Fabulously Plain and Simple

Nae had a birthday shout hooray!!

2012-01-22T19:53:00.000-08:00

Denae is one of my best friends! She had a birthday last week and I think she just turned 21, right Denae? That sounds right because we are the same age so I will be turning 21 too in March! Denae's favorite dinner is spinach alfredo and she loves banana pudding. She loves the color purple. She has a passion for teaching. Kids listen to her. She is courageous. She does hard things all the time. She has to make lots of decisions on her own, not just for herself but for her two little chickadees and I admire her for that. She knows what is right and she tries very hard to do it. Denae is a great friend, a great person and a great mom!

Love you, Nae!

Carrilyne

Blackberry Cobbler

2012-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

This was super yummy! So yummy, infact, that I have to share a mouth watering photo! Blackberries were just $.88 last week at Sunflower Market! But I am afraid I have bad news! I used my smart phone to find the recipe and I didn't write it down and now I can't find it! Boo hoo! But I still wanted to post the picture because it turned out so awesome!

Joys of Childhood

2012-01-13T11:11:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid we used to fight over the stickers on bananas. Getting the sticker and proudly wearing it for the short amount of time it actually stuck to my skin was one of the joys of my childhood. Along with things like gum, riding my bike, playing with friends, and getting money so I could ride my bike to the store to buy candy or doughnuts!

These days my kids don't fight over the stickers, they can only ride their bikes on the side walk, and they definitely can't ride their bikes to store! But that doesn't mean they don't have plenty of childhood joys that I know they will tell their kids about, like being silly and saying, "Mom, take a picture and put it on facebook!" This picture was blog worthy!

What were some of your joys of childhood and do you let your kids do them now?

Happenings...

2012-01-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the highlights of last week...

My parents turned 52 on December 28! I think they look pretty cute in this picture...

Jared's grandpa, Robert Jaynes, died the week after Christmas and his funeral was on New Years Eve. He was a great man and for his funeral he wanted all 10 of his children to bear their testimonies. It was very special. He was a lot of things in his life but one of the really impressive things he did besides raise 10 children was be a pilot in World War II. We are lucky to be related to him!

New Years Eve

We never made graham cracker houses this holiday season and my kids kept reminding me of this fact. So on New Years Eve I went to the Walmart and bought 5 boxes of the $1 candy they have by the register and some crackers, with of course some Martinellis to toast in the New Year and we had us a par-tay!!

We used homemade frosting so we could really enjoy eating them!

Jared, of course, had to be original! Yes, that is a fish driving a race car...

Milo's house was many things at first he made a robot, then he changed it to a caterpillar and then it became this, whatever this is....

Ellie's was very pretty. She likes things to be pretty!

Libby was proud of hers too!

This is me taking a picture of myself. I had gone running with Jasmin just before all this and I hadn't gotten a shower yet, aren't I cute!

Ellie enjoying herself some frosting!

Jared is pretty proud of his creation!

Our gingerbread houses might be a bit ghetto but the kids didn't care and had a great time making/eating their houses!

Jared and I both fell a sleep for a bit before the new year, but the girls were die hards! Even Ellie made it to the New Year awake! We toasted another year to be as good as the last one and went right to bed!

HaPPy NeW YeaR!

Tights

2012-01-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

What do you think of my new green tights? Pretty awesome, huh!

I know, I know....

2012-01-03T20:32:00.001-08:00

Sometimes even I have to admit that I must be crazy. No, really! No sane person does the things I do when it comes to rearranging my house. I just can't keep it one way, I have to have change! And since I am actually terrified of actual changes like, moving, switching schools, changing jobs... I just do the safe thing and rearrange my furniture, or switch up the bedrooms, or move my washer and dryer upstairs then back down... The list goes on and on. Most of you reading this have seen first hand the many changes I have made...

Well, I am getting the itch to change things, but I am trying to keep myself in control! Maybe I need to find a 12 step program to help me with my addiction....

Have you ever known someone who rearranged their house as much as I do? And was that person really awesome and totally sane? I am looking for some reasurance! I need to know there is hope for me!

