Primary Presentation

I wish I could of taken a picture of Jake in church today so I could show you how adorable he was, I'll do my best to describe it... Jake had his primary presentation today and he was so cute. Last week Jake was given his part, after I read it to him twice he knew it. Crazy how smart the kid is. Anyway, for 5 days straight he has been saying it over and over. I swear if Coco could talk she could say it to. Haha!

Today arrived and Jake woke up super excited. He stood in the stands on the front row and sang every song with his head held high, loud voice and the biggest & brightest smile on his face. He would look at us throughout the songs and wave and give us thumbs up. When it was his time to say his part he stood tall and confident at the microphone and spoke very clearly and had a huge beaming smile.

After the program he came running to us and said "I couldn't stop smiling". We couldn't either. Throughout the rest of church I had a ton of people stop me in the halls and comment on how cute Jake was. Everyone mentioned his huge smile. Scott describes it like he was glowing.

Reading this back my words don't even come close to how cute, confident, bright and adorable he looked. I just know that it is a memory that I am going to treasure the rest of my life.

Jake's part: "My family & I can serve others, by serving others we show Heavenly Father we love him"

Here is Jake and Courtney after Church. They are quite the twosome.
(My sweet Mom came to watch & support Jake. Thanks Mom and thanks for entertaining Court).

This is Jake with his class room bear named Morgan. Everyone in his class is given a turn to bring Morgan home for one night. They are given a journal to write all their fun adventures. It's a cute idea but I couldn't get over a stuffed animal going to ALL the kids homes. Germs? Sooo Gross!!!!!! But we survived, no one got sick and Jake had a blast!

Random

Excuse the randomness. Just need to update a few things.



Here is a picture of the new trees I got for my Birthday. My Birthday is in July so I had to wait until September to actually get them. I am so excited!! Thank you Mom & Dad!


This is my Snow fountain cherry tree. Scott says it looks like it's dying but I called the nursery & they said sometimes trees go into shock. Fingers crossed!

These are my very first trees I have ever owned. We didn't live in Clinton long enough to plant any. I am learning so much & loving it. Can't wait to plant more trees & bushes in the spring.

Mom & Dad took us miniature golfing on Labour Day. Had a blast! After the fun adventure of miniature golf we went to Emily's house for a yummy picnic.

Scott teaching Court to golf. She loved it!

Jake started Soccer this past weekend. Jake is on the 'Bumble Bee Transformer' team.

One of Jake's teammates is in his kindergarten class & another one is in his primary class. Jake is way excited about this.

Jake did awesome for his first game of the year. 5 Goals!!!

It's going to be a way fun soccer season!

Until next time...

On Your Mark.. Get Set... RUN!

I am totally proud of myself. Today I ran my very first 5K. My good friend/neighbor and I have been running 3 or 4 times a week since June. At first we were running to get into shape but as the summer ended we thought "wow, we are awesome runners lets try a 5K". So today we did one and we loved it. Before I go on I have to point out that I have never, ever, ever been a runner. After my Mom ran a half marathon & then seeing all my friends run I figured I would try it. It took me forever to like running. The first month I absolutely hated every second of it, I remember coming home after a run and telling Scott that I did not understand why people run as it is complete torture. But gradually it started getting a little easier and now it is actually kind of fun. It was fun to train with my friend who was also a 'non' runner. We laugh when we think back to our first days of running when we couldn't even run a mile and when we finally did run a mile we wanted to die. LOL!!! Amy & I are now to the point that we can talk the entire time we run. I look forward to my nightly runs, not for the exercise but for the "girl talk".

Here is a picture of my friends & I after the race. The race was in West Haven "Run For Cancer". My friend Lacey (3rd from the left) ran it in 23 minutes. Wow! Angie (2nd from the left) pushed a stroller with two kids and beat me by 2 minutes. WOW!
Here is Amy and I at the finish line! We averaged a 9.14 mile which is our personal best. We are going to run another 5k next weekend as we learned three lessons. #1. Warm up before you run. #2. Get positioned at the front of the group. #3. Go to the bathroom before the race.

Here I am with Amy. We did it & we didn't die! YEAH!!!

It was way fun to see Scott & my kids at the finish line. Thanks Scott for waking them up early & bringing them! After the race when I went over to talk to them, Jake whispered in my ear "Lacey beat you". Jake was really quite disappointed that I didn't "win". I tried to explain to him that everyone who finishes the race is a winner but he gave me a weird look and I could see in his eyes that he didn't buy it. Maybe next race I'll make my 5 year old proud!

