Abbott Updates

Cousins Week!

2010-07-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

My sister Tracy left her girls with me for one week. Sophia decided to stay an extra week, she was having too much fun! It was nice having Sophia and Selena stay with us. The boys were in heaven having their cousins here to play with every day when they got home from school. Yes, school in the summer, that was the only bummer, I did let them skip one day while they were here, I hate school in the summer and I am so looking forward to 9 month school next year! We always have a lot of company in the summer time, so it will be nice not to have to worry about school!

The girls were able to spend 4th of July with us.

At the last minute we decided to stay home and set fireworks off in front of our house. A few families from the ward joined us along with Jon and Rachelle, lots of fun.

The kids swam everyday, a few times a day. We also took the kids boating and to see Toy Story 3. It was nice they got to spend so much time with their Maryland cousins that they don't see very often.

After we saw Toy Story 3. The kids went straight up to our loft and pulled out all of their old toys that they haven't played with in months! So cute! Excellent movie, my favorite so far!

It's A GIrl!!!!

2010-07-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

So Jason and I had decided since this is our last child we were not going to find out what we were having. We wanted to be surprised at the birth of our little baby. Well this morning I had to go in for another ultra sound, due to concerns the doctor had with my placenta. Everything was fine, but I could not resist to ask if she knew what the sex was, and the technician said she did. So Jason and I caved in and told her to tell us, so she did! So much for waiting......oh well, we are very happy to know we are having another girl!!!

Grandpa Abbott

2010-01-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have not heard, Jason's father was diagnosed with IBC, (Inflammatory Breast Cancer) on Christmas Eve. It is a very rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. Unfortunately he is uninsured. There is an auction on my sister-in-laws blog that will be going on for one more week. All proceeds for the auction will go to the Garth Abbott fund. Today is the last day to post an item to bid. Tuesday Jan. 19 will be the last day to bid.

There are so many items, it is amazing..... from teeth whitening to tax document services,

Utah Jazz tickets to a batch of homeade cookies. Even if you do not live in the Las Vegas area

there are items to bid on.Please check it out and tell your friends.

This has been an emotional roller coaster for all those who know and love Garth. There has been an outpouring of services, donations, letters of concern, from people everywhere. I know how appreciative he and Diana are for all that has been done for them so far, and for what continues to be done.

I knew Garth even before I met Jason. He was my Bishop in the University Ward. It is hard to express in words the gratitude I have for having him in my life. The times I sat in his Bishop's office with questions of concerns, he always gave great advice and seemed to say exactly what I needed to hear. I always left feeling uplifted and encouraged. I was blessed to have him as a Bishop and feel even more blessed to have him as a father-in-law. My children adore him and look forward to every minute they get to spend with Grandpa Abbott. Thanks for all of your support.

Here is the website for the auction www.thedailyabbott.blogspot.com

I also forgot to mention that their will be a garage sale for Garth on morning of February 27th @ Michelle Tanner's home 639 Foxhall Rd, if you have any items let me know.

2010-01-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Cade was baptized last Saturday. He has been excited all year. We attended the 8 is great, where the primary presidency prepares the children turning 8 with booklets and talks. He received all of this last January, so he has been ready!

Jason took Cade to his interview with the Bishop. It went really well. Jason said that Cade seemed nervous at first but quickly warmed up as our wonderful Bishop began his interview. Jason said there was a really good spirit in the room and was grateful for the experience he had with Cade that day.

His baptism day was filled with the same spirit. It was such a good day. We had most of our family with us, some traveled up that same day, some came the night before. Cade was really excited for his

cousins to come share this day with him. We were also able to share this day with our friends the

Gabaldons, their daughter Ellie was baptised. They have become our good friends and our neighbors so we were so happy to share this day with them. Cade also had both sets of grandparents there. His grandpa's were able to stand as the witnesses to the baptism.

Our Sunday Photo Shots!

2009-11-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

We can't help but take lots of pics of little Isabel Tessa after church, her dresses are just too cute! Here are a few pictures of our Sunday afternoons!

Halloween

2009-11-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

Luke's preschool class, he decided to be Mr. Incredible instead of batman......with his cowboy hat!

I thought I better post some pics of Halloween before Thanksgiving arrives! The kids had a fun October they were able to wear there costumes at their cousin Niamhs birthday party and then again on Halloween night and of course around the house several times. Cade and Josh were Duke and Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe. Luke was batman, and Isabel was a little ladybug. We loved to sing to her "She's a lady whoa oh, oh, she's a lady" from the boys bugs play at school. She was soooo good she sat in her carrier so happy to walk around the neighborhood as the boys went trick-or-treating with cousins Gavin and Tyrone. Jason had to work all day but arrived home just in time to come out with us! After trick-or-treating Jason's family came over for dinner... lot's of fun!

Choose This Day

2009-10-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

I listened to this message this morning and was so moved by Elder Eyrings words. It is such a great message..........just wanted to share!