Oh man, I am pretty crazy! ;-)

Carre* and Karen + 7

2011-12-30T16:32:00.001-08:00

My best friend from Idaho, Karen, came came down yesterday for a quick visit! I love it when she comes! Karen's wanted to take her kids to temple square to see the lights for the first time. So we packed up our kids and headed up there.
Surprisingly, it was a blast and our kids were so good! No meltdowns or whining! We got to go on the roof at the conference center and look at the lights and Karen showed us the exact spot her husband proposed to her. The lights were gorgeous and we even took the kids to see the Christus in the visitor center. While we were there Karen's kids had a great time riding escalaters and elevators for the first time! (They live in the small town of Burley, Id and there arent a lot of those things there! ;-)
Karen's mom and my mom were friends when they were pregnant with us so we have known eachother a long time! And it has been such a blessing that we can watch our kids grow up and build friendships like ours!
(*Karen is the only person in the world that calls me something other than carrilyne or babe! Just in case you were confused by the title!)

Funday

2011-12-27T20:03:00.001-08:00

Monday was fun day for the Jaynes fam! We had very enjoyable morning! The kids got up and played with all their new Christmas toys and Jared and I got to got to sleep in! After I finally got out of bed, I took the Christmas tree down with some help from Jared. I usually am not in such a rush to take down the tree but it was so dead it was drying out and curling around the ornaments. Not to mention it's potiental for a fire hazard I decided to take it down sooner than later. After the christmas tree was taken out to the curb, Jared surprised us with a trip to the movies to see Tintin and the Wynnsong theater. We went to the ice cream shoppe at the beach resort and, of course, the kids had to ride the merry go round! It was only a $1 per kid and we thought that was a steal since our kids were so excited you would have thought they were going to Disneyland! The ice cream was a really good price too and their homemade waffle cones were fabulous! I highly recommend it!
Tintin was good but I think Ellie and Milo were a little bored with it. But all the kids said they loved it!
Days like our funday Monday are the days when being a family is exactly how I imagined life would be like when I was a picturing my future family. Laughing and playing and just enjoying being together! How lucky am I to have all my dreams come true!

Oh and wish me luck, because tomorrow I am trying out my new winter running gear I got for Christmas, on my first outdoor run of the winter! Let the marathon training begin!

Christmas

2011-12-25T21:53:00.001-08:00

What is this!? I am doing a blog post with pictures!? Crazy, right! Well as usual Jared spoiled me this Christmas and I got a camera and an Acer tablet- both things making it easier for me to blog with pictures! But I am still trying to figure out this blogger app so how the pictures will be showing up will just have to be a surprise!
My family does a Christmas eve dinner and we open gifts from each other. The kids die of excitement waiting to open the gifts from their cousins and momo and grandad. The dinner had a bit of a delay because my turkey was still a bit frozen when I put it in the oven 2 hours later than I should have! Jared surprised me with my new camera before dinner so I could start documenting Christmas, and I love the tester shot her took of me with my dad in the back! The kids finally got to open their presents and they were all super happy! Chelsea and Rob's kids were loving it too! Finally it was time to put on the new jammies and watch part of the Christmas story before bed. Thanks to melatonin the kids were out in 20 min which is unheard of for Christmas eve (man, I am so grateful for that stuff!)
Christmas morning was magical and the kids were happy with everything they got! Some of their gifts were: Indy- got lots of Pokemon stuff and the new Zelda game for the Wii. Some of libby 's favorites were a stuffed giraffe and a notebook with colored pens and fun books to read. Ellie loved the bed Santa brought her for her princess Belle doll, and a fur real friend cat. Milo loved his new bat cave and Teddy bear pillow pet. Jared loved his new coat and I am obviouly very excited about my lovely new tablet and my fantastic new camera!
We got to chat with Jared's mom in California, Penny, for a bit in the afternoon, we love her lots and hope we get to see her soon!
Oh Christmas eve we have a fun tradition with Jared's family of having pizza for dinner! Jared's Dad and Mom also made bread pudding for dessert and it was so yummy! We all got spoiled to with lots of fun gifts from every one! Jared's mom made the girls some really cute shirts that I can't wait for them to wear! Milo got a really noisy laser gun from grandpa to torture me and Jared with, lol!
Oh and we also went to a really awesome sacrament meeting in between all that, to remind us of who Christmas is really about! Jesus!
I love Christmas and I wish it didn't have to end!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

