Wright Family

Polar Express 2010

2011-02-24T17:33:00.004-07:00

Just because we can't get quite enough of trains in this family... we had to fit in The Polar Express this year. It was perfect timing right before the baby arrived. Crew was absolutely in heaven. He couldn't take it in fast enough. Good times...

More Fall Fun

2011-01-27T21:54:00.005-07:00

Jeremy had the great idea to take the boys ice blocking one night after the weather cooled down. We have some great videos of it. The boys were really confused about how this was all going to work, but got the hang of it pretty quick.

I found Crew and his friend Steele like this one day... what a life.

Da boys. Nice face Jacks.

And we have to visit the train park every fall break... it's a must with these boys. They won't let me forget it. It was actually still pretty hot that day. Look at those rosy cheeks!

Halloween

2011-01-27T21:36:00.004-07:00

I HATE when Halloween falls on a Sunday. It's one of my favorite days of the year, and it's just really crappy when not everyone is celebrating it or we're only doing some of the normal festivities. We had our ward "Trunk or Treat" and that was pretty much the extent of our Halloween activities. The kids had a great time and our ward is really fun, so I shouldn't complain. I just want it all... is that so wrong? Check out the cowboy pics down below... is it just me or is his face the most kissable thing ever? Probably just me.

I told Riggs and his friend Crew that this shot would definitely be going in their wedding videos.

Rocky Point 2010

2011-01-27T21:12:00.005-07:00

Every time we go to Rocky Point, we always wonder why we don't stay longer and why we don't go there more often. We hadn't been in a couple of years since things at the border had gotten crazy, but we just couldn't stay away any longer!

We've been trying to room with Dusty and Sally for years and finally made it work! It was so great. Sally and Devin enjoying a mango poolside. Doesn't get much better than that.

The beach seemed better than ever this year. After our trip to the Canary Islands just a month before, I honestly enjoyed the beach in Rocky Point much better. Maybe it was having my kids there, but the water seemed bluer, the sun was warmer, and there were a lot less nude people.

Crew loved the slide at the pool so we had to keep a life vest on him at all times. After the first day, his nipples were all chaffed, so we put chap stick and band aids on them on day 2. The rest of the trip he kept saying, "What happened my nipples?"

Worn out, sunburnt, happy boys

This is going to get blown up for a wall in our play room. Best cousins. They had all just bargained with the guys selling sunglasses on the beach and were pretty proud of themselves.

They spent hours in this shallow pool playing some seriously rough game. Someone always ended up crying (usually Riggs), but it never kept them from getting right back to it.

And here's the 7 month pregnant beached whale... no, not Jeremy:)

When the tide was out, they loved finding crabs and shells, and we even saw a seagull come right down and pick up a live sting ray.

Oh how we love you, Rocky Point!

Spain Trip 2010

2010-12-30T20:33:00.012-07:00

My parents had their 20 year mission reunion in September. Since being mission presidents in the Spain Las Palmas Mission, they've held reunions with their missionaries every fall in Utah. A few of their missionaries decided that for the 20th reunion they should do it in Spain. Jeremy and I were lucky enough to get to tag along. What an amazing trip--once in a lifetime.

My sweet mother-in-law was the only way we could take this trip. She flew down to stay with our kids. They had a great time and I'm so glad they got to spend that week with her.

This is the view from the mission home, the home that I lived in from ages 11-14.

The Parkers are a missionary couple that now live in the mission home. They were so nice to let us stay with them there in the former mission home. It hadn't changed much from my childhood memories. There's no longer a mission president in The Canary Islands. They belong to the Madrid mission now--so sad. There's only a few missionaries on all of the islands now, and there were around 150 when we lived there.

This is the same chapel that we went to when we lived there. This lady holding the baby was my best friend when I lived there. I went and stayed with her family for a week or so in the summer on another island as a little girl and we had the best time.

We went to 2 branches on Sunday and this is the Telde branch. Although there are a lot less people attending church than there were 20 years ago, I was amazed to see how faithful those members are who hold the whole branch together and run everything by themselves. Good people.

This man was a counselor to my dad and an amazing leader in the church. He had gone inactive years ago and my dad was determined to search him out. No one knew anything about him. Not the members or the missionaries. We drove around on our last night there looking for his apartment. My dad remembered where it was... which was a miracle. It was up on this hill with dozens of other buildings and all narrow one way roads. We almost gave up, but we found this family. It was such an incredible thing to see how much it touched them that he took the time to search them out. He had tears in his eyes and immediately recognized my dad. This was the best part of the trip for me.

We also found the first mission home that we lived in for the first year or so of the mission. Lots of memories...

The lady standing in the back is Sister Caceres. She and her husband and kids were the first family we really met when we arrived in Spain 20 years ago. They were so sweet to us and just took care of everything that we needed. We played with their kids and she helped my mom cook for the missionaries. My parents had heard that her husband had been in an accident and was paralyzed and that they had gone inactive over the years. Then they had recently heard that Sister Caceres had passed away. Anyway, we asked lots of people about them and there was a new address for them on the church records, but no one had seen or heard from them in years. One morning we wrote down the address and headed out to look for their family. We had hardly any trouble finding the place, and as we drove up to it there was a lady sitting out on the porch. My dad and I both said that it looked just like Sister Caceres. We were confused because we had all heard that she had passed away. Well.. we were misinformed. It was her. It was so great to see her after all these years.

This sand sculpture, although inappropriate, was so amazing. The detail in it was incredible.

This is "Triana" and it's just a little boardwalk where we used to go get chocolate croissants and walk around. Hadn't changed much.

Christopher Columbus' home on Gran Canaria

more mission home photos

We were driving through this small town and saw all these men and boys racing down a hill on whatever contraption they could come up with. It was really cute to see how the whole town was out watching and so excited about it.

After they did a temple session the missionaries went next door to the MTC where we had a testimony meeting and a reunion.

in front of the Madrid temple

Jeremy and I rented a car in Madrid because we wanted to drive out to Toledo, the first capital of Spain. We hadn't slept in about 24 hours and driving in Madrid is one of the craziest experiences of my life. We'll definitely go with taxis next time.

Toledo was amazing though...I wish we would have had more time there. The cathedral was absolutely enormous.

Such an amazing trip... I'm so glad we were able to make it happen.

What I would look like without a dentist...

2010-12-22T13:12:00.002-07:00

During this pregnancy I had 2 teeth break within a few months of each other. They're baby teeth that didn't have any permanent ones to grow in. They've been loose for about 20 years and just couldn't hold on any longer. Anyway, I had to get a photo for your viewing pleasure. My kids thought this was the best thing ever and wanted me to incorporate it into a Halloween costume. Jeremy called me "Honky Tonk".

Back to School

2010-12-22T12:49:00.004-07:00

Riggs started kindergarten this fall and has done pretty well so far--other than his streak of visits to the nurse's office. One of the first weeks of school, I was in helping out in Jackson's class and was in the office making copies. All of the sudden, I heard a scream down the hall and knew right away that it was Riggs. He and his teacher came around the corner and the side of his head was covered in blood. He wouldn't let anyone near him to clean him up or even look at it. I had to bring out the bribery big guns to finally calm him down. It wasn't too deep of a cut but man did it bleed. I still don't really know what the real story is of what happened. I've heard several different versions from different kids, and I'm pretty sure that they were all doing something they shouldn't have been and can't quite get their stories straight. Since then, he's figured out that he can go to the nurse whenever he wants to get out of something... I wish it would've at least taken him till first grade to figure that out.