Choose This Day

Labor Day Weekend and First Day of School!

2009-09-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie, Cade, Alexis, Luke, and Josh made our loft into a "movie theater" as they enjoyed their Sunday afternoon watching movies and eating popcorn and cookies.

I posted a few weeks ago of our funfilled St. George weekend. As I was working on it the auto save kept saying that it was not saving, I finished anyway and yep it did not save and I lost my post, very frustrated! So I will have to post about that at a later date! Too much has happened since.

My sister Julie and her family were here last weekend with my parents. Since it was Labor Day weekend and Jason was working even more hours than usual, (which I did not think possible since he has been working 6 days a week, and there store is closed on Sundays) but he did, he had to work all day Thurs. - Sat. and Monday! I'm done complaining, so while he was working it was nice the kids had cousins to play with all day! They had so much fun. They swam, watched movies, played on the computer.... Mackenzie watched all the kids for us on Saturday afternoon and Julie and I took my mom to Kohl's! They were having great sales! We made it back in time for the BYU game, that Lance could not miss! It was a great game. We had to watch it again on Sunday so Jason could see it! It was a fun relaxing weekend.

Jason with Josh and Cade.

The boys also started school two weeks ago. They were so excited to meet there new teachers and to see who was going to be in their classes. Jason always comes with us for the first day of school, the boys love having him come, and it helps me with the chaos of finding their teachers and getting them to the right lines. I was glad he was there!

It is always a long day for me as I anticipate them coming home, I can't wait to hear what their first day is like. I try to get as much done during the day so I can sit down with them when they get home and talk about their day. Josh said his day was "perfect". Cade was just as enthusiastic. I was so glad. Now if they could just hold onto that same enthusiasm the rest of the school year, that would be awesome.

Cade's first day of 2nd grade.

Josh's first day of 1st grade.

Cade with cousin Wyatt both in 2nd grade!

2009-08-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

Picture Perfect!

2009-08-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

My sweet little girl is almost 3 months old, but when she was 4 weeks old my friend Kristen spent a couple hours taking some beautiful pictures of my angel. I'm so grateful for the great images she took of my baby.

No she is a little chubbier and has many more rolls. She's had lots of visitors in her short life, all of whom adore her!Grandpa Echols kissing his favorite granddaughter.

Mackenize admiring her cutest cousin

Grandma Echols loving the baby smile.

Selena wondering how she can sneak the baby in her suitcase.

Sophia is going to make a great mother.

Julie loving cuddling with the princess.

Josh turns 6!

2009-06-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

These are his cousins that live locally. As you can see he has lots of them!

Josh had a birthday last week that I neglected to post. He turned 6 years old on June 6th! He had a fabulous day. He had been very specific about what he wanted. He wanted his birthday decorations put up before he woke up. He wanted to open presents in the morning, and have a family party in the evening with his cousins. We had suggested taking him out to dinner before his party, he wanted to do that, but he chose to go to Chuck-e-Cheese, we were hoping for something a little less crowded but since it is his birthday we let him choose. So he pretty much got everything he wanted. Jon and Rachelle also took him to Boulder City with their family. They went on a train ride in the afternoon. That was nice since Jason had to work in the morning it made the day go by faster so he wasn't asking every five minutes when it was time for his party to start. He loved the train ride.
Josh had a swim party, which he loves, he is our little fish, but after an hour, he was the first one out to let me know that it was time for the pinata. He knew exactly what he wanted, he was in charge, and kept the party moving right along with cake and ice cream and opening his presents. Before the party I found him clearing off the table after breakfast, I asked him what he was doing and he said he wanted to make sure the house was clean for the party. I'm glad he was so helpful. Josh had a good day, I'm glad we were able to pull off all of the specifics of his special day. We love you Josh!

Worst mom ever!!!

2009-06-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago when I was volunteering in Josh's classroom his teacher mentioned that she noticed Josh had been making excuses of getting out of doing his work, he wasn't trying very hard. Whenever it was time for writing he would often make the excuse of having to go to the bathroom or his tummy hurt to get out of doing his work. I talked to him about it and he said it was hard for him to see the words on the board that he was supposed to copy. I told him that he needed to move closer to the white board so he could see the words better. I didn't realize that he literally could not see the words.
Well, he goes on track break, he goes back to school everything is good he says "school is perfect," until the beginning of this week the school nurse calls, Josh is not feeling well, his tummy hurts. We decide over the phone that he is well enough to stay. When he came home from school he tells me that he threw up in his class, I thought it was odd that that the nurse never called me to come and get him. The next day the nurse calls and has Josh in her office again, he told the teacher that he had thrown up at home the night before. Well that wasn't true, but I picked up Josh from school. We talked about him lying to me and the teacher and why he is making excuses to get out of school. He then tells me that his head hurts, his eyes are blurry, and he keeps running into walls at school. I was hesitant to believe him because he had lied about being sick, but I knew by then that something was wrong so yesterday he sees the eye doctor and come to find out Josh has horrible vision. His vision is at an 8. Which for Jason and I who do not wear glasses had no idea what that meant, but it is really bad! I felt horrible, I continue to feel horrible. Besides glasses, we were referred to a pediatric opthamologist for eye therapy! It is just hard to believe that his vision has been so bad and we never picked up on it sooner. There were just never any signs prior to this that we can think of. I also start thinking of all the trips we have taken in the past 6 years of his life, Disneyland, the beach, yellowstone, Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland, did he not see any of it! I am still in shock. And he has to wait 10 days for his glasses to come in! I0 days is an eternity! Oh but wait he has just gone through a year of preschool and a year of kindergarten without being able to see a thing, what's another 10 days! I just can't believe we never had his eyes checked sooner. I am the worst mom ever!! Just get your kids eyes checked if you haven't already!