PLAY BALL!

This past Friday, Scott's work sponsored the Ogden Raptors base ball game. Scott's boss asked him if he would throw the first pitch. The funny thing is my Mom and Dad had already planned to take my Aunt Sharon & Uncle Jim to the game. Once Heather heard about Scott she, Justin & Logan jumped on board so Scott ended up with a big cheering section. When I asked Scott why he was chosen to do this, he just shrugged his shoulders and replied "I'm the only one that they thought could throw the ball to home plate". Nice pun on the guys he works with. Hahaha! Scott joked about throwing the ball under hand or throwing it like a girl, but when it came down to crunch time he did awesome!

Here are a few pictures of us & the family at the game!!!

Above is Courtney showing us her surprise face.

Court was obsessed with Oggie the Dinosaur mascot. She loved watching him from a distant but as soon as he started coming towards her she started whimpering and got very nervous. Was hilarious to watch.

(For some reason the pictures of Jake & Logan would not down load. They were there and having a ton of fun).


Okay, so a quick update on Jake.... We made it through the first week of school! YEAH!!! Longest week of my life. The week sums up like this; lots of tears but also lots of talks, encouragement, baby steps, a visit with his teacher and a few bribes. By Friday Jake made it through the day doing everything by himself & with no tears. We are so proud of him. Now onto week two... wish us Luck!!!

Funny story.. Jake came home and told me how his friend Hunter was telling him that he thought a girl on the bus was HOT. Jake told me that he replied back "No she's not, she's not sitting in the sun"!!! I smiled really big but I did not laugh until Jake had left the room!! My sweet innocent little boy!!

JAKES FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Last night and today has been very emotional for me. Today was Jacob's first day of kindergarten. It feels like just yesterday he was learning to crawl up the stairs and now he is climbing on the bus going to school. Where did the time go??? Jake was so excited when he woke up this morning!! I kept asking him if he was scared and he replied back with a firm "no". In new situations Jake becomes very shy and nervous and will tear up. Scott and I tried to do everything we could to prepare him for this big day. We met his teacher a few times, visited his classroom, had play dates with kids in his class, talked about new friends, the bus etc... When walking to the bus stop I started panicking and wondering if I really had done everything I could to prepare him for today. My thoughts then went deeper and I started wondering if I had done everything to prepare him for life? Have I taught Jake everything I could in these 5 precious years? Is he prepared for our crazy world? Could I have been a better mom? Does he understand that he is never alone? Then regrets flooded my mind... I wish I had been more patient! I wish I hadn't got mad at him yesterday for spilling water! AHHHHHHHHHH!! Thankfully I only tortured myself with these thoughts for two minutes as that is how long it took us to walk to the bus stop. Do all Mom's go through this or am I just crazy????????

Here is Jake standing in line to get on the bus.

Getting Jake on the bus and into the school went really well. Scott & I followed the bus to the school & helped Jake find his class room and we got him settled with his teacher. Jake was very brave. We had no tears so I was feeling pretty good when I said my final goodbye.

Here is Jake on the bus. Such a cutie!!!

Here is Jake in his class room. The 4 hours he was gone felt like forever. I had a pit in my stomach the whole time praying non stop that everything was going well for him.

When I met Jake at the bus stop he gave me the biggest hug. He had the biggest & brightest smile on his face. I of course gave him the 3rd degree asking a million questions. From what I got out of him the day went great except for when he got lost at recess and couldn't find his class. Or when he got on the bus to go home and started to cry because he didn't know if the bus driver would take him to the right house. Oh my dear little boy!! I have had many talks with him through the day reassuring him that his teacher will take care of him and the bus driver will always take him home to the right house. I have also bribed him with a trip to the toy store tomorrow if he can make it through the day without crying. Yeah to bribes!!!

So, all in all we are being positive. A few scary moments and a few tears but we did it. We got through our first day of school. I am so proud of Jake and I am proud of me!! LOL!!

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Jacob

Last night as I was balling trying to grasp the concept of my baby going to school. I thought I would torture myself more and look at my photo albums. And yes, it made me cry even more. Here are a few of my favorites. These are dedicated to you Jake. I love you!!! And I am so proud of you!!!

This is when I met Jake for the first time. He was healthy and absolutely perfect. From the moment I met him and looked in his eyes I knew he was going to be someone really special.

This is Jake at 6 months old. He was

a happy baby, he had a ton of energy, loved to move, loved to smile, loved his milk and loved life!!