2011-11-30T18:13:00.001-08:00

We are hanging out with Denae and Bailey tonight, just making dinner together and hanging out. Hanging out basically means letting the kids do whatever they want while we talk about things we don't want them to hear. Denae is actually helping Indy with her homework (She is going to be such a great teacher because Indy has not freaked out at her one bit!!) and I got on the computer to read her blog and in turn got the urge to write a blog post myself. I am seeing the benefits to polygamy, because it would be really nice not to have to help Indy with her math homework every night. IF I did have a "sister wife" (hey, I watch TV I know the lingo! It's not because I am a Mormon that I know so much about polygamy!) it would be awesome because we could switch off helping kids with homework and taking turns blogging! Think of all the blogs I could write and all the pictures I could post... Well, it's a no brainer, I would rather have my husband to myself than to share him with another woman, but Denae can come over anytime and we can just pretend!

Jared is recovering very nicely from his broken femur and he is feeling a lot lighter these days since he has lost over 25 lbs since the accident. He seems very happy and appreciative of his life and the people in it. He also thinks he he very hot now that he is skinny and he makes me laugh a lot! I am so happy that Jared is still alive and in one piece which is not always the case after a motorcycle accident!

Jared bought me new boots for his birthday! (I know I am lucky, huh!) And all my girls were so excited for me and the loved my new boots so much that I had to buy them all some new boots, and they were sooo happy and cute about it! Libby and Ellie swore they would never take them off and Indy wore them to school the next day without complaining! I love my kids! Milo still makes us laugh all the time! He is always the life of the party!

Well, that's all folks! I really can't think of one more interesting thing to say!

I might as well tell you...

2011-09-09T11:06:00.001-07:00

On Sep 9, 2011 11:52 AM, "Carrilyne Jaynes" <heckagirl9@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I have big news! Next summer I will be doing something crazy! Something I never thought I would do! No, I will not be having a baby! But I am sure that when the day comes I will be wishing I was having a baby instead! I will have to spend lots of my time training and it will probably cause me to suffer through lots of pain and even shed some tears, but on my own free will and choice, I have signed up for the Utah Valley Marathon 2012!
>
> And that's the FULL marathon! 26.1 here I come!

The school year begins...

2011-08-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ellie finally gets to go to kindergarten!! She had been waiting so long since her sisters started school 2 weeks ago!

This is her all settled in at her table trying to get her play dough open. Her best friend Liam is at her table and so is her friend, Paige!

Posing like a princess!

The other kids wanted their picture taken too!

This is Indy and Libby on their first day at Freedom Academy. It has been a very big change to switch schools but I am very happy with it. After I got over the initial shock of my kids not going to the elementary school that they have grown up with I have started to feel more comfortable with it! But I couldn't turn down this opportunity and I think over all it is a great change! The girls have made lots of new friends and love their teachers!

Oh and have I mentioned that we have been doing a lot of soccer this season! With school just starting and all three girls playing soccer some days I just want to pull my hair out! But the girls are really athletic! Ellie and Libby have really shown that they are light on their feet and not afraid to get in there and kick the ball! Indy has star goalie qualities! She likes that position because she says she doesn't have to run as much!

Libby and her friend Zoe!

Life

2011-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

I ran 8 miles this morning!! "So, whats the big deal?", you say?? Well, I took the month of June off on account of a bad sprained ankle! It was so depressing for me. I was so grumpy! But I started running again this month! And the grumpy depression has evaporated and Jared and the kids couldn't be happier to have their happy mommy back! :)

I have no camera these days, so here are some pics from my phone from the past couple weeks....

June 23- My baby sister, Aubree, turned 21. I made her her favorite dinner, Chicken Alfredo and these cute kitten cupcakes, since she is a big cat lover!

June 28th-

My first born, turned 10!! Indy had a fabulous birthday! Jared took some pics with his fancy, shmancy camera and of course I haven't even seen them yet! But she had a fabulous day! She had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast! We went to a movie in the afternoon. Then we came home and rushed to her softball tournament with all her friends. It was a good game and her team did their best but they got beat! Indy did get a run so she was happy! Then we went home and had a BBQ and played on a fun huge water slide with the whole family and all of Indy's friends from the neighborhood. Indy got tons of gifts, everything she wanted, but her big gift was her new bike that is so cute, I just might borrow it! I made her a delicious ice cream cake and then the kids busted the pinata and ate tons of candy! Perfect ending to her first day of being 10!