1 week old!

2009-05-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

I meant to post these pics last Tuesday when she was one week, but here they are now. She has had a good first couple of weeks. I pretty much hold her all day and she sleeps much better when she is with me, so she sleeps with me too. Jason says she looks like an extra attachment on me. Although the boys have been a great help, Josh has fed her a bottle, Cade holds her when there is something that I need to do, they adore her and even on occasion I have heard them call her little princess. She is pretty spoiled already! Cade and Josh have been out of school these past three weeks, it has been nice having them home. Jason was able to take them to a father and sons camp out last Friday night with our ward. So the baby and I had a night to ourselves. It was a quiet evening. The boys had a great time with their dad, grandpa and cousins.

Baby Time!

2009-05-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before I went into the hospital the boys washed the car to get ready for their new baby sister.

These past couple of weeks have been so long waiting for the baby to get here. Now she is here! I went into the hospital on Monday night and she was born the next morning, Tuesday May 12th at 11:16am. The delivery went smoothly, except the epidural only working on my right side, so I guess i can say I had a half natural birth. She was delivered only about 30 minutes after getting the epidural so it wasn't that bad. I am definitely glad to be home and grateful to have her finally here. The boys adore her. The first morning she was home they came first thing in the morning to see if she is awake yet. It is definitely fun having a girl!

2009-04-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

So I did not have to take the dog with us after all. My mother-in-law called the morning that I was leaving and said that she would take care of it while we were away. It was so nice of her to do that for us. We had an enjoyable weekend in St.George it was our last getaway before Jason starts his new job and before the baby comes.

The boys had fun camping and I met them at the condo and they were able to clean themselves off in the pool. Yes swimming, it was a beautiful day. The next day we went up to Zion's and took the bus tour through the park and got out at various spots for hiking. It rained off and on, so the boys complained that there feet were cold, but they had to step in every puddle they came across.

Spring Break!

2009-04-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

We are having a fun spring break, so far! We started out by having a fabulous relaxing weekend watching general conference. The talks were so inspiring. It made us feel so grateful for all that we have. My favorite talk was by Elder Holland on the Atonement.

The boys have had two Easter egg hunts this week. The first was across the street from my in- laws, an annual Easter egg hunt from our old ward. The other was with our ward at a nearby park. The weather was beautiful both days. The boys even got a little sun burned!

I also forgot to mention that 2 weekends ago while visiting my parents and siblings, I was talked into getting a dog! My sister Julie mentioned before we went down that her friends had a dog that they wanted to give to us. I wasn't sure I wanted the responsibility, being 5 weeks away from having a baby! But the boys wanted him sooo badly and he is a really good dog, I decided to bring him home. His name is Ron. We thought of changing it, but the boys were sure that we could not, so it is still Ron or as they call him Ron Ron or Ronny.

Jason left this morning to Zion's to take the boys camping. They went with Grandpa Abbott in his big truck. They were so excited, I was also excited for them and also for me, I get a day to myself. I will be meeting up with them tomorrow in St. George. And yes I am taking the dog, wish me luck on our first trip with the dog.

Cade, Josh and Luke in Grandpa's Truck.

March Update!

2009-04-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

I had my baby shower a few days ago. It was soo nice, lots of great desserts, a very cool diaper cake, and many friends. I am so grateful for those who had a hand in putting it together. I could not have asked for anything more. I received so many cute clothes, quilts , hair bows and two very sheik wipes containers. It is a blessing being surrounded by so many talented people that can create such fun things for little girls! Oh, and I also received new bedding, which I was totally surprised. I had picked it out and mentioned it to Rachelle, but to my surprise family and friends purchased it for us and I already have it in her room. I will have to post pics later of the shower and baby's room when it is done.

A belly shot for my sister Tracy!

Cade and Josh also finished up their first season of basketball. It was a lot of fun watching them play they really enjoyed it. They looked forward to every practice and game! Josh ended the season with fun treats and a medallion his coaches gave him. Cade ended with a swim party at his coaches house (thanks Troy and Deidra), with pizza, cake and trophies.