This is Jake at 1 1/2 years old. He is my best buddy. We had 4 years together when it was only Jake, Scott & I! They were really fun years!!

This is 3 year old Jake. He loved running, playing basketball, throwing balls. He is our little athlete. He was always (and still is) good at obeying us. I could always talk to him and reason with him. He is a very smart little boy.

Here is Jake at 4 years old. For everyone who knows Jake they can all tell you that there is really something special about him. He has a sweet, innocent and special spirit. He is always kind and loving to others. He tries to be and do the best at everything he does, whether its sports, learning etc...

Here is Jake at 5 years old. He is the best big brother to Coco. Jake is also the best helper to his Mom and Dad.

Today has definitely made me determined to enjoy life more, to play with my kids more, to listen more, to enjoy every second I have with them because time goes by too fast to not do these things.

SUPER DAVE!!!

We just got back from an overnight trip in Bear Lake to watch Scott's brother Dave do a Triathlon. Because it was a quick trip we left Court over night with my Mom and then had Tommy & Amber watch her the following day. Thank you to both of them!!

We had a blast camping with Scott's brother Dave and his family; Scott's sister Emily and her family and Scott's Mom. The next morning we woke up bright and early and cheered Dave on. It was amazing! He is a machine!!!

Scott & Jake hanging out at the campfire. Scott found a great campground East of the Lake. We had a huge windstorm in the night but with Scott's & my tent being so small & so low to the ground we were able to sleep through most of it. Yeah to small tents!!

Jake's cousins!!!

From left to right; Isabelle (3), Ben (9), Jake (5), Jaque (7), Josh (7) & Jaycee (5) (missing in picture Jane (3) )

Dave with Jake & his 3 darling little girls. At the time this picture was taken Dave had about 5 minutes until the race started.

Here is Dave coming out of the water. He was one of the first to come out, if you look closely you can see black dots which are all the other guys still swimming. They had to swim all the way to the red buoy and back. Go Dave Go!

Dave ran so fast from the water to the bicycle that I wasn't able to get a good picture. He made great time on the bike, when he rode by us he was so fast I only got a picture of the people standing across from us. Either my camera is really slow or Dave is super super fast. My guess is the later.

Here is Dave starting his run. The run is 3.1 miles.

Here is Dave crossing the finish line. He did so awesome & ended up coming in 4th place. I think their were around 60 guys in his race. This was his 9th triathlon this season and on average he placed in the top 5. He is definitely Super Dave!!

Scott congratulating his big brother!!

Dave's fans!!!!!


We spent the rest of the day swimming at my parents Condo, boating on Emily & Steve's new boat and playing Risk.

Before heading home we stopped for shakes, burgers & of course my fudge. Scott discovered the BEST Shakes in Bear Lake. Usually we get them at La Beaus but Scott found a little ice cream shop behind the Sinclair gas station. (The Sinclair gas station is next to Pickle Ville Play house). These shakes are made with real ice cream and are to die for. I don't even like ice cream and I thought they were good. If anyone goes to Bear Lake you have got to try these, you will not be disappointed!!!

HOUSE FOR SALE!!!!

Do you love it?????

Just a quick explanation of the pictures below...... This is Laura & Tyson's home. They have recently moved to Oklahoma & unfortunately their home here in Utah has not sold. They obviously had to bring their furniture with them, which unfortunately leaves their house empty. With this crazy housing market & trying to figure out how we can help, Heather & I came up with the idea of staging their home. So, with a lot of planning, borrowing & creativity, this is the end product. It was a lot of work as Heather & I had to move all the furniture by our selves but it was soooooooo much fun!!! We felt like we were on an HGTV episode!!!!

We are both thrilled with the end product. I just wish I had taken some before pictures so I could show the Before & After. Oh well.. hope you like!!!

The couch is from Mom & Dads basement with my old couch covers. The carpet is from Margaret Coles' house (my mother in-law), Heather bought the coffee table from the DI for $10 and refinished it. The decorations are from both my Moms house & my house.

Jake is standing in the front entrance!!! Looks great eh!!!

Courtney is sitting in the master bedroom. Look familiar?? Heather volunteered her bed & entire bedroom set. Poor thing is now sleeping on a single mattress on the floor of her bedroom. This was completely her idea and she has not complained once, she says it is totally worth it!! (We are still looking for a picture to go above the head board).