Jackson's first day of 2nd grade. I hate how fast he's growing up.

Summer 2010

2010-12-20T13:28:00.015-07:00

Hamblin Reunion at Sherwood Forest

Cousin Swap

One of our families' very favorite things about summer--corn on the cob and tomato sandwiches--the watermelon's not bad either.

Fun with our neighbor's boys

Girls Camp

At the lake for FHE

Nana's Camp

Father's DayAt a park in Utah with Steve and Shauna's family

At Park City, we rode up on the ski lift to do the Alpine slides. Jackson and Riggs were on the chair in front of us with Uncle Steve and Dalton. All of the sudden, we see one of Riggs' shoes fall off his foot. While we're yelling at Riggs that he lost a shoe, Crew proceeded to take one of his shoes off and throw it. So we ended up with 2 kids with one shoe each. Nice.

This summer was completely packed from start to finish--not that we have a very long summer break here... only about 2 months. It started off with having a cousin swap with Kristen's kids. Jackson went to St. Johns and Charlie and Briton came to Queen Creek. Kristen and I used to do the same things in the summers when we were kids. We swapped back the next week at the Hamblin Reunion at Sherwood Forest, which is always a great time. The kids love being with all of their cousins that they don't get to see very often.

The next week I headed off to girls camp with my young women, which is always an amazing experience. I love going to girls camp. It's always a lot of work and very little sleep, but the quality time I have to spend with the girls is so great.

After that we packed up and headed to Utah. We got to stay at Uncle Steve's new house in Pleasant Grove and spend a day with him and his new wife Shauna and their kids before heading up to Idaho to "Nana's Camp". Jeremy's mom had all of her grandkids at their cabin for a few days, and she had such fun things planned for each day. They went on hikes, made bird houses and all kinds of crafts, played tons of games, went swimming, and had a blast being together. She's such a fun grandma.

After that we decided to go up to St. Johns for the 24th celebration and Jeremy's birthday. He wanted to kill a few prairie dogs, and since it was his birthday, I couldn't say no. Plus, I really wanted to see Kristen and her kiddos.

Whew... that just made me tired.

Riggs' 5th Birthday and Preschool Graduation

2010-12-06T15:30:00.004-07:00

I feel like I haven't really been keeping up very well on anything during this entire pregnancy. I'm being induced in 6 days, and I haven't posted anything on here since I found out I was pregnant. I'm having one last burst of "nesting" energy and trying to get caught up on EVERYTHING before baby boy #4 arrives in a few days. Here's a photo update from the last 9 months! This is for scrapbooking/journal purposes, so please excuse the excessive photos.

I promise that this is really what Riggs asked to do for his birthday. He loves having lunch at IKEA and then going to the play place. Well, call me crazy, but I'm not going to insist on doing a party or anything that takes more effort than that if he's happy with an IKEA outing. He brought his friend Crew, and they had a great time.

San Diego

2010-05-03T16:17:00.007-07:00

We took the boys to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and the Wild Animal Park. We also managed to get a couple hours in at the beach. Very fun, but so exhausting. The kids wore us out... but I guess we'd never do anything or go anywhere if we weren't willing to get worn out.

They have 2 baby elephants that were just a couple of weeks old--so cute.

We stayed with my Aunt Squeaky (not her real name...but that's what we've always known her as). Our kids got a real kick out of her name. She was so nice to let us turn her life upside down for a few days with all the wild boys. Riggs really bonded with her. The first thing he said the morning after we got home was, "I'm missing someone in California. And her name is Aunt Squeaky".

Riggs looks like he got caught in the act here. Who knows what he was up to.

Crew was a little too loving in the petting zoo.

Chancho...

2010-05-03T16:13:00.002-07:00

Jackson started soccer a couple of weeks ago, and at the first game, Riggs starts cheering, "Go Chancho!" He was apparently cheering for this husky little guy on the other team. What a clown.

All 3 boys insisted on being fully clad in soccer attire that day.

Easters at Aunt Julie's house

2010-05-03T15:38:00.005-07:00

Good times... cousins, Easter egg hunt, candy, trampoline.... what else could they ask for?

Colton borrowed Crew's shorts to get in the pool. Yes, Crew's shorts. He couldn't get them zipped, but I was pretty impressed--they're a size 3!

As soon as Crew's shorts were off, we couldn't keep any of his other clothes on-- or diaper for that matter. We finally just gave in and let him streak at the Easter dinner.

Uncle Devan

2010-05-03T12:37:00.002-07:00

Jeremy's brother Devan was living with us for a little bit and the boys LOVED it. They had such a good time playing rough with him. I heard Jackson talking to one of his friends about his "big friend" who lives with him and jumps on the trampoline with him.

We had a little birthday party for Devan and the boys picked our some stuff at the dollar store for his new house.

Jackson's 7th Birthday

2010-05-03T12:28:00.002-07:00

We put candles in everything the birthday kid eats all day. So Jackson started his day with birthday toast. Jackson's birthday always falls during Spring Break, so he gets a whole day of fun.

Then he got to go to Jumpstreet and a movie with Paige, Ty, Dusti and his brothers.

He finished off his day with cake and ice cream at Grandma's house.

Riggs' first organized sport

2010-05-03T11:43:00.002-07:00

This kid is something else. He has been constantly annoyed that Jackson has done all kinds of sports and insisted that he needed to be "signed up" for something. So...reluctantly, I signed him up for soccer, and he was thrilled. He spent most of his time every game entertaining his teammates and trash talking the other team. I heard him say things like "Let's get this party started guys!" while out on the field. He wasn't ever too concerened about where the ball was or what was really going on in the game. His main priority was keeping everyone laughing.

My baby is 2!

2010-05-01T17:11:00.007-07:00

Lots of random pictures from the first couple weeks of February here. The weather is always amazing in February so we end up getting to do lots of fun stuff outside.

Crew spit all over this cake while blowing out the candles. All of his cousins were asking for corner pieces where there was no spit.

The boys got to skip school and spend a day at the zoo on Crew's b day.

They found a little squirrel wandering around and were way more interested in him than in the other animals.

The stingrays were a big hit for Jackson and Crew, but Riggs got splashed right off the bat, and he was ticked.

London's Run

2010-02-12T15:01:00.003-07:00

About mid-December, Kristen and her family were down visiting, and she told me she was training for the half-marathon for London's Run on January 30th. When she asked me to do it with her, I just laughed. I'd never run more than 5 miles at a time at that point. I don't know what came over me that next week, but I decided I was going to do it. I had 3 weeks to get ready (should have been about 3 months). I think I experienced almost every setback I could (blisters, side cramps, knee pain, back pain, etc). The furthest I ran before the race was 10 miles, so I was really, really nervous about the 13.1 miles. I could NOT sleep at all the night before. Amazingly enough, I finished it without walking. I wasn't very fast at all, but it felt so good to finish something that I NEVER thought I could and had never even considered. Anyway thanks for the push Kris. I would never have done it without you!

There are some more photos at this site that I'm too cheap to actually buy. :)
http://sportshots.exposuremanager.com/p/1000am-1030am_lr_2010/1027_20100130102715_1731_63_2_4

New Years in the Snow

2010-02-12T14:51:00.004-07:00

We spent New Years Eve and Day sledding with our good friends, The Brooks. There was a ton of snow, and we found a really good hill for sledding. The only problem was that if you got going too fast, you'd end up in the middle of the street (which happened to me more than once). We ate tons of yummy food, played in the snow, warmed up with hot chocolate, played games, watched movies...you know, all the good stuff. Good times were had by all.