Cade also lost his two front teeth this month. He was very excited about it. One tooth had been dangling for awhile and Cade would not let any of us touch it. We went over to Jon and Rachelle's one evening and after talking to his Uncle Jon for a couple minutes Cade let him pull it right out! We still don't know what he said to him.

Track Break!

2009-02-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Cade and Josh have been on track break for a couple of weeks now. They have enjoyed being out of school. We have set up lots of play dates, went to kids club at the mall, park, visited grandmas, etc. I have even been making them help me rearrange furniture upstairs, since I can't move anything heavy right now, they have been good little helpers! We moved Cade into his own room! We'll see how that goes. The boys have all been sharing a room, but it is getting too crowded, so he is excited to get his own room and Josh is excited to get to sleep in the top bunk. Everybody's happy!
We also had a lot of fun last weekend, my sister Laura and her family came to stay with us. She has triplets, that are 5 years old. The kids had a blast playing together. We had our primary activity at 8:00 Saturday morning and Cade and Josh's basketball games, we went to Boulder City and had lunch, fed fish at Lake Mead and also took the kids to the park.Jason and Steve even found time to go cycling with the deacons from our ward. I taught Relief Society on Sunday so by the time Sunday afternoon came we were all pretty tired so it was nice to come home and relax on the couch, while watching an exciting Superbowl game!

Luke's Big Milestones!

2009-01-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

Luke is officially becoming a "Big Boy!" There have been big changes for Luke these past few months. In November right before the holidays I decided to take Luke in for his first real big boy haircut. He went from his long curls to a short wavy do. A good friend Janie cut it in her salon, we thought he would do better there, but he cried most of the time. I had to have him sit on my lap, so by the end, we were both covered in hair. I guess it was needed, but i really miss

his long locks!

Before And After Pics!

We are also on our fourth day of potty training, Yeah!!!! It is so exciting! I tried pull ups a few weeks ago and he kept right on peeing in them, they have never worked for me, so straight to the underwear and not one accident during the night! He loves his big boy underwear and being able to go like his big brothers. Whenever he has a friend come over he asks if they want to see him go pee-pee in the toilet, they usually decline his request. Although the peeing has been going fabulous, he has yet to poop in the potty, hopefully soon!

He actually went pee in the potty a few months ago for the first time and it happened to be the day after his haircut. Jason attributes his haircut to him thinking he is a big boy. Although I don't think so, it was because his cousin Colt was over going potty so he wanted to go with him but once he left the interest was gone and I was too busy with the holidays to push the issue. I am just grateful he is going before the baby gets here!

Catching Up!

2009-01-12T16:49:00.001-08:00

First Day of School
Okay so it has been a few months, and since sooooo much happens in the fall i need to go back to their first day of school at the end of August.

Cade and Josh were both so excited. Especially Josh! I was not nearly as nervous as last year, since I knew what to expect and had already been through it once with Cade. And Cade had told Josh everything he needed to know about kindergarten. It was also his cousin's Waylan's first day of kindergarten so he was happy about that too. The first day went great it, was the first few days after Josh asked, " I have to go again?" I guess he thought it was a one day deal or something. After a few weeks of adjusting to all day kindergarten, he is doing great!

Cade was also hesitant after a few days because many of his friends from kindergarten were in a different track from him. We switched from being on track 5 to track 2! But, now he has made new friends and is doing great!

Luke also began preschool! It is one a few moms started. The kids rotate once a week to the different houses for a couple of hours of learning and fun. It has been great and something he looks forward to every week.

A Day With Kate!

2008-08-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Katie having fun in the pool!The Boys and Katie helping me make monster cookies, they have everything in them...peanut butter, m&m's, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and more. They turned out really good and the kids loved helping. There is no flour in the cookies, so i thought it was a lot less messy with the kids!

Our niece Katie has been visiting from Michigan. On Thursday, she came to our house. During the day we swam and the boys and Katie helped me make cookies. In the evening we took her to our friends the Williams for a barbeque and more swimming! It was a fun day the boys love playing with their cousin Katie. We're glad she has been able to spend time with us this summer. We ended our night eating popcorn and watching the Olympics!

Thanks to the Williams for letting us swim in their amazing pool. It had everything, sooooo fun!

Iverson, Dobbs, Abbott Weekend Cabin Trip!

2008-08-19T14:25:00.001-07:00

Luke, Teja, Riley, Kyle, Josh, Dakota, Cade and Roxy last pic before we have to leave!

Cade riding Dakota's little four wheeler. I was a little nervous. Jason only had to help him a couple of times before he was off riding on his own. He loved it, that is all he asked to do most of the weekend.

