I can't believe it!

I am not sure if any of you know this but our kids are not the type of kids that fall asleep anywhere but their beds. Stacy and I have have even joked before at some of these TV commercials that show kids falling asleep on the floor or in front of the TV. The only way that has ever happened to us was when our kids were sick. Well that was until yesterday...

It was a busy Saturday. I had gotten up early and gone to the temple to assist our stake (It was a Stake temple weekend and they had a goal to get over 1,000 endowments done). After I got home Stace ran off with Madz and Coop to a primary activity, which left Rylez and me at home.

I decided to clean the house as Stace was going to try and come back and rush off to the temple (time permitting). Rylee did a great job of just following me around while I was cleaning and jabbering to me as if we were having a deep conversation.

After a while she decided to take her book and go sit in one of her favorite chairs (the banana chair) and look out the back window. I was vacuuming the floors and she was still there when I finished. She was just looking out the window and rocking the chair. I started mopping and when I finished with the front of the house I got to the kitchen and noticed the rocking had got a little slower. I sat there watching and all of a sudden her head dropped to the side and the book fell into her lap. I couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep, again that is not normal for our kids!!!!!

Of course, I couldn't resist so I grabbed the camera and took a couple of shots. Don't worry, after I took the shots I tilted the chair back and put her in a comfortable position!

Kids! Aren't they cute! Gotta love 'em!

HOW CUTE IS THAT?!

Rylee has begun to climb and climb and climb. The kid can't seem to get enough of it. I will turn my back for a minute and she is on top of something again. The only problem is that she doesn't always know how to get down. Well today as we were having a restful Sunday afternoon she started climbing all over Kev and "getting him". I took a few pictures and just had to share this one. I love it!! I can almost see the scrapbook page already!

FINALLY GONE!!

For years Madi has been waiting patiently - and not so patiently at times - for her first tooth to come out. It all started when her best friend, Brooklyn, back home lost her first tooth, and soon all her friends seemed to be loosing teeth left and right, but Madi still didn't have any that were even wiggling. Since she didn't get most of her teeth until after the age of one there was nothing to be concerned about as far as dentists were concerned. In fact, they kept telling us that it is better for your teeth if your permanent ones came in later. Somehow this didn't make Madi any happier at not having any holes in her mouth.

She has been waiting since then and finally a few weeks ago her bottom tooth had some pain and then at the beginning of last week it started to wiggle. On Friday when she came home from school she could push her tooth outward with her tongue almost all the way. About a half an hour after being home it finally came out. You should have seen the look on her face - pure joy!!! Finally the tooth fairy gets to come to our house!!!

I had found this book about a year ago and have been saving it for the big day. A book about the tooth fairy and a little special bag for her to put her tooth in so that it can be found easily and be exchange for some money. Of course the tooth fairy came during the night and brought one gold coin and a few silver ones. One lucky little girl!!!

Grandparent's Day :(

I felt so bad for Madi yesterday. It was grandparent's day at school and obviously her grandparents couldn't make the trip. She understand why, but it was still hard for her and she told me that she was a little sad when all her friends, but five others who also don't have grandparents close, got to show their grandparents the classroom. She and the others had to sit down and write letters to their grandparents instead. Just another sad moment when it comes to living far away. She was over it pretty quickly though so it must have not been too traumatic. She was excited to go to school today because it was mufti day - normal clothes!

However, next week Cooper has granparents day at his school - he wants to take a picture with him to show everyone his grandparents.

This is a picture of her fairy house she and a friend made last week. Cute huh. I got the idea from a scrappin' friend of mine who did a layout of her daughter's fairy house. So when Madi had a friend over and they were looking for something to do I told them to go and make a fairy house and they could use anything outside they found. Good thing that hole is still in the flowerbed from the birthday treasure hunt. It is still there waiting for fairies to inhabit it!

ARE WE CRAZY?

Last night we had all of these little girls at our house for a pajama birthday party. It was loud and hyper and fun!!! Each time another girl would arrive they would all start screaming. Several times the moms would say they could hear them all the way outside. Madi wanted pizza for dinner so that is what we ate. We played games like popcorn (I hit a bread pan with a wooden spoon and got faster and faster as the girls jumped each time I hit the pan), musical blankets, and of course pass the parcel. At the end we put in a movie and had treats. Here is my attempt at the castle cake Madi wanted. I didn't think it would be that hard - I was wrong. I got the wrong ice cream cones and it was too late to go and get others so they are a little tipsy. I guess it didn't really matter to the girls - they all thought it was the "coolest cake ever!" Madi told me, "It's good enough mom!" - still not sure exactly what that means. On Madi's actual birthday we had a nice quite dinner of her choice - kabobs and "curly" noodles. With a simple chocolate cake bought from the store. She also was so excited to finally get her doll house as well as her presents from her brother and sister.Let me tell you about this doll house. In July they do all their big toy sales here and give deep discounts. So I had been waiting for this doll house to go on sale. I ordered one early to make sure I got one, and then waited. Then one day we went to Target towards the end of the sale, and there was one there with a sign that said it was half the sale price because it was the display. There were a few pieces of furniture that were broken, but nothing a little wood glue wouldn't solve, so it became ours. The original doll house was $140.00 and it was on sale for $99.00, we got it for $49 - what a savings!!! Probably more than I would have paid in the States, but a huge deal for here!!! However, it was already put together and it was for Madi's birthday - remember we were all at the shops, including Madi. We told her that it was for her birthday but she had to wait until then to get it - mean huh? She had to wait an entire week - a week of torture I can assure you. The problem still remained, how were we going to get it home? We had to put it across the top of the seats in the van. Rylee was underneath it and Cooper and Madi had to push it so it wouldn't run into their faces in the back seat, while Kevin and I held on to it from the front seat. We made it home in one piece and had a very happy girl when she woke up on her birthday and found it in her room all set up and ready for her to play with when she got home from school.