Jake is standing in the kitchen. I found the table on KSL for only $50. Heather & I drove to Kaysville to a Trailer Park to buy it. It was quite the adventure, a little scary & creepy but totally worth it. It looks like the table was made for this kitchen!!!












Nothing too exciting in this picture, just some pretty decorations to brighten the Kitchen!!



(I forgot to take a picture of the bathroom. We bought a shower curtain & new towels. It also looks awesome. I'll post it another time).


I had so much fun staging this home. So much fun that I am trying to figure out how I can do it again???? Do I know anyone else who is selling their home???? Do they need my help???? I will have to ponder this.........


XOXOXOXOOXOXOXO

So Many Adventures

I will start from the most current to the least current. We just got back from a quick weekend trip to Bear Lake with my family.

It was fun to go on one more vacation before the end of summer. Saturday was beautiful, we hung out on the beach, swam in the pool and 4 wheeled!

This is Jake with no sleep and too much sun!!! Jake went up early Friday with Heather, Logan and Justin. They went 4 wheeling for over 3 hours and Jake said it best "I had the time of my life!!!" The best story of the wheeling adventure was when Heather tipped the 4 wheeler, luckily it was all in slow motion and Jake had enough time to jump off safely. Heather ended up with a few scrapes and bruises but the funniest thing was after the crash Jake refused to ride with Heather and rode with Justin the rest of the time. Scott's only comment about all of this was "Smart Kid"!

My parents good friends from Canada spent the weekend with all of us. For some crazy reason Courtney was NOT on her best behavior. I don't know if it was the strange bed, not enough sleep, too many people or strange people but what ever it was, she was not our sweet little girl. I am betting the whole weekend my parents friends were thinking 'this girl is out of control'!! Ok, maybe she wasn't completely out of control but she was not completely in control either. She definitely wore me out but in between the whining and the crying we did have some really fun moments. Oh the joy of almost a two year old!!!

It was a little cloudy and rainy on Sunday but we made the best of it. Here is Heather and Coco playing in the park in between rain storms.

We had so much fun!!! Thank you Justin for bringing up your 4 Wheelers. I let Scott do all the driving and thankfully we did not crash!!!

Heather could not stop laughing at my dirty face. I attribute it to riding behind Justin & Heather and putting on fresh sun screen right before leaving. So beautiful!!!

Looking at this picture who would ever believe this precious little girl could be anything BUT an Angel ???

I tried to get a nice family picture of us on the beach, but with two tired & worn out children this is the best we could do!

The night before we left to Bear Lake we celebrated Aiva's 2nd Birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIVA!!! Aiva and Courtney are exactly 2 & a half months apart and are the best of friends and best cousins. We love you Aiva!!!! (must apologise about the picture, this was the best one out of all of them so you can imagine what the other pictures looked like).

Can you believe the hives on Courtney's back! For three days straight Courtney woke up each morning and each nap with large Hives. We gave her Benadryl but with each dose it seemed that the Benadryl would take longer and longer to kick in. I finally took her into Insta Care but to make a long story short, she was put on a 5 day steroid treatment and so far showing no more signs of Hives (knock on wood). As for the reason of Hives, we have no idea?????

Quick funny story.... I jokingly asked the doctor if Courtney would start growing facial hair (you know Steroids) he did not get my joke and took me completely serious. He then went on for a good 3 minutes explaining in detail in "Doctor language" why this would not happen with the kind of steroids and dosage he was prescribing. Idid everything in my power to keep a straight face and not bust up laughing!!!

It has been a crazy & fun few days. Until next time.....

Happy Late Birthday Logan!!!

Today we celebrated Logan's 7th Birthday! His real Birthday is July 20th, but because he was in Alaska on his real Birthday we celebrated his pretend Birthday TODAY!!! His awesome mom rented out Classic Water slides. They invited over 30 kids and had a great turnout. Everyone had so much fun! The weather was beautiful, the cake was delicious and the slides were a blast! A perfect party!!!!

(Laura, are you impressed with my picture taking??? LOL!!!)

Jake, Courtney and Logan getting ready to blow out the candles.

Court & Jake trying to warm up from the cold, cold, water.

So many friends!

Heather catching some of the kids coming down the water slide.

Jake making a splash! WOW!!!

Sarah & Coco.

Courtney didn't love the big water slides (thank goodness, because Laura wasn't here to take her down the icy cold water slides LOL!). This is where Court spent most of her time. The small, slow & dry slide.

Thank you Heather, we had so much fun! Happy Birthday Logan, we love you!!!