We arrived home on Sunday night from our weekend trip to the cabin. We drove Friday morning about 6:30am and followed the Iverson's. We stopped and ate at a great pizza place in Cedar City. We bought groceries, I had to run to Payless, and pick up shoes for Luke, since I put him in the car with no shoes on and didn't notice until we were almost to Utah. Then we headed up the mountain to Cedar Breaks. This is our third trip with Shawn and Kim, we appreciate them always inviting us. We had a great time. Brady and Brandi met us up there on Saturday afternoon. Between all of us we had 9 kids with us! Bed time was fun, we put half of them on the air mattress and the other half on a futon. They loved it! There cabin is located in a beautiful Valley. We took walks to the creek, 4 wheeled, fished, and had a lot of yummy food. We stayed up late playing games after the kids went to sleep. It was fun getting together with good friends!

Me and Kim! Jason helping Josh! Josh also took a few rides without any help he was a bit more scary to watch he wasn't as smooth as Cade, and he is only 5, you have to be six to drive one. But he also did great, i was surprised at how fast they picked up on maneuvering those things!

Cade and Dakota

Some of the kids on the back of Shawn's Rhino! They had a blast going on rides in that.

June & July Festivities!

2008-08-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

The last week of June, Jason and I went on a 5 day trip to Cancun! It was relaxing, tropical, and so much fun. It was a Toyota Trip, which means all expenses are paid for! All we had to worry about was getting to the airport on time. And thanks to my mother- in -law we are able to leave the kids with no worries. Many people asked us if this is the first time we have left our kids, but because of these trips Toyota sends us on we have had the opportunity to take a few trips by ourselves in the past few years. We feel very fortunate! The trips are always amazing. Cancun was no exception, we snorkeled, saw amazing exotic animals, went to a theme park , dancing, and lots of great food. We're still trying to work off all the food we ate while we were there.

We also had a very busy July. The month started out with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Wood. They came here from Utah and the boys were so happy to see them.

The 4th of July started out with a ward breakfast and water fight in the church parking lot. The kids had their squirt guns. There were water balloons and they even got out the firehose. So fun! When Jason came home from work we swam and barbequed, Jason's family came over and we shot off fire works in our front yard with our neighbors.

July 16th, Cade had his Kindergarten graduation. It was so neat, they sang danced a little, there was a slide show and of course the handing out the diplomas. I did get a little teary eyed watching him and just thinking of how time is going to pass so quickly.

We also had visits from my parents who stayed for almost a week and my aunt and two cousins stayed with us for a few days also. It has been a busy month, but lots of fun!

June 6, 2008

2008-06-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

Josh turns 5!

Josh was born on June 6, 2003. We had just moved into our new home in North Las Vegas when little Joshua Cruz arrived. I was scheduled to be induced and highly anticipating his arrival when the hospital called to tell us they were full and that they would have to reschedule us the following day. The next day they called again and were still full. My mom came into town and stayed with Cade while Jason took me to the hospital, once we were finally admitted.

Josh was a great baby. He actually slept a few hours at night and started sleeping through the night at about 4 months old. Which was a big contrast to his older brother, who only slept in 2 hour increments until he was over 1 years old!

Josh is our little comedian and loves his two brothers. He is always finding ways to make us laugh. We don't know what we would do without him! Although Jason was a little shocked when I told him that I was pregnant with Josh, he actually had to sit down, I thought he was going to hyperventilate. Cade was only 9 months old, and we were in a one bedroom apartment. I guess he forgot how we got Cade! After the initial shock Jason was as excited as I was.

Josh's first haircut he giggled the whole time. Grandma Echols gave him his first haircut, she could not believe how good he was! Grandpa Echols holding Josh and Selena!

Josh's 5th birthday party! He actually had two parties. An afternoon party with his friends,and an evening party with family. It was a busy day. Both were pool parties, pizza was served in the afternoon and hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner, all of Josh's favorite foods.
It was a dinosaur theme. Josh loves T-Rex's! He was persistent about having another dinosaur party, it was also his choice last year.

Showing off his cookies we made from his preshcool kitchen bag he got to bring home one week.

Josh at his 2. Wearing his Nemo hat, aunt Laura bought him in Mexico.

Josh wearing grandpa Echols glasses

Josh with grandpa Abbott at father and sons. The boys call it "Man Camp", Josh went two times in May, once with our ward and again with grandpa Abbott's ward!

Bugz Play, Portland, preschool graduation.....Busy Weekend!

2008-06-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Daddy, just home from work and just in time to make it to Cade's highly anticipated play!

Last Thursday, Cade had his end of the year kindergarten play. "The Bugz Play" consists of many different types of little buggies with music and some dancing. Soooo cute!! My little bug was an army ant. He knew all of his lines and everyone else's too! Grandma Abbott was there, Cade was happy about that!

The day after Cade's play, I flew to Portland without kids and husband, to see Ben and Sarah's new baby girl. They were blessing her that weekend so most of my siblings and I decided to make it a weekend and fly up to see them. It was a fun weekend. I was in shock with all the trees and grass, , so beautiful!