Riggs got his head stuck in the railing, which was no surprise at all.

Crew had had enough with the snow and was taking it easy watching movies.

The kids spent one evening jumping from the top bunk to a bed below. A few fell off the bed; some hit their heads on the ceiling, but this activity never lost its appeal.

Family Photos

2010-02-09T16:43:00.004-07:00

It's always an exhausting experience to get everyone ready for family pictures and begging everyone to smile for the camera, but it's always worth it in the end (except when I'm pregnant--nothing's worth that) :)

Just a Quick Update...

2009-12-29T21:29:00.005-07:00

I haven't given up on blogging completely, but I'll tell you what, December has kicked my hiney (sp?). If I never go to Walmart again, it will be too soon. I love all of the fun that the holidays bring, especially Christmas, but I must admit, as soon as the evening of the 25th rolls around, I'm ready to be done with all things merry. Much to Jeremy's dismay, I had him taking down all of the lights on the house along with the Christmas tree early Saturday morning. I like to start Christmas early, (the day after Thanksgiving normally, but I was especially anxious this year and was pressured by my kids to start a week earlier), but I also like to end it when it's over.

We managed to fit in everything we had planned, minus a vist to the temple lights (but I got to go with the young women). We started out December with a trip to Idaho to welcome Jeremy's parents home from their mission in Hawaii (I think I would've asked for an extension if I were them rather than coming home to freezing Boise in December). It was great to see everyone on the Wright side of the family and meet 2 new babies, Melody and Grayson.

The next weekend we had my favorite cousin, Kristen and her family, come stay with us to go to our Hamblin Christmas party. Their visit was MUCH too short. We loved having them, and our kids had a ball with their 4 cute little ones.

Jeremy made a hunting trip to New Mexico with Travis and Lance and his boys. They stayed with Jay and I'm surprised Jeremy ever came home. If I were half the woman Kimberly is and could handle life on the range, he'd move us in a heartbeat.

The next couple of weeks were pure chaos, without one day on the calendar that wasn't full to the brim with errands, deliveries, and festivites. Exhausting, but so fun. We had a great FHE at Lori and Nelson's house the Monday before Chrismtas and were able to put together a package for Justin, whose serving in Denver, Colorado. Then we visited a nursing home and the kids put on the nativity and we sang Christmas carols. We hadn't rehearsed at all, and Jeremy was making up his own words to most of the carols. We'll do better next year. We even got to have a snowball fight at Dusty and Sally's house. He went and got "snow" from an ice-skating rink and brought it to their front yard. So fun. We visited the train park in Scottsdale, which, even though it is always a long wait in the cold if you go the week of Christmas, it's worth it. Crew was in heaven. He's in the "train-obsessed" stage that all of our boys have gone through.

We had our traditional chinese dinner at Shangri-la on Christmas Eve (even though Lori and Nelson's family ditched us and went to Rocky Pointe-they started this tradition) with Julie and Roger's family, Troy and Leigh and my parents. Then we went to see Christmas lights and got home early so the elf could come drop off the kids' jammies and then off to bed. Christmas morning was great. The kids slept till almost 8--a Christmas miracle! We had my parents, Dust and Sal and Leisel and Christian over for a delicious brunch. The rest of the day was spent at home napping, playing, and eating. We didn't get out of our PJs till about 5pm. Riggs wanted to try out his new bike, so we went on a ride then. Within 24 hours, the training wheels were off, and he now says he's ready for Kindergarten!

Riggs and Jackson were very proud when they finished their giant puzzle.

Such good food. I didn't want to stop eating all day, so I never did.

Crew calls anyting with Lightning McQueen a "mmmmm, mmmmm". He didn't want to get off Riggs' new bike for quite awhile.

Waiting patiently for the train ride.

First great grand child, Graham. He's such a doll.

The cutest little nativity kids ever.

All the cousins singing for Santa to come at the Hamblin party.

I've been bundling the boys up when I go jogging lately. You can see how thrilled Riggs is about the whole process.

I guess this wasn't just "a quick update" after all. Oh well.

2009-11-11T14:42:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Halloween 09

2009-11-06T20:33:00.007-07:00

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I don't know if it's because it's finally cool enough to be outside or if it's because it's the start of the holiday season or what exactly, but I love it. Actually what I think it is is that my kids love it. They love every detail of it. They love the decorations (not that I do much), but as soon as anyone starts to get any holiday stuff in front of their doors, my kids are on me about doing ours. They love picking out costumes. They love making treats for neighbors. They love picking out their pumpkins and decorating them. They mostly love the get-together and trick-or-treating on Halloween night with all of their cousins. In fact, we were going to go to a Halloween party going on at the park by our house for an hour or so before the family party this year, and our kids were actually begging us to skip that party so they could get to the cousins sooner.

Riggs had been to this pumkin patch before with his pre-school and was so excited to show us all around. He especially loved the maze and since it was so dark when we were there, he told us he peed in the maze since no one could see him. (lovely)

Riggs pre-school put on a little performance of Halloween songs for the parents. I love his teachers and he has such good friends in his class.

This is definitely one of my favorite pictures of my 3 boys. What I love about it is that you can see EXCITEMENT written all of their faces. Let the candy start rolling in!

Basketball

2009-11-06T20:14:00.003-07:00

Jackson finished up basketball and is onto baseball for now. He was one of the youngest ones on the team, but didn't seem to mind. I never got any decent pictures of him, and I was feeling very guilty about this, but then I remembered what I went through each game just trying to keep Crew off the court, and I don't feel so guilty any more. Sorry Jacks!

He improved so much this season, and to say Jeremy was a proud papa would be the understatement of the year. He's pretty much beaming when he watches any of his boys play sports. I think he'll have plenty of that over the next 15 years or so... :)

Newport Beach

2009-10-05T20:38:00.007-07:00

A few weeks ago, we rented a house with 4 other families (all guys who did the MBA program with Jeremy). I think there were 12 kids, all under age 6. The beach was so nice, even though I hardly got in the water. I like it to be at least 90 degrees outside when I swim. It was in the low 80's most of the time we were there, but that didn't stop the kids from playing in the water for hours on end. They got pretty fried, but never complained.

The last night we were there, Riggs was begging to ride the Ferris Wheel. So we did--and I got sick. The things you do for your kids...

The kids had this volleyball that they threw out into the ocean over and over to watch the waves bring it back up. This is what they did for like 90% of the time we were there.

There was a little park right on the beach that we went to one day. Crew especially enjoyed this.

This is one of my favorite pictures of these 2. Jackson is so sweet to Crew.

Can you tell that putting their arms around each other was not their idea?

POPSICLES!

We walked out to the end of the pier one night and got shakes at Ruby's Everyone loved it--that is--everyone except for Crew. Look at that face!

What the?

Rosy Cheeks

I told them to put their heads down by Crew for the picture. Love it.

We rented this "bike" one morning and rode around for an hour. We even took it on the little Ferry over to Balboa Island. Jeremy and I were both too tall for it.

What a couple of Studs

2009-09-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Day at the Lake with Grandad and Uncle Travis

2009-09-02T15:34:00.005-07:00

We never got to the lake over summer break, but we did take Jackson out of school one day on his first week to go. The boys loved cliff jumping and feeding the ducks. Crew was a beast, but it was worth it.

Watch Out Preschool...here we come!