June 30-

I painted alot of 4th of July toes! Pretty cute! I think these are chelsea's toes!

July 2-

I was running on the trail the first morning the balloons went up and I had to stop and take a pic!

July 3-

Stadium of Fire

July 4-
Liam and Milo being cute at Grandma's

July 5-
We actually, attempted the parade even though we didn't have a saved spot. We found a pretty decent 4x4 square of grass and we watched the parade for about an hour! By then the kids had had their fill of the parade and we beat the traffic! Wahoo!

July 11-

Us, at the Malt Shoppe, after failing to get free slurpees since everyone ate them all before we got there! :)

July 18-

My kids with the next door neighbors, Rory, Liam and Autumn, decorating cookies. That was lots of messy fun!

July 16-
And this was the end to my busy Saturday of running 8 miles, doing yard work, running errands, making dinner, more yard work and then a sunset sail! It was spectacular! The wind died right after the sun disappeared so Jared motored us in with a power drill with a small prop attached that he put together himself! Have I told you before, that I am so glad I married a man that has the skills of MacGyver and James Bond put together! He is pretty much a genius!

Well, that's all folks!

Fun in the sun!

2011-06-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

School is over!

Summer is here!

Libby with her 1st grade teacher Miss Aurich! Libby had so much fun, she loves learning and being with her friends!

Indy with her 4th grade teacher Miss Collins. Miss Collins really inspired Indy to get all her assignments done! They had alot of fun!

Libby's teacher is now Mrs. Bayliss. Indy also had her for 3rd grade so both girls were very excited to go to her reception!

Here are some real pictures of us sailing! Sadly, we haven't been sailing since summer has started. :(

Here is me in Idaho! My fun and fabulous friend, Julie, invited me to go to Twin Falls for an overnight trip to hang out with her Aunt and go shopping! Her husband is a pilot so trips like that are very common for her! I, of course, was happy to go and of course got a huge deal on a ticket! I can't even remember what this canyon was called but it was right at the edge of a TJ maxx and Old Navy parking lot! Seriously! Shopping and a nature excursion in one awesome!!

Me and Julie looking cute!

My cute new tennies!

Kari had this fabulous car parked in front of her house when I got back from Idaho so we took it for a little drive! Jealous!?? ;)

I just thought this was cute!

This is where you will find us for the rest of the summer! Come by for a dip!

You won't believe it!

2011-05-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

No, I am not moving or pregnant! I am blogging! I know that was a mean trick, but since I have been off the blogging band wagon for so long nobody actually reads my blog when I do post. So I thought I give this blog a title that couldn't be passed over! Hopefully, some of you took the bait!

Jared and I worked on the yard all day in between soccer games and softball practice. We are doing a garden this year and we are really looking forward to eating some yummy veggies, so cross your fingers for us!

Then to reward all our hard work we took out the catamaran. It was so awesome! My life has truly come full circle. When I met Jared he was really into sailing. I loved it! It was so exciting and different from anything anybody else was doing. Jared has always picked his hobbies that way! I loved being his first mate and feeling the wind in my hair and the excitement of going so fast the keels lift of the water and the only reason you don't tip over is because of your own body weight holding down the hull!!

Ten years later, we are out on the same lake, in a similar boat, with our four children. They are loving the wind in their hair and the freedom of speed that cost nothing but the breeze that carries us. The kids can't get enough of it. While our voyage tonight was short because the night got cool on the water and the kids teeth started chattering and I am already envisioning a summer full of adventures and camp outs and lots of fun! With me, my hubbie, our kiddos and the thing that really brought us together in the first place!

(P.S. My camera is broken thanks to Milo, so as you probably noticed I used pictures that I stole off the internet to make this post more interesting!! :)

Spring as Sprung!

2011-03-23T15:13:00.001-07:00

Friends going out to enjoy the fun!