Julie and Baby Gwen Isabel.
My mom and dad with Ben, Sarah and Gwen. Sarah and her mother designed and sewed the baby's blessing dress. It was silk with pleats, so adorable. They are both very talented.
Laura and Baby Gwen.Sooo cute!
Me with Sarah and Ben after the blessing.I gave Gwen a couple of bows that, a friend, Mandy Harris, made for her, thanks Mandy!
In front of Ben and Sarah's home are huge beautiful Christmas trees. Had to take a picture.Family at Cannon Beach in Portland. Mom was freezing! It was probably in the mid 60's that day. We had amazing clam chowder and other seafood at Mo's Restaurant that day.I flew back home on Monday night. Tuesday morning Josh had his preschool graduation. He has loved this year in Mrs. Dove's class. He has learned so much and has had a fun time too. Mrs. Dove made graduation shirts for the kids that has a picture that they each drew with their names signed.

Mrs. Dove is admiring Josh's cute dimples and lovable personality.

Josh with his good friend Riley Cropper.

Sprayed with the hose!

2008-05-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

This afternoon the boys were eating popsicles outside. When they were done I got the hose out and sprayed off the patio the boys decided they wanted to get sprayed too! Thought I'd share some pics! Luke and Josh love the water!

Notice a cut on Luke's forehead, two days ago he was attacking Cade with a sword. As Cade was running from Luke, he decided to throw his star wars lightsaber over his head to stop Luke. It definitely stopped him. He was screaming. When I got to him he had blood running down his face and a huge lump on his head. I had never seen an injury like it. The lump appeared immediately, just like in the old cartoons! I got the bleeding to stop and of course a band aid made everything better. By the next day the lump had gone way down. There is never a dull moment with three boys!

Josh is way into ladybugs lately. We found a lady bug in his hair when he was drying off.

May 19th - May 24th

2008-05-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

Cade and Josh in Boulder City.

Monday was a bright and sunny day. It was 105 degrees outside. Rachelle came over after school and we went swimming. The kids had so much fun! Being so hot and just getting

home from school it was a great way to cool off and get some energy out! In the morning I had taken Josh, Luke, and Waylan to Reese Gornichec's birthday party, which was also a swim

party. Megan had 27 kids at her house all swimming and running around it was pretty crazy, but a lot of fun! So Josh and Luke had a full day of swimming they were worn out by the evening. Luke actually fell asleep sitting in his chair eating dinner! Cade and Josh couldn't believe he had fallen asleep that way. I put him in bed and he did not wake up until 7:00 the next morning. So nice!! This was about our 5th time getting in the pool this year. But that would be it for the rest of the week, it cooled down almost 30 degrees by Saturday.

Wednesday I picked up Cade from school then headed straight to the pool store to buy a pool cover. Then I took the boys to McDonald's. The plan was to take the food to eat at grandma and grandpa Abbott's, but I got talked into letting them eat quickly in the play area and then headed over to grandma and grandpa's. They have recently put new grass and have their trampoline set up in their backyard the boys had a fun time playing. Since the weather was now only in the mid 70's it was a perfect day to play outside! Then we headed straight to Brandi Dobbs dance recital, Jason also met us there. Brandi teaches about 20 kids tap and tumbling throughout the week and this was her end of the year recital. Both her girls were in it and so were Shawn and Kim Iverson's daughter Riley. They all did a great job. There were two boys in her group and when they came out and did a baseball tap dance, Cade's eyes lit up. Afterwards I asked him if he would be interested in doing a dance class, he eagerly said yes! I told him to ask his dad. Jason immediately said no! I think Cade would do a great job and have a lot of fun, he has always loved to dance, oh well, soccer or basketball will have to do for the fall. Pick and choose our battles, right?

By Friday we had rain. It was Rachelle's birthday she had wanted to have a swim party at our house but it turned into an inside party instead. We had cake and ice cream and played catch phrase instead.

On Saturday morning I woke up early to find it still overcast and drizzling outside. I went out for a run, (which I had not done in a while) but so glad that I did it was so fun to be out in this cool weather. I am in the middle of reading New Moon so all I could think of was Forks and Belle, Edward, Jake, Edward and Edward!!! I felt like I was in Forks, there was no sun out the clouds were low and since it was drizzling no one was outside. I ran behind where there is a lot of desert and custom homes and to my right up on a hill Lance Burton (a magician here in Vegas) has a black house that he made into look like a castle. I imagined vampires living there. It is definitely to dark to be a Cullen house it would be more a house that Victoria would stay in or other evil vampires. That made me run a little faster! After my run we took the boys on a walk, but it only lasted a few minutes because we found a garage sale up the street that had a ton of toys and clothes for the boys. I love garage sales! Then we headed with Jon and Rachelle to Boulder City to ride their horse. This was our first time going out there and the boys first time on a horse. They were so excited! The horse is so pretty her name is Velvet. Rachelle has been riding horses since she was a little girl, she made it look so easy. We all got a turn to ride it was a little scary for me I have only ridden a horse two other times many years ago. The

boys were a little nervous at first to but once they were on and the horse was going they couldn't get enough. When Luke first got on all he could say was "Too big!" Too big, mommy!", but he was fine after the horse was walking. I was surprised at how well all of Jon and Rachelle's kids could ride, even Colt who is 3 could ride the horse. It was a fun morning. For the afternoon we got a sitter and Jason and I went out to lunch and went to see Indiana Jones with Jason's parents. It turned out to be an eventful and fun Saturday! Jason was supposed to go into work on Saturday, so glad he did not have to go in after all.