2009-09-02T15:28:00.003-07:00

Riggs and his good buddy Crew on their first day. We were in the ER the night before after Riggs had a little crash on the quad with his cousin Chandler. He sliced his eyelid open right in the crease of it. It was deep enough that I could see his eyeball through the cut, but because it was in the crease, it started sealing together really fast, and he didn't need any stitches. He went to school the next morning and was so excited to show everyone his battlewound.

He also informed me after school that day that he has 2 "grill" friends. I think one of them is Mrs. "Lalleman". He loves her.

This kid is going to KILL us

2009-08-05T14:36:00.003-07:00

A couple of days ago, I had just finished making dinner when the phone rang. The kids were being so loud that I couldn't hear at all, so I went into the laundry room and held the door closed until I was off the phone. When I came out, this is what I found.

He was enjoying it though, even off the ground. Needless to say, we ate out that night.

It doesn't get any better than...

2009-08-05T14:20:00.002-07:00

cereal and buddies after school

"Mom, do I have to?"

2009-08-05T13:23:00.004-07:00

He wasn't thrilled to get his picture taken on his first day of 1st Grade, but Jackson was very excited to see all of his friends and ride his bike to school. We've had such a great summer and I have loved having him home with the other boys. He's such a great helper to me and friend to Riggs and Crew, so I hated letting him go. What I really hate is how fast he's growing up.

Riggs climbed out of bed sleepy-eyed right before Jackson left for school. Next year it's your turn Riggles!

Elder Justin Hamblin...

2009-08-02T14:54:00.003-07:00

The first missionary grandchild in my family left last Wednesday to the Denver Colorado North Mission. He is going to be fabulous, and his killer smile will definitely help him get into some doors. We are so proud of him and can't wait to hear how he's doing so far.

Jensen, Justin, Jake, and Colton (4 good lookin' brothers)

Pioneer Day (also Jeremy's b-day) in San Juan

2009-07-29T15:56:00.007-07:00

It had been too many years since I'd spent the 24th in St. Johns. Now that we've taken the kids to all of the festivities, I don't think they'll ever let us skip it again. We stayed with Aunt Tricia and Uncle Jay, and the boys were in heaven playing with Kristen and Chuck's 3 boys, Parker, Charlie, and Briton. When we left, Riggs was in tears, and Jackson hasn't stopped asking me when we're going back. Thanks for all the fun guys!

Parker and the "Mutton bustin" at the rodeo

Riggs decided to ride last minute, and was only wearing a swimsuit. He was very proud of his battle wound and his prize money.

Jackson and Parker sword fighting at the park.

The boys loved the irrigation ditch in front of Kristen and Chuck's house.

Crew and Jane. He only weighs about double what she does even though they're only 2 months apart.

They even got to ride a float at the parade.

Brit and I were seriously bonded. We wanted to take him home with us, but couldn't talk his mom into it.

4th of July--warning: long post below

2009-07-09T15:23:00.006-07:00

Our good friends, Mandy and Theron, invited us to spend the weekend with them at the Whiting Homestead. I used to go there with Mandy when we were little, and I hadn't been in at least 15 years. Our boys were in heaven. They got to camp out in a tent, go to a parade, get as dirty as possible, eat tons of junk food, catch horny toads and chipmunks, and play with their buddies. It was great to get out of the heat too. Thanks for a fun weekend guys!

Crew loves this little blanket from the hospital. On the drive up, he wouldn't take it out of his mouth. It kind of grosses me out. I have to wash it all the time because he drags it everywhere.

The boys loved this rope swing they have on a super steep mountain. It's been there forever. We used to play on it when I would go with Mandy when we were little.

Horny Toad-the boys were obsessed when they heard that they shoot blood out of their eyes.

There were chipmunks everywhere, and Jeremy was determined to catch one. This is his trap.
It was funny because after he caught it, he put a rock on top so it wouldn't get out until Ty got there to see it. A few minutes later, they went back and lifted it up, and the chipmunk had dug it's way out.

Mandy's brother Morgan and sister Angela made us breakfast at the parade. First class service!

We were all too tired to drive to the fireworks show, so the boys got glow sticks and hung out in the tent. We were sitting out on the porch playing games, and we heard one of the kids start screaming. Then we heard all of them join in. We went over there and the tent was shaking and there was a full-on brawl going on inside. When they all finally calmed down enough to talk, Jackson told us that Riggs and Ty started talking about wrestling, then Riggs punched Ty and Ty bit Riggs. Those 2 are both super strong willed, stubborn, and hot-tempered. Neither of them was backing down. They were so mad at each other, but in the morning, they were buddies again. It was pretty funny.
We had a picnic on Greens Peak on Sunday afternoon--10,000 feet up

Utah Cousins

2009-07-09T15:10:00.004-07:00

We had Jeremy's sisters, Jenny and Kassie, and their 4 little ones stay with us for a week in June. I think they all got heat stroke, but other than that, we had a blast. They were so brave to drive the 13 hours straight from Lehi with all those kids. I don't think I could do that with just Crew, to say nothing of all of our boys. We're so glad they came, and want them to come again when the weather's good!

Father's Day--very belated

2009-07-09T14:58:00.004-07:00

Even though it's very late, I need to post a little about my hombre here for Father's Day. I'm so lucky that I can't think of a single thing I would change about the kind of dad Jeremy is. He would rather spend time with our boys than anything. He loves to take them with him whenever he's running errands on the weekends, and tries to do lots of one-on-one stuff with them. If we're ever going anywhere in 2 cars, they would all rather go with him (Jackson will sometimes come with me because he thinks I'll feel bad if I'm all alone).

Anyway, I hope these boys know that they are 3 lucky little guys to have him for their dad.

Can you tell Jeremy got to sleep in (cute bed-head).

Crew thought this "Backyardigans" card was the best thing ever. I don't think he let go of it for a good 2 hours after Jeremy opened it.

Master Bedroom

2009-06-18T21:13:00.005-07:00

So I'm finally going to get some bedding for our room, and I need some help deciding. Jeremy doesn't want anything too "girly", so here are my finalists. What do you think?

Hamblin Reunion 2009

2009-06-15T13:38:00.005-07:00

We spent this past weekend at the "Sherwood Forest" with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. Our kids had the best time playing with cousins they don't get to see very often.

Crew was a wild man, as usual. Jeremy and I were completely wiped out after chasing him around the camp for 3 days.
The boys caught a snake and thought they were pretty cool.

Riggs, Jackson, Harvey, Trader, Dylan

Harvey, Charlie, Riggs

My funniest Aunt Weezy and Uncle Kenny

My mom, Aunt Tricia, and Colten

Dalton and Colton

They made rockets with the kids and let them launch them off. It was super cool. I'm going to have to try this with my cub scouts.

Basketball sidelines

Riggs and my cousin, Kent, got started off on the wrong foot. Right after we got there on Friday, they started teasing each other. Riggs took it a little far when he got a bucket full of sand and threw the whole thing at Kent. Kent picket him up by his ankle and dipped his head in a bucket of water. Riggs lost it after that and was ready to fight. It took awhile, but they were friends again the next day. What a little punk of a kid I have.

Zoo Day

2009-06-15T13:27:00.004-07:00

It has been an unusually cool June here (high 80's to low 90's for the past couple weeks), so we're still able to do some outdoor stuff besides swimming. Mandy and I took our boys to the zoo last week. They have so much fun together.

Ty and Riggs

Mandy and Jonathan

The kids probably liked the splash pad more than they liked seeing the animals.