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2011-03-20T14:33:00.001-07:00

Usually when I try to take a picture of me and Jared looking all cute and in love and stuff, he always, ALWAYS, pulls a face... But this picture he did his sexy eyes which is equally as hiliarious as his funny faces and along with my Jay Leno chin I think we make quite the couple!
Don't you agree?? :o)

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Charmed Life

2011-03-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

I really have it good! I am Seriously, so happy! So as you already know I have my piano that my hubby surprised me with on my bday! One of my wishes checked off the checklist!
Next- I had a fabulous birthday party with my close friends and family last Saturday and I was overwhelmed with love! I have so many people who I love that love me back!! Not only that but they surprised me with a group gift of a gift card to RC willey to go towards a new dinning set that I have been wishing for forever! So now I have a table with matching chairs, wish list checked! Thank you all my dear, dear friends who gave me the party and to all my dear friends and family who came and partied with me!
Also, I just finished a fun project- refinishing my old table! Which makes me happy because it's sooo cute and trendy and I love to use up my creative juices!!
Something else that makes me sooo happy, is Jared hanging out at home with us. I guess it hasn't been very good picture taking weather lately so he just comes home after work and hangs out... It's really rather nice. :o)
My BFF Karen Robins came down today. My mom came over to babysit all our kiddos while we went to lunch with our hubbies at costa vida- so double happiness there!
Really the list goes on and on! But the foundation of my happiness comes from a spiritual place that I haven't been tapping into as often lately. Maybe it's because things are good, so good that I start to loose myself in the world, and in things, and in self fullfillment. At a time when Heavenly Father has been blessing me so much, how can I forget Him!? Tomorrow, I will start with bright eyes, keen to the blessings I have been given but more importantly with my heart open to Him who has given to me!

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And the good times keep on Rollin'

2011-03-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jared's little brother, Adam, we now have a piano in the house!! Jared took over Adams project of refinishing it and he painted it black and it is so beautiful!! Jared worked so hard refinishing it over the past week, all in secret, telling me he had lots of late meetings. My husband is so good at surprises that I should expect him to surprise me, but I never do! The Indy and Libby will start piano lessons on the 25th! Everyone asks me if I play, and no, I do not, but I always wished I did! And now I can give the gift of music to my kids! Cheesy I know!
Oh and I am now officially 30!!!!

Clark Kent

2011-03-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

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Enjoying the weather

2011-02-16T10:42:00.001-08:00

It has been soooo cold this winter! Some mornings I just want to cry when I have to sit on my frozen leather car seats to drive the girls to school! But this week has been wonderful I even got to go on a five mile run this morning and got a bit of a sun burn (dang it)! I hear it's supposed to snow tomorrow but I am so grateful for the vitamin D boost the past couple days has given me and the kids!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

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Some things I love...

2011-02-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Month of Love I just thought I'd jot down some things I love...

I love~ My spectacular husband.

No matter what I say or have said in the past, the truth is Jared is perfect for me and the fact that he is not what you'd expect is what I love about him. I know that I have ALWAYS complained about his obsessive hobbies, but honestly, that is what makes him so cool and, of course, I wouldn't be happy if my he wasn't as cool as he is!

I love~ Indy.

She is funny and really smart. Me and her are so much alike. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's very bad! We both love our family, friends and reading! She is very dedicated and loves to learn. She is fun to be around and I am sure the good times will just keep on rollin' between us!

I love~ Libby.

She is my silly, smarty pants. She is kind and caring but loves to let loose and be crazy! Learning comes easily to her it almost like she absorbs everything around her without having to do anything at all. She has lots of friends that she can't seam to live without but her siblings are her closest friends of all.

I love~ Ellie.

My little princess. Ellie was born in the wrong time period, to the wrong social class! She is graceful and talented, kind and gracious! She loves to be dressed up but doesn't need to be to be to show off her royal charms. She loves her mama very much. She stops me just to tell me she loves me. And I love her!

I love~ Milo

Milo... Milo... What can I say about my little man!? He is a sweetheart! He is all boy but he has a way of melting your heart with tender moments. He loves Batman, Ironman, Spiderman, and Superman so he just calls them all the "Mans". And he loves his daddy almost as much as he loves me!

( I will have to start giving shorter answers or nobody will make it to the end!!)

I love my Mommy and Daddy!

I love my sisters! And chocolate! Somehow they go together! My brothers are pretty cool, too!

I love all my awesome in-laws!!

I love Max the dog,because he is just awesome, when I don't want to kill him, that is!(wasn't he the cutest puppy!)

I love my friends they give spice to my life whenever I need it!

I love food!

I love my new Nook because I sure love to read!!!

I love running!

I love my house!

I LOVE the gospel!

And, I just love being me, because I have so much to love!!

Ride 'em Cowboy!