Happy Birthday to Madz!!

We have been so blessed to have Madi in our family. She is full of spunk and fire and is such a happy, beautiful little girl. I have been so impressed with her friendship skills - she is kind to everyone and tries so hard to include everyone around her. She is a hard worker in school and is an above average student. Not only that she is working hard to be a better swimmer and learning how to play the piano. She brings joy and happiness to our family!! Happy Birthday princess buttercup!!

10 YEARS LATER...

Apparently Kev beat me to posting that today is our 10 year anniversary - which is funny because he doesn't usually post anything and I always tease him about that.

So yep 10 years ago today Kev and I were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. I can't believe all the adventures we have had since. We have had three adorable children, bought two houses, traveled a bit, and moved to another country. With all the ups and downs I wouldn't change anything. I love Kev with all my heart and half my liver and this love has continued to grow each and every day since that beautiful summer day 10 years ago.

Here are some photos from our wedding day. I am making layouts to get made into a bound book. These are some of my favorites!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Happy 10 year anniversary to my best friend! There is no place that I would rather be than here with you (where ever here may be - down under or up over!)!!!!

"Another turning point; a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist; directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test and don't ask why.

It's not a question but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life!"

I love you!

Kev

P.S. - Don't we both look good in our picture up above for being 10 years older and more mature!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

I love the Olympics. I love the unity they bring to countries all over the world. Two weeks events and good sportsmanship. Every time the Olympics start since 2002 I have a flood of memories of when they were in Salt Lake City for the Winter Olympics. Kev volunteered and got to watch bobsled and luge as he helped the photographers out on the platform. He even got to use his Japanese a bit which was fun for him. I remember the feeling when the torch passed through our little town of Eagle Mountain where we were living at the time. I bundled up little Madi who was only six months old and we went out early to watch as they reenacted the Pony Express carrying the torch down the old trail. Such fun memories!!

It has been a bit strange watching the preparation for the games in another country. I am so used to hearing biographies of U.S. athletes - not this time around. Now I know more about the Aussies though which is nice. I am also not sure who to cheer on - I want both the U.S. and Australia to do well in the games.

It has been fun to see so much of Beijing on TV as of late - it was just two years ago that Kevin and I stood at Tienaman Square and walked through the Summer Palace, as well as the Emperor's palace. We shopped at the dirt market and the silk market ,and bargained with the best of them. They were already making preparations at that time for the summer games to come to their country. My favorite memory of all time is when we walked on the Great Wall of China - a memory I will cherish always. What a remarkable wonder of the world!

I will be watching with the rest of the world for the next two weeks to see the best athletes in the world compete in a search for gold!

MEMORIES IN THE CORNERS OF MY MIND....

I saw this on my friend's blog and thought I would give it a try. Plus I am interested to see your comments.

1- As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember.

2- Next,re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. This has been so fun for me to remember things about my friends and to see what memories others have of them too.

WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LAUNDRY FIND THE LEMONS!

So the other day I was out taking down the laundry - this is something that I seem to have to do everyday - and I spied some lemons hanging over the fence from the neighbors tree. Since I had decided on chicken for dinner but wasn't sure how to prepare it the lemons fit right into my day!! After picking two lovely smelling lemons on my side of the fence I got to wondering if it was stealing. They were on my side of the fence, but the tree is not mine. What do you think? Did I steal those lemons? If I did than this is not the first time I have done it - am I a criminal? Well, the lemon chicken was a huge hit - Cooper even had three pieces!!!

Speaking of laundry the other day as I was out hanging up laundry I was thinking (that is one of the benefits of hanging out your laundry to dry you have time to ponder) and I realized that I don't hate it as much as I did when I first got here. I actually don't mind going out in the morning and hanging up the laundry amid the singing birds flying in the trees above me. It is actually quite peaceful. I also think that it is wonderful that I am doing my small part for the environment. So that night I told Kev that when we move back home that we need to put a clothes line in our backyard. You should have seen his face he said, "Who are you? and where is my wife?" Although thinking about it I realize that I would use a clothes line in the summer, but probably not long after that. As soon as winter hits and you can't hang your clothes outside anymore I would probably get out of the habit and remember why I love my dryer so much. So this is still up for debate. Kev thinks everyone would think we were crazy. Here it is normal to see someones laundry hanging up outside - but back home...not so normal. You may just see this in our backyard in the future....