Riggs and his zoo map--he and Jackson both love maps

Red

2009-06-04T15:48:00.003-07:00

My cousin, Kristine (aka, "Red") , who I haven't seen in over 10 years, came to visit with her husband, Adam, last week. We had the best time with them. She and I were roomates at Ricks College, and haven't seen each other since. Life has been crazy, but there's no excuse for that! Anyway, we found that we really haven't changed all that much, other than she says I dress a lot more feminine than I did in college (I was kind of a slacker). We spent most of the day memorial day swimming at Steve's house and talking about old times. It was great.

The latest...

2009-05-26T19:49:00.005-07:00

Jackson finished t-ball. Yes, he had a couple of girls on his team. Riggs was much more upset about this than Jackson.

Sunday morning bonding time

Crew has started posing and saying "eeeesss" every time I get the camera out.

My first great nephew, Graham, got to come on the mother's day weekend with all the girls. He and Jace, Dusty and Sally's baby, were so fun and sweet. They almost made me ready for another one (but not quite).

Riggs and his teacher, "Mrs. Fweeeman".

His other teacher, "Mrs. Lalleman".

Singing his heart out at his graduation program.

He had just gotten over the devastation of having to wear a shirt with buttons on it for his graduation. Nothing pisses this kid off more than buttons.

Jackson and his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Lalama.

Jackson and his posse.

School's out. Now what?

Riggs' 4th B-day

2009-05-14T15:36:00.002-07:00

Riggles' birthday was mostly celebrated in California. At home on his actual birthday, I took him to get a marble game he's been wanting, and made him strawberry shortcake. If you know Riggs, you know how funny this kid is and how much he makes all of us laugh. He's grown up a lot lately, and I hate it. I told him I wanted him to stay 3, and he said he'd turn 4, but then that's it. :) If only...

California Trip

2009-05-14T15:08:00.001-07:00

Two days after Sedona, we headed off to California with Jackson and Riggs. Crew was not invited, and luckily, Ashley and Shane (my newlywed niece and her husband), were willing to come stay with him. I can't believe they're still speaking to us. :)
It was only about 75 degrees outside, but we couldn't keep the boys out of the water. We really wanted to rent a beach house after spending a couple of hours here.

We climbed out on the rocks, and the boys found tons of crabs and even some starfish.

We finally made it to the hotel, and the boys were so glad to be out of the car. While Jeremy was checking us in, the boys were wrestling in the backseat. Can you tell the hug is fake in the bottom photo?

Jackson loved the pool. While we were at Knott's Berry Farm the next day, he said, "Can we just go back to the pool at the hotel?"

Don't Nelson and Jeremy look comfortable on this ride?

This is Riggs hiding under the table when we tried to make him hug Snoopy.

Anniversary-8 years

2009-05-14T14:55:00.005-07:00

I'm sad that we forgot our camera because Sedona is so gorgeous, but we still had the best trip for our anniversary. We were only gone about a day and a half, but it was enough to relax and enjoy time away from the kiddos. We stayed at a really cute bed and breakfast that we'd been to 5 or 6 years ago. Other than running into a ginormous rattle snake on our hike, we had an awesome time. (That was probably Jeremy's highlight of the trip). The weather was perfect, and it was such a nice getaway. Thank goodness for awesome friends and family who help with our boys when we need a quick night away!

Kristen and Chuck, we're planning on Hawaii for our 10 year, so get ready to eat a lot and we'll plan our babies accordingly:)

Easters...

2009-04-23T15:07:00.006-07:00

You have to be a Nacho Libre fan to get the "Easters" reference.

The best part about Easter this year was my first "great nephew" was born! That makes me sound REALLY old. Brooke and Amron had Benjamin Graham on Easter Sunday, and we got to go see him that night. He has TONS of hair, and everyone is in love with him.

Miss Carter and Miss Gabby

2009-04-23T14:53:00.002-07:00

My cousin, Holly's, little girls came to play the other day, and my boys had the best time with them, even though Riggs claims he doesn't like "grills". They played so good all day, and I kept checking on them, wondering how they could possibly entertain themselves for as long as they were, but that, my friends, is the difference between boys and "grills".

Nothing says "I'm sorry" like roses...

2009-04-23T14:50:00.001-07:00

They were gorgeous for a whole week, so they kept Jeremy out of the dog house for at least that long...

Elder Holland's message

2009-04-13T11:01:00.002-07:00

I always anticipate Elder Holland's and President Eyring's talks at General Conference. President Eyring is always so tender and personally connected to the messages he gives and the power of Elder Holland's testimony brings me to tears every time I hear him. I love that we live in a time of prophets and apostles and was especially touched by Elder Holland's message this past conference. In Sunday School yesterday, the teacher showed part of the talk set to music and images. Just thought I'd share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc

Ashley's Wedding

2009-03-30T18:45:00.008-07:00

My niece Ashley got married on Friday, and it was such a perfect day. The weather was gorgeous, and since they had the reception in their yard, everyone was crossing their fingers for a nice day.

Waiting outside the Temple

Brooke and Amron---yes, they're expecting their first baby in a couple weeks, and I was posting about their wedding only 10 months ago. They don't waste any time--isn't Brooke beautiful?

Ashley had the most

gorgeous dress--she looked amazing.

In my opinion, this is my friend April's best cake ever!

My niece, Sydney, at the candy bar--it was so cute.

Crew was crusin' for chicks on the dance floor.

Kelsee, such a cute bridesmaid.

It got a little chilly after the sun went down, but they had some firepits to warm up with.

Daddy/daughter dance

Molly, one of the cutest, sweetest little girls I know.

Paige and Riggs

Crew's First Hair Cut

2009-03-26T14:25:00.007-07:00

I've been dreading getting it done because of what a wild man he is, but Crew was surprisingly good for his first hair cut. Riggs kept saying, "His hair looks like an old man" and cracking up while Crew was getting his hair cut. It was pretty funny.

Before (reading GQ)

After ("I'm sexy")

Neighbor Friends

2009-03-26T14:08:00.003-07:00

We moved out here almost a year and a half ago, and our kids have made such good friends. There are so many boys their ages right on our street, and they all just kind of go from one house to the next all day.

Graham crackers and milk...life is good.

Jackson's 6th B-day

2009-03-22T18:35:00.011-07:00

He's not officially 6 until tomorrow (the 23rd), but we partied all weekend with this kid. We took the boys swimming at Hamilton Pool on Friday, our first swimming day of the season. Then we had a party for him at a really fun park with lots of bike trails. All of the kids he invited brought their bikes, and they had a blast. They had a water balloon fight, which was good, because it was a really hot day. If you're wondering about the American flag cake, I really don't have an answer. We were at Costco last week and decided to order a cake for his party. He was looking through all the designs and was totally set on the American flag cake. He's a very patriotic 6 year old. I forgot to take candles to his party, so we had the rest of his cake today and he got to blow out his candles then. Anyway, it was a great way to end spring break. Both Jackson and Riggs go back to school tomorrow. Jackson has been such a good help being home the last two weeks, and I told him I'm not ready for him to go back to school, but he informed me that he is.

Crew all ready thinks he can swim and doesn't want us holding him

This sprinkler toy was a present Jackson got from one of his friends. The boys are going to wear this thing out this summer.

Those of you who know me well know that I'm absolutely in love with this kid. He can melt my heart and is so sweet to me and his brothers. He's growing up too fast, and I love every minute of being his mom.