2011-01-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

Need I say more??

Pictures of Christmas and New Years!

2011-01-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Finally, some good snow to play in!

Christmas Jammies!

Chelsea's cute little Family!

Christmas Morning waiting to go down!

What!! DSi's from Santa!!!!!!!!!!

Mommy got a surprise too!

A motorcycle and Batman! Life doesn't get much better than that!

Ellie is so adorable!

Finally Indy got her pillow pet !!

Libby with a cute stuffed seal! (sorry, I couldn't figure out how to flip it!)

Me and my babies on New Years Eve!

The kids staying up late after our waffle party!

Max asleep (he is really asleep!) on the couch after a long New Years Eve!

Which reminds me of something funny Indy said the other night when Max was in a similar position- After looking away from Max's 'area' she said to me, "I wish they would make DOG underwear!"

I am right with ya girl!!

Christmas is officially over....

2011-01-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

I turned on the chistmas music via pandora, and started taking down the tree this morning and I was almost in tears when 'So this is christmas' song came on!
Christmas where have you gone!? Did I enjoy every happy happy moment with my children? Did they feel the magic of Christmas I felt as a little girl? Did another year just pass us by??
Luckily one of the gifts Christmas gives us is another year to do everything better than we did the last...
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

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Libby and Max

2010-12-30T09:09:00.001-08:00

Both doing their favorite things!

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Milo and his batman cave in his woody pjs!

2010-12-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

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More DSi time!

2010-12-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

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Ellie playing her DSi from Santa!

2010-12-25T09:45:00.001-08:00

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Max looks so awesome with a mohawk!

2010-12-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

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The aftermath...

2010-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

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Simmer down, ladies! He was wearing a ring!

2010-12-10T06:32:00.001-08:00

The doc who stiched up Ellie

I went to the after hours doctor with Ellie and asked if the doctor could tell if it really need stitches and what the best route would be before I paid for the appointment. The doctor was nice and said it definitely needed stitches and he thought a plastic surgeon would do the best job. But he could do it, if I wanted, he said... Well I was like I guess I better go to the ER...

I didn't get a plastic surgeon But Dr, Sanderson took good care of Ellie! They don't even give the numbing shots anymore!! They just put a cotton ball soaked in a magic potion on her eye for like 45 min and Ellie couldn't feel a thing! Not a tear! She was so relaxed while he sewed her up! Just 3 stitches! My mom came over to be with us and took lots of pictures of course!

The night ended with ice cream cones for everyone! I will post pics of the girls choir concert as soon as I download them! The big girls did such a great job singing!

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Guess whos turn it is for stitches!?

2010-12-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ellie and Milo and Libby were all horse-ing around in the front room, dancing, jumping off the couch and doing flips... (Our Christmas tree has gotten everyone in the house going crazy!) I was in the kitchen making scones for family who was coming over for dessert after Indy and libby's choir concert, when I heard two loud thumps and a cry/scream and Libby saying "Oh Ellie are you ok!" I run out see blood and know it will be a long night!

Natalie across the street is a nurse and we always consult each other's and our kid's wounds... She came over and thought it needed stitches too... So my parents were already on their way over so they took the rest of the kids to the choir concert and I took Ellie to the after hours doctor!

See the next post for the rest of the story...

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Christmas tree! Oh Christmas tree!

2010-12-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

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Ellie with her new cousin Finnely!

2010-12-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

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It's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

2010-12-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

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2010-12-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

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Ellie is 5

2010-11-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

Eleanora Jo Jaynes came into this world 5 years ago from November 9th. If you have forgotten her birth story go here and you will also see some adorable baby pictures. Oh, and I forgot to put a link on Libby's birthday blog so you can read her story and see more cute baby pictures, and the famous picture of Jared with hair, by clicking here!

Here is Ellie with two of her favorite friends after a breakfast of pancakes and sausages!

Like I have said for all my kids birthdays this year, I took a break from planning a big friend party. But we did have lunch with our friends at Kari's house and Kari even made her a cake!!

Here is the cake I made for her!

These are the cupcakes she took to her preschool! They had dum dum flower fairies on top thanks to my fabulous neighbor Kari who happened to have 13 dum dums at 8:30 am on a Monday morning when I cooked up the idea for Ellies cupcakes.

Elllie before she opened her presents with her sisters, brother and cousins!

