was especially nice because we had our good neighbor Emily tend Savannah. I have to admit, I sure enjoyed not having a baby there. We got to ride on almost everything. Parker and Ash were just a few inches too short to ride on the big rides but Helen was so good to take them and the other little cousins to the kiddie rides.

WICKED!!!!! WOW!!! I loved this ride. It sure took my breath away! Madison and her cousin Dawson were so brave to ride it. Grandpa Lee was a trooper too!
Wicked fans!
Parker and Ashley loved the kiddie rides. They could have spent all day on them.

We're Here!

2008-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

We're finally getting settled! Yeah! I wrote more about our move, but somehow it ended up at the bottom of this blog and I'm not smart enough to get it to the top. So if you want, read this post backwards. I'm always curious to see what people's new houses look like and I know you are all too far away to come for a while so here are some pictures.

The playroom/craft room downstairs - The kids are loving this room and I love the two big closets to put their toys in.

The downstairs bathroom- This use to be a bright yellowish green color. Now it's a calming grayish blue.

The office - I just finished painting it! It was a lovely purple color before. Now it looks just like our old one, except bigger. We will probably put our striped chair in here too.

Our bedroom - It's a little bigger than our old one and it has a ceiling fan! Yeah! We will eventually paint it. Any suggestions on a color?

Our bathroom - We love this tub!!! It feels just like a hot tub! It has little holes around the bottom instead of big jets. It feels great! It also has a light in it, so at night it looks so cool.

The front room- It's about the same size as our old.

The kids downstairs enjoying our new 50" T.V. That was Nate's big purchase for the new home.We finally moved to Richfield on June 16, 2008. We've been here two weeks today! The time has flown bye. I'm so glad to finally feel settled again and be together with Nate. It had been a few rough months. He is still gone a lot but at least he can come home now most nights. We are loving it here so far.

Everything is so close. The grocery store is just four blocks away. The schools are a mile (if that). The book mobile stops right by my house. The church is only two houses away. Walmart, Kmart, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and more are only three miles. We have had many nice neighbors come to visit and a whole herd of kids over to play. There's over 40 kids just on our street! Richfield has a lot to offer the kids in the summer. They have free lunch in the park every day if you want to go. They also offer a summer fun program for free every Monday and Wednesday for two hours. We've gone a few times and the kids love it. The girls and I went to the Miss Richfield Pageant Saturday night at the college. We loved it. We also went to a neat patriotic program they had there on Sunday night. We are going to a neighbors for a pool party this afternoon. Life seems to be pretty laid back here. I think we'll really like it. I still have some painting to do, pictures to hang, boxes to unpack, but that will come.