Crew's B-Day

2009-02-17T16:10:00.008-07:00

We had everyone over for crepes and cupcakes on Sunday night for Crew's b-day. He's getting his molars and has been a beast for the last few weeks, so even though he didn't enjoy it that much, we were still able to celebrate with food and family.

Jeremy's pride and joy...

2009-02-17T16:02:00.005-07:00

In light of all star weekend, Jeremy decided to photograph Jackson in all his glory. It's so funny how Jeremy notices all the details. He kept telling me, "Look at Jackson's feet" or "Look at his form in this one". Anyway, even for someone very unathletic like me, it's easy to tell how natural sports come to Jackson. All those 2 need is a basketball, a trampoline and a camera for some serious father-son bonding time.

Roller Skating

2009-02-17T15:45:00.003-07:00

I used to love to roller skate as a kid and roller bladed quite a bit as a teenager. I was not very coordinated and hurt myself pretty bad at least once---BUT, I don't remember it being so incredibly hard to learn the first time. We took the boys to Skateland with Dusty and Sally a few weeks ago, and it was so ridiculous. Jeremy sat out with Crew, which if you know Crew, was a full time job. Neither Jackson or Riggs has ever skated, but I really thought they'd catch on quick. Boy was I wrong. By the time we were done I felt like I'd done the hardest bicep workout of my life. Riggs never made it around the rink once, and I held Jackson's hand the whole time, not just to give him balance, but to literally hold up all 40 something pounds of him, since his feet were slipping out from under him at lest once every 5 seconds. WOW! Jackson's been asking to go back ever since, but it'll be awhile before I can gear up to that again.

Picnic with Riggles--LOVE this kid

2009-02-17T15:40:00.003-07:00

A Boy After My Own Heart...

2009-02-17T15:36:00.002-07:00

The other day Crew pulled an entire chocolate cake off of the counter and immediately dove in with both hands. As much as he liked the cake, he hated being all sticky. For some reason, all of our boys hate it when they have anything on their hands. Anyway, it made for a good picture.

Thanks to Riggs...

2009-02-17T14:41:00.003-07:00

Riggs was getting out of his crib when it was at the lowest possible setting by the time he was about 18 months. We had to get a crib tent to trap him in. The other day, Crew woke up from a nap screaming, and when I went in, he was on the ground. I couldn't believe it. At 11 months I figured we still had quite awhile before that would start happening. Luckily, we still had a few notches to lower his mattress, but I'm sure he's been watching Riggs when they play in there together. Thanks Riggs!

Let it Snow!

2008-12-30T10:02:00.015-07:00

I think this was definitely our kids' best Christmas yet. After opening presents Christmas morning, we packed up and headed for Flagstaff with my mom and dad, Steve and his kids, Lori and Nelson and Chandler and Paige, and Dusty and Sally's family. There was SO much snow, and the house we stayed at had a little hill in the backyard for sledding that the kids loved. We tried to ski one day, but it was way too crowded. The kids were actually happy that they could just go back and sled all day in the back yard. Jackson could not get enough--I don't know if he just never got really cold or what, but he never wanted to come in. Riggs was much happier just playing the big boys' video games inside.

Ho. Ho. Ho.

2008-12-29T21:16:00.006-07:00

The highlight of Christmas this year for our boys was singing at the Hamblin family Christmas party, which is funny because nothing had been rehearsed or planned. Both Jackson and Riggs absolutely love the spotlight. Ever since they first realized it was Christmas time, they've been asking when they get to perform. I'm going to figure out how to get the video on here, because this year Riggs really put on a show. We don't know where this love for performing comes from since Jeremy and I would both rather be tortured than have the spotlight on us.

Crew's first Christmas morning.

Sign Here Vinyl catalog

2008-12-10T15:04:00.002-07:00

Even though our vinyl business is known as a "non-profit organization" to our husbands, our catalog is pretty sweet. Check it out:
http://www.jabcreative.com/sign/

New Family Photos

2008-12-01T20:39:00.022-07:00

Getting pictures taken with the kids is always such an inner conflict for me. I absolutely dread it. It's almost as painful as speaking in church, so I really struggle with it. We didn't do it at all last year. I was pregnant, and there was nothing that could motivate me to get the kids dressed in nice clothes, hair combed, teeth brushed, and actually getting them to look at the camera. I tell the photographers to just take the pictures as soon as everyone is looking. Don't worry about trying to get smiles. That's just way too much to ask. Anyway, I knew I needed to do it this year, so I made an appointment right after Halloween and had a whole month to gear up for it.

BEWARE: There are a lot of pictures.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T09:16:00.010-07:00

As ususal, we spent Halloween at Julie's house. The boys had such a fun time with all the cousins. Riggs' costume was held together in the back with a paperclip. (Seriously white trash).

I had to throw this picture of Jackson in here (5 years ago).

This was the best. Ashley and her fiance (yes, she's engaged) Shane. I didn't get a picture of Kelsee and Greg. They were Wayne and Garth, and they looked awesome. I'll have to get someone to send me the picture because it's priceless.

The Nielson Family

2008-10-30T10:16:00.003-07:00

Most of you have probably heard about Christian and Stephanie Nielson, the couple from Mesa whose plane crashed in St. Johns back in August. They are both severely burned and have 4 children, who are being taken care of by Stephanie's sisters. Last weekend a benefit concert was held for them, and their daughters, Claire and Jane, sang the Beatles' "Golden Slumber". It's is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. Keep their family in your prayers.

http://www.eastvalleyproductions.com/player.cfm?media=/movies/Nie/Glendhill

Dishes

2008-10-26T20:43:00.004-07:00

The other night after dinner, Jeremy went and grabbed a little step stool out of the bathroom and put it in front of the sink. He told Jackson it was time for him to start doing the dishes, and Jackson was all over that. Riggs was pretty bummed though. Even with the step stool, he can't reach the sink, so Jeremy told him that his job was to clear everything up. They were pretty cute. I wonder how long before this wears off...

Crew just had fun watching the other boys work.

We have been officially "Vinylized"

2008-10-16T14:58:00.013-07:00

If you're tired of seeing the vinyl posts, then skip this one!
I've been wanting to do so many things in the house since we've moved in, and with a lot of help, I finally got quite a bit done this week. Here are some photos:

I did the boys' room awhile ago, but I thought I'd post the picture anyway.

Fall Break

2008-10-16T14:35:00.015-07:00

The kids have been on fall break for the past 2 weeks. On that first day of break, the boys played together for about 2 hours in the morning and then Jackson came in and said, "I'm bored". I knew I was in trouble after that. So, I got him out a piece of paper and made a calendar of the 2 weeks. I told him to draw something on each day that he wanted to do during the break. I was trying to take a good picture of what he drew, but it didn't turn out. It is the cutest thing. He drew bikes and parks (for picnics) and swimming pools and animals (for the zoo) and a train (for the train park). We didn't do everything on his list, but we made it through most of it.

Jeremy and the boys got me a bike for my birthday, and now that the weather's nice, we've been going for lots of rides. Crew loves it, but the problem is that Riggs loves to ride in the baby seat too. I think we may have to get Jeremy a bike with a seat for Riggles. His little legs have to work pretty hard to keep up on his little training wheel bike.

Fountain Hills Park

Mandy and her boys, Ty and Johnathan, came with us to the train park.

The boys were all so interested in all of the model trains.