My beautiful princess is 5! I still can't believe it!!

Libby is 7!!

2010-11-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

Libby turned 7 on Monday!Which as a mom is a hard day to have a birthday because we had just been partying all weekend long for Halloween and the switch to birthday mode on Monday morning!! But I think we did a pretty good job!

So I kinda feel bad because I told my kids no birthday parties with their friends this year and I have never done that! Libby and Ellie have both been talking about having a make up party so I let them put make up on after dinner! (And you will see Libby with bright red lipstick in the rest of the pictures! Oops! Didn't think that through!)

I let the Libby invite her good friends next door! Libby and Rory are lucky to be next door neighbors and BFFs!

This was her birthday sign I stayed up late making! And all the balloons have something nice to say about her on them!

After a dinner of chicken nuggets and cooked carrots that she requested (but wouldn't eat because she was too excited) We got ready for presents!

The Jaynes tradition is for the birthday girl or boy to give a wish to the person who is giving them the present! Like Libby would wish Milo his very own motorcycle and Milo jumps around just as excited as if he had really gotten a real motorcycle!

Libby was very happy about all her presents which included Littlest Pet Shops, Zoobles, Squinkles, a pillow pet and of course....

Clothes!! When did she get old enough to care about clothes!!??

Some of our awesome party guests! My sis and her "friend" Lincoln and Ellie and Michaela!

The cake!

And the wish and blow!

I hope all her wishes come true!!

Halloween Extravaganza!

2010-11-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween kicked off Friday night with pumpkin carving! We were lucky to have our good friends, Rory, Liam and Autumn come over and help us!

Liam and Ellie ready to dig in!

Autumn wanted to see what we were doing but wasn't too interested in helping!!

Ewwww! Yucky, slimy fun!! Libby, Indy and Rory dug right in!

Rory took a picture for us! Aww! I love Ellie's scared face!

It was so so much fun! I carved a princess face and Jared carved a scary Batman! The kids loved them!

Then after all our hard work we all enjoyed some pumpkin spice Krispy Kremes and watched The Great Pumpkin on TV!

Trick or Treating!

Saturday was a super wet day! We had a family and friends come over soup before we went out to brave the storm! We all thought we were going to be trick or treating under umbrellas! But just as we headed out the door the rain stopped for the rest of the night! Yay!

What??? People just drop candy in my bucket!?? This is awesome!

Most of the gang! They had so much fun together!

Milo and his cousin Liam are best buds! We are having so much fun watching them grow up together!

I took Indy, Rory and Libby out for extra trick or treating! I had so much fun just being with the big kids! And boy did they get loaded! After we got home and everyone left the kids got to stay up and watch Halloween specials and eat as much candy as they wanted! Aubree stayed and hung out with us which was fun because usually she has plan with her friends! After the kids were in bed Jared, Aubree and I watch all the Halloween episodes of our favorite shows like: Office, Community, and Outsourced and we got lots of good laughs out of those!!

Halloween Day!

We had a fabulous Halloween Dinner Party at Jared's parents house! We had a blast! The table was decorated with costume apparel and the girls had so much fun picking which chair to sit at!

All the spookiness even changed carrots into witches noses!

After dinner we turned down the lights and Grandpa read us a scary/fun story that was perfect for the kids! Grandma passed around bags filled with "eyeballs", "hair", "brains" and "fingers"! The kids loved the suspense of sticking their hands in the bag to see what it was! Even Milo loved it! He loved being scared and he kept saying "spooky"!!

I think this was the best Halloween yet!!

Canadian Thanksgiving

2010-10-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

Julie wanted to have a welcome fall party and Kari was ready to make a turkey for her Thanksgiving (she is Canadian) and Natalie and I just wanted to eat the food! So we put it all together and had the most yummy Canadian Thanksgiving/Fall dinner I ever had!

The food was all so beautiful and delicious and this is the only picture I took of it! Boo hoo!

The kids place cards... This was Superman's spot!

The adults table was sooo "Better Homes and Garden" thanks to Julie!

Julie even decorated the rest of the room! That's me showing off her handiwork!

Autumn and Kaylie enjoying their treats!

What!? Dallin actually smiled for me! I think after 3 years of being his moms best friend he finally likes me!

I know Emma likes me because she is one of my nursery babies!