Luke

Cade and Josh with their cowboy cousins, Wayan, Wyatt, and Colt. After horse riding Josh says he wants to be a cowboy now too.

Colt 3 yrs old riding his horse Velvet.

Cade

Josh

Jason and me!

Mother's Day

2008-05-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

I heard Jason's alarm clock going off about 7:00am Sunday morning. I thought he had forgotten that it was Sunday, and hadn't turned it off. After a few times of listening to him turn it off he went downstairs. When Cade and Josh woke up they came in telling me to not go downstairs. They did this several times. Luke was sleeping next to me, and woke up with the repeated excitement from Josh and Cade. After awhile they brought me breakfast in bed. It was really nice. I think the kids were more excited than I was (they love surprises). I was really grateful for jason, waking up early on a Sunday morning, when we have church at 1:00, big sacrifice! We then had a busy day. We made a point today to visit both of our grandmothers, living on opposite sides of town. My grandmother is turning 95 and Jason's grandmother is about 93. We went to one before church and then the other after church. We took them watermelons for mother's day, not much else they want but food and visits. We both feel so grateful to have them so close and that our kids are able to get to know their great grandma's. They always make me appreciate everything that I have, our lives are so different then from when they were my age, I can't imagine having to raise children back then. Truly remarkable women! I am grateful for my own mom and mother-in-law and for their examples. Jason's parents came over in the late evening and we had a nice visit with them. It was a wonderful day!

Bon Jovi

2008-04-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have had a crush on Bon Jovi since the 6th grade. It was then that I remember listening to his casette tape over and over again on my walkman. I have been in love ever since! Jason surprised me with concert tickets a few weeks ago!

I was talking to my sister Tracy who saw the concert in I think February, I was so jealous and told Jason we needed to find out when he was coming to Vegas. Little did I know that he had already purchased tickets! So sweet, I was so excited! Even more excited when Jason's sister Amanda was giving us raving reviews of the concert she had seen in Michigan a few months ago.

The concert was amazing. He looked so good!! After so many years...The whole show was great, we new every song, every time he smiled the crowd went wild. My only complaint was our seats were way too far from the stage, next time I will have to get the tickets. It was a great evening. While we were there we saw the Croppers who were not sitting too far away from where we were!

Youth Conference

2008-04-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

Jason and I participated in our Youth Stake Conference this weekend. The theme was "Mission Possible," focusing on missionary work. We met at the Stake Center last night and sat up on the stand with the other "mission presidents" and all the youth sat in the benches and waited their mission call. Talks were given by a sister missionary who only came home the day before, and the first counselor in our Stake Presidency who shared personal missionary experiences. We sang called to serve, and then they began giving the calls. We received four young women ranging in age of 14, 15 and two 16 year old. They were eager to participate, and quickly asked, "so what mission will we be going to." We decided to go with the Chile theme, (Jason's mission). We set out our mission memento's, and we had empanadas, salad and some other barbecued meat Jason had purchased at an Argentine restaurant, there are no Chilean restaurants in Vegas. I also made cookies, and a Spanish tortilla. The boys were excited to have these young women or "pretend missionaries" in our home. After dinner we had a lesson in which we talked about the missionary handbook and shared scriptures and experiences from our missions. It was a great night. I was reminded of how much I love my mission and the impact it has had in my life. I had so many wonderful experiences. Besides marrying Jason it is the best decision that I've made! I'm grateful for this experience, we had amazing youth, they brought such a special spirit into our home. We will be having breakfast with them this morning and then taking them back to the Stake Center to continue there conference.

Easter Weekend

2008-03-31T14:42:00.001-07:00

Our Easter weekend started out with an early morning hike in Boulder City. The boys were so excited to go walking through all the rocks and going through six tunnels. It was a hike on flat ground, however, so there wasn't much variation for the kids to get excited about. As a result, our first 15 minutes of the hike were enjoyable and without complaint. The last 2 hours, on the other hand were not so fun. I had to resort to bribery of stars on their chart to get the complaining to stop. Thankfully, it did. Jason & I appreciated the great views of Lake Mead more than the boys did.

That afternoon we drove to Apple Valley to spend the weekend with my family. Laura was already at mom's with her triplets. Whenever Laura does something, she does it big, so she had over 100 Easter eggs that I helped her fill that night, some were plastic filled with money & candy, and the others were real. Then Jason & Steve had the task of hiding them all over the inside and outside of the house. The kids had a blast finding all their eggs.