Buddies

2008-10-06T10:10:00.007-07:00

We watched Devon and Molly this weekend while Spencer and Martha went on a cruise. I was very jealous, but they deserved it, and they've helped us out tons with our kids. We fell in love with Molly. She is seriously the easiest kid ever. She just followed me around the whole weekend picking up toys and sippy cups and yelling at the boys when I did. :) She really made me want a GIRl! And Devon had one really good one-liner. Jeremy had been telling the kids to "zip-it-dot-com" all weekend, and yesterday afternoon we heard Devon say to everyone "zip-it-online". Love him.

All 3 niches done!

2008-10-06T10:05:00.003-07:00

After 3 days of some seriously tedious work, we got the 3 niches done. I love them. Jeremy even likes them too. Thanks Julie and Lori for all of your help.

I couldn't get Jackson and Riggs to turn off the TV while I took the picture, so you get a little "Berenstein Bears" to go with it.

New Vinyl

2008-09-23T15:26:00.003-07:00

I had to share one of my favorite designs so far. My nephew T.J. told me he wanted to do something "Damask" on the wall behind his TV. I had just been thinking about doing the same thing in several niches in our house. So...I designed this. There are 3 niches in our family room, and I've only done this one so far--Lori and Julie helped me with it yesterday. We'll try to finish the rest this week, and I'll post a picture of the whole room.

Trip to Utah

2008-09-17T15:08:00.032-07:00

We spent about 5 days visiting Jeremy's family in Utah last week. There have been 3 new babies born in the last year, so it was fun to see all the new additions. We rented a house in Sandy that was big enough for all 5 families. It was fun to get to know Dustin's new wife Lyndsey a little better too. Since we're all spread out in 3 different states, we don't see each other that often. The kids had a ball with their cousins, and we got to enjoy a break from the heat for a few days.

Temple Square

Hogle Zoo

View from the main floor down to the hot tub. The kids wanted us to throw water on them from the window a couple of stories up, so that was one of the highlights of the trip for them. :)

Olympic Park

The Dinosaur Museum

Baby Vincent-he was so good. He's just fall asleep in the backpack on Katie anywhere we went.

Jenny and Jeremy with their twin glasses.

After Jeremy read Carlee a book, she came over and said to Jenny, "Jeremy so nice".

Mac 'n cheese with all the cousins at Kassie's house

Thanksgiving Point

Kassie and Jeremiah's new baby, Landon & Crew. Crew made him look tiny!

Labor Day

2008-09-05T16:13:00.015-07:00

We had a fun BBQ at Aunt Julie and Uncle Roger's house on Labor Day. It was a good thing too because we had taken the boys to see the new Star Wars movie earlier in the day, and that was painful to sit through. They loved it though. But not nearly as much as they loved swimming with their cousins.

Ashley and Paige fighting over Crew (I love the look on Ashley's face)

What a hottie!

The boys wore Uncle Troy out. He threw them and flipped them all around like crazy.

2008-09-05T16:06:00.002-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had a serious monsoon storm, and it hit about 5 minutes before Jackson would be getting on his bike to ride home from school. It started raining harder and harder, so I decided I better go look for him and make sure he was okay. The rain was coming down so hard and they said the winds got up to 100mph during the storm. Tons of big trees were down, so I was getting a little worried. I finally found Jackson with his head down just pedaling away, and not trying to dodge any of the huge puddells. The water was up to his knees in some areas. The first thing he said to me when he saw me was, "Mom, it's raining."

Da Boys

2008-09-05T15:37:00.003-07:00

We got Trent and Ty a couple of weekends ago, and our boys had such a good time with them. They rented a new Wii game that was 4-player, and that was all they needed. Speaking of the "4-player" thing, I just have to document one of Riggs' most hilarious comments since I'm always saying, "I need to write that down". When we first got the Wii, Jackson would tell Riggs, "This game is only 1-player so you can't play." Well, Riggs caught onto that really fast and started using it with everything. A few days later, the boys were out back playing with the hose, and Jackson asked Riggs if he could have a turn. Riggs just looked up and said, "It's only 1 player Jackson".

Seriously White Trash

2008-09-05T15:29:00.005-07:00

Jeremy got this hat with hair at a D-backs game last weekend, and the kids looked so funny in it.

If someone had shown me these pictures 5 years ago and said "this is what your kids are going to look like", I would've been depressed.

It doesn't help that Riggs is wearing a sleeveless t-shirt (almost a wife-beater).

Crew & Crew

2008-09-05T15:25:00.002-07:00

This is our next door neighbor, Crew. He's buddies with Riggs and Jackson and is such a doll. He thinks it's so funny that our baby is Crew too.

Riggles goes to Pre-School

2008-09-05T15:11:00.007-07:00

Riggs had a whole month to wait to start pre-school after Jackson started Kindergarten, and it was a LONG month. Since I'd been telling him he was starting pre-school for such a long time before he actually did, he stopped believing that he was going. A couple days ago, he woke up and goes, "I never get to go to pre-school" in his famously pouty voice. Anyway, he finally got to go on Wednesday, and he was thrilled. He wore his backpack while he ate breakfast and told me I needed to pack some cheetos for him. He didn't have a lot to say after school, but he was excited to go back today, so that's a good sign. His teacher lives on our street, so it's so nice that he can just walk there.

We don't make good ears

2008-09-05T14:59:00.003-07:00

3 out of 3 of the Wright boys have now had to have tubes put in their ears. I swear I should just have the doctor do the tubes at the same time they're getting circumcised (sp.?). Crew got his tubes in on Friday after having a solid month of antibiotics (4 different kinds) and nothing made him better. I was counting the days for him to get the tubes. It's the best thing to know that they'll finally sleep good again and be happy. This picture is the same day he got the tubes done. Amazing!

Another One Bites The Dust...

2008-08-10T21:38:00.016-07:00

Kelsee and Greg got married on Friday, August 8th. They are SOOOO happy--it's fun to see young love. The wedding was GORGEOUS, and everyone had such a good time. I hope we're done with weddings for awhile though--I don't want any more of my nieces or nephews growing up. It makes me feel old.

These were my 2 flower girls. (I'm crying a little right now.)

Tatum was the sweetest little flower girl and sang the cutest song ever. Love her.

Brothers of the bride.

Man, I love these 2.

The kids have just started thinking that weddings are all about the dancing. As we were leaving the reception, Jackson goes, "So, is Ashley's dance party next?" Don't get any ideas Ash!

Greg's little cousin and him had a "dance off". It was fabulous--that kid can move.

I still don't know where Ty & Jackson got these hats--I think they may have been props from the YMCA dance.

A few weeks ago, Jackson told me he wants to move in with Greg & Kelsee once they got married. Don't they look like a cute little family here? Kels, just let me know when you want me to move Jackson's stuff over:)

Getting a quick smooch from the beautiful bride.

2008-08-10T21:26:00.011-07:00

We went up to Apache Lake last Saturday with my parents and Travis. They got a room there for the weekend, so it was so nice that Crew had a place to nap when he got tired. Grandma stayed with him in the afternoon so we could all go play.

This is one of my favorite pictures--Riggs has a look of pure joy on his face.

I even got out on the wakeboard--it's been a long time. I had a pretty bad face plant, but it was still fun. Jackson & Riggs thought it was so funny to see me out there.

Life doesn't get much better than getting to drive the boat at age 3.

This was the highlight of the day. Jackson got to wakeboard with Uncle Travis. It was the cutest thing. I was a little embarassed that Travis could get up with a 5 year old hanging on him easier than I could by myself.

Jeremy jumped off this cliff, and he was quite proud of himself--he's getting gutsier every day:)

One more TWINS post

2008-08-10T21:23:00.002-07:00

Okay, I think this is the ultimate photo comparison of Jackson & Crew.

IDENTICAL TWINS (5 years apart)

2008-07-29T22:03:00.004-07:00

Jeremy and I were looking at pictures of Jackson as a baby and cannot believe how identical he and Crew are. The bottom 2 picture here are of Jackson at about 6 months. It's just like having him all over again!

First Day Of School

2008-07-29T18:04:00.006-07:00

Oh, the mixed emotions of your first born heading off to the world of public education. This was rough for me. He was thrilled to get to ride his bike to school with all of his friends in our neighborhood, but I wasn't sure he was going to make it to class, so I told him I'd take him for the first couple of days. He was not happy with that idea, and I knew that if I let him go with his friends, his whole outlook on kindergarten (all-day kindergarten at that) would be much better. So, I let him go and called the school about a half hour later and had the secretary peek into his class to make sure he made it.

I could not wait for him to get home on Monday, and when he did, I had a million questions for him. The first thing he said as he ran through the front door was, "I have a girl who is my best friend." I asked him what her name was, and he said, "Um, I don't know. She's the one who has a blue bow in her hair." Then I asked him about his teacher, and he said, "Mom, we were at story time at the library, and my teacher said, 'Look at Jackson. He's sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce so good, and his mouth is zipped shut', and she was happy with me". Then he told me all about his sandwich at lunch (which I later found out was the welfare lunch because I forgot to pay for his lunch ticket) and recess and how the new tires on his bike made him go faster than anyone else. Then this morning he left early and was off to school like he's done it a million times before. He loves it, but I still feel sick to my stomach every time that I think this stage of life is over for him. No more home with mom. I love that kid.

waiting for his fellow bikers with Riggles

2nd day of school

Jeremy's 30th B-Day

2008-07-29T15:29:00.012-07:00

We started out Thursday morning at Paradise Bakery for breakfast--and it just got better from there. We dropped Crew off at Uncle Steve's and Aunt Christie's house and headed out for fun in the sun. Not that we don't love that kid, but man, it was nice to go without him. Now that Riggs can swim good, I felt like I could really relax. We spent most of the afternoon at Hamilton pool until the boys were completely worn out.

We hurried home for some birthday cake (cookies n' cream) and then went over to the school and met Jackson's teacher. He was so shy, but seemed excited about everything.

After that we dropped the boys off at Uncle Dusty's and Aunt Sally's house, and then the real party began! It was the first time without any of the kids since Crew was born (happy day). We went and picked up Julie and Roger and headed out to Prescott. Roger's boss has a house there way up in the top of the mountains with an amazing view. It was such a fun getaway. Lori and Nelson came up on Friday night. We spent 3 days eating like crazy, sleeping more than I normally do in a month, and laughing nonstop. It was great. Happy B-day Jer!

We took a couple of quad and rhino rides (Roger found some great trails).

Brooke's Wedding

2008-07-21T09:59:00.009-07:00

Other than the weather, Brooke's wedding was absolutely beautiful! Lori did such a good job on making everything gorgeous, and so memorable. Brooke was one of the prettiest brides I've ever seen, and I'm not sure that I've ever seen anyone quite as happy as Amron--he looked like he'd died and gone to heaven every time he looked at Brooke.

All the kiddos waiting on the temple steps...it was at least 110 + it was pretty humid that day. We had to stop for a Bahama Bucks on the way home--Riggs was a sweaty beast (just like his dad).

Mr. GQ himself, and definitely the hottest groomsman, Chase.

Jackson and Tatum were the cutest little couple--they both love performing, so the dance at the reception was a perfect opportunity for them to really let loose!

Riggs was scoping out the women--he asked 3 different grown women to dance--poor Martha had to do it twice, and then when all of the bridesmaids were dancing in a circle, he slapped one right on the toosh. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle that one as a teenager.

Brooke & Kelsee's Bridal Shower

2008-07-13T22:24:00.011-07:00

I just have to post a few pictures from the shower on Thursday night. We had the best time! They got SO many gifts--some naughty, and some nice (mostly nice--dang it!). I really can't even think about these girls getting married without getting teary-eyed. I love them like they were my daughters (which is good because I don't have any daughters of my own). They also both went through the temple on Friday afternoon. It was so great to be there with them.

Check out these cakes! My friend April made them, and I've got to say, I'm in love with them! She did such a good job. It wasn't easy trying to coordinate two sets of wedding colors, so we just decided to do 2 cakes. Why not? AND, not only are they the cutest things ever, they were really yummy--white cake with strawberry mousse. As Rachel Ray would say,

YUM-O!

4th of July

2008-07-13T22:03:00.010-07:00

In Julie and Roger's neighborhood, they do a little parade where everyone decorates their bikes, strollers, rhinos, quads, etc and ride through the neighborhood. Our kids think it's the best thing ever, and we love it too because the whole parade lasts about 15 minutes! No one wants to be out in 110 degrees any longer than that anyway. Then we spent most of the morning and afternoon at a really fun pool at their clubhouse. Riggs was an animal, as usual. He snuck onto a slide that he's really not tall enough to go on and would start out sitting up, but come flying off the slide face first. Needless to say, we had a great time, but were exhausted after all of the festivities.

When we went in the boys room in the morning to wake them up for the parade, this is how we found Riggs. He's a wild sleeper.

FRIENDS & COUSINS

2008-07-02T14:31:00.008-07:00

Our kids are SOCIAL, to put it lightly. They wake up wondering who they're going to play with. If we have any plans that don't include friends or cousins, they'd just rather not go. Anyway, here are some photos of them with friends and cousins this summer.

Having giant cookies with Devon

Lunch out back with Paigie

Star wars and slip-n-slide with neighbor, Chase.

Being silly with neighbor, Tyler.

Campin' out with Ty

BURN VICTIM

2008-07-02T14:22:00.004-07:00

Rug burn, that is... Riggs has been our most accident prone child by a landslide. Ever since he could crawl, he's had bruises and cuts all over him, but mostly on his face. Last week, when I picked him up from the gym daycare, his nose was all bloody and he just looked hammered. They told me he got a rug burn...not sure how---still haven't gotten a straight story. Since then it has almost healed 3 or 4 times. I've learned not to say "it's looking better", because without fail, that's when he falls and cuts it open again. This is a couple of days after it happened.

This is like a week later--not much improvement, is it?

LAKE TRIP

2008-07-02T14:09:00.009-07:00

Last Friday we took our first lake trip of the summer. My dad got a new boat a few months ago, and we had the best time. Jackson and Riggs can both swim great in a swimming pool, but they're not used to the huge, open water of a lake. I kept telling them to keep their life jackets on, but Jackson really wanted to swim without one when we were stopped. He started swimming over from the boat to some cliffs, and about half way there, he came up for a breath and had a look of complete panic on his face. I swam over and grabbed him, and he goes, "Mom, there's no sides to grab onto". I think he learned his lesson that it's a little different than pool swimming. Both Jackson and Riggs got thrown off the tube at one point or another that day--Grandad loves doing that!

Sign Here Catalog

2008-06-22T20:59:00.004-07:00

Oh, happy day! After 13 months of very late nights on the computer, countless emails, phone calls, proofing, etc, all of our printing supplies are here: catalogs, brochures, invitations, etc. It was such a great feeling to see the finished product(s). We're finally ready to get our consultants going and start a new adventure with this whole business-CRAZY!