Apparently, they didn't find them all, because this week Lucy found real eggs under the couch. Thank goodness they hadn't started rotting yet or Julie would've come home to a sweet smelling house.

The rest of the weekend the cousins had fun playing with each other.

Here is Luke with his sweet grandma. And Luke again snuggling with his cousins BJ & Cassidy.

The highlight of our trip was on our way to Apple Valley, I heard Luke saying "Hair, Hair, Mommy. Hair." So I turned around and saw a sucker I had given to him earlier had gotten stuck in his curly locks. He refused to let me touch his head when we were in the car, so I had to wait until we got to grandma's house and then cut it out. He has since this sticky event, received a haircut, but is still adorable.

Happy Birthday Luke!

2007-10-09T13:49:00.001-07:00

Luke is 2 years old! He was born on October 5, 2005. He shares a birthday with his Aunt Amanda and cousin David. I loved having an October baby! He was my easiest delivery. I arrived at the hospital at 6:00pm and Luke was here 3 hours later.
Jason's parents had met us at the hospital to take Cade and Josh home, but everything went so fast that they ended up staying. So Cade and Josh were there minutes after Luke arrived.
We celebrated his birthday last Friday with family and friends. He had a construction truck birthday party. We served subs, chips, veggies, salads, and a dirt cake to put his tractors on. I got the dirt cake recipe from my sister-in-law Rachelle, it is quite tasty and kids love it! Before we could finish singing Happy Birthday, Luke had already blown out a candle. It was his favorite part of the party. He could hardly contain himself!

Luke at 2!
Mamma's Boy
Adores his brothers
Never lacks attention, he can scream louder than his two brothers when he needs something
Loves to say "Mommy where are you?" or "Daddy where are you?" (in his baby talk), it melts our hearts he usually giggles when we reply "Luke, where are you?"
Other favorite sayings, "What?", "Na Na Batman!", "Ceweal" (Cereal) , "Wha, wha" (water), "Dadda", "Mamma" "Pappa", and anything else his older brothers ask him to repeat.
If anyone besides his mom or dad can get Luke to hold him, he will cuddle and give the biggest hugs.
He loves to give everyone kisses goodnight before bed, sometimes even his stuffed animals.
When his brothers are sad or grumpy, he can turn their frowns into smiles in an instant with a silly dance or song.
He has been such a blessing in our home and we love him with all our hearts! Happy Birthday!

Cade and Josh with Mommy and Baby Luke!

First time at Disneyland, 7 months old.

Fall is here!!

2007-09-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

More than a month since i have posted, lot's to say! Fall is here' boys are in school and we are no longer using our pool it is so sad. Cade started all day kindergarten, he is in a spanish immersion program where they teach half day English and half day in Spanish. The first week he loved it. He would ask, do I have "escuela" tommorrow? by the middle of the second week he is wondering how many more days he has to keep going back to school. It is a big adjustment from being at home all summer to being gone from 9am - 3pm. Now, 4 weeks into it he is loving it again, he is very social and is loving all of his new friends. He is a chatter box and loves to tell me all about his day at school, and I love it. Josh is in preschool Tues. and Thurs. afternoons. He is going to a marvelous little preschool in our neighborhood, a few kids from our ward go with Josh. He loves it. He is growing up so fast.

Joshua's first day at school, lil' brother Luke is sending him off.

Josh is excited for Mrs. Dove's class

Cade's First day of Kindergarten!

Boys with grandma after shopping for new school clothes.

Christina and Celine Dion Week!

2007-08-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

My cousin Christina stayed with us this last week Mon - Wed. It was so great to see her and Jon whom we hadn't seen since the accident. He is looking really good, a lot better than we had expected! It was awesome to visit with him, we were so glad he was able to make it here too! Their 4 girls are all soooo beautiful and all have their own look and personalities! The boys had a great time with them they swam a lot and when they weren't swimming they would put on plays directed by Rachel (Christina's oldest). Which we were all made to sit down and watch. Animals were the theme for the plays this week, and at the end of each play there were individual bows and a group bow, it was really cute. But, the fun did not end there! Jason's cousin Allison, was coming to a Celine Dion concert here in Vegas, and had invited Jason's mom who invited her daughter in laws which 3 of us were able to make it (we missed Tiffany not there). The concert was amazing, her voice it not like anything I have ever heard before. The show consisted of lots of dancers and special effects and had a bit of a cirque de soleil feel to it. ( her show directed by the same guy as "O" at Bellagio.) It was a lot of fun getting together with my mother and sister-in-laws, with no kids and no husbands, we had never done that before, so thank you Allison and Diana for setting up such a memorable evening!

Photo of the boys

2007-08-13T23:30:00.001-07:00

Here they are at San Clemente Beach.

I made it to 2007!

2007-08-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Ive made it to the year 2007! Christina help me create this blog-hopefully I can stick with it!