Kaylie is also my nursery baby and loves me too! But they both will be going to Primary in January so they wont be babies for very much longer!!

Julie and Landon... A gorgeous mommy with a gorgeous baby!

Aren't Richard and Natalie such a happy couple!!

Two of the coupon queens! If you want to save money on groceries they know how to do it!

My favorite... Me and Jared. Jared of course has to pull a face every time I want to have a picture of just us! Hmph! Well, I look cute so I am posting it!

Another happy couple and the decorating mastermind, Julie and Brandon!

Kari at the very end of the night! The party was a success! Even though Jared asked Kari during dinner, "So what are you Canadians thankful for???" Silly Jared! (But I was really glad he asked because I didn't know either! Turns out they are thankful for the same things we are!)

I didn't get enough pics of all the kids but everyone had a blast! I hope I get to celebrate two Thanksgiving from here on out! Kari makes a killer turkey and stuffing!!

A lot of Pictures!

2010-10-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

So all of you know that Jared's new hobby is photography. He is really good! He went to the Provo Farmers Market twice at the end of the summer to sell some pictures and try to get his name out, because really, that is what this hobby obsession is all about, finding the one that makes him rich and famous...

Well I didn't take any pictures while I was at either of them but one of the times Ellie took off with my camera and documented her time at the Farmer's Market.

So here it is, through the view of Ellie, 4 1/2 yrs old.

The guy next to Jared made these awesome Dollhouses...

Ellie's best friend and cousin, Michaela.

A self portrait of Ellie...

Little brother climbing at the park...

Some of Daddy's pictures!

Grandad offering a bite of his burrito...

Trinkets...

Oooh, Sparklies....

Only $7!! I should have got me some of those!

I am pretty sure I could make these...

Michaela artfully posed... Ellie already has a knack like her daddy!

Cousin Leo's chubby cheeks.

And the perfect end to a perfect day!

THE END

Now that the Farmers Market is over the girls have started ice skating lessons and they have loved it! It's amazing watching them improve so quickly! I love it!!

McDonalds with the gang!

Rob and Chelsea had their birthday! I made molten lava cupcakes! Mmmmm mmmmm!

Here is a cool pic of me and Milo admiring a Motorcycle in a parking lot...

Indy and I at the Activity Day's Fall Mother/Daughter Breakfast!

Me and my girls enjoying some girl time! Can you even recognize Kari?? She look hot, huh!

Me and my little sissies!

Liam turned two and he and Milo have been having a lot of fun playing together now that they are both so mature! :o)

Milo hanging out with Ronald!

The girls get to enjoy McD's too on their day off from school!

Milo and Max having another nap together...

So all the girls got a teeth cleaning over the past two weeks. We now have an HSA account. So while we still have no dental insurance we can use money from this account at the dentist! Yay! Or so I thought... They all need cavities filled. When the Hygienist asked Ellie if she brushed her teeth everyday, Ellie said, "ummm... No." Well at least she is honest! Anyway I made an investment in making sure the toothpaste and

tooth brushes and even floss are always available!

And so far that "as seen on TV" tooth paste dispenser has been fabulous! I totally recommend it! And hopefully by the time we have to pay for their weddings we will have all their dental work paid off!

Whew! That was a lot of pics but now you are all caught up!

Sabotage

2010-09-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

So now that school has started life is back to a routine that starts with me waking up at 7:51am and calling to the girls from my bed to get up and get dressed because we are leaving for school in 10 min!! There is always somewhere to go and things to do when school is back in session! But there are also lots of moments when I just have one or two kids at home and we get to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.

We are going to miss the lazy summer days where kids are running in and out of the house thinking of fun ways to entertain themselves like swinging into the pool!

And the babies are running around half naked...

And when all your friends want to wiggle your loose tooth until it finally falls out!

And naptime can be anytime and anywhere!

But the school year has it's plus side too... Like when your two big sisters are at school....

And your mom makes you play dough!

All I know is that I have to live in every moment of this because I will never get a minute of it back. And every year the minutes go by faster and faster and suddenly I realize that my baby is two, and I do crazy things like sabotage my own plans to wean him off his binky because I realize that as long as he still has a binky I still have my baby!

Frist days of School and Milo and Max!!!

2010-08-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

My girls love school! I am pretty lucky that way! We went shopping for their first day of school outfits the night before school started! They put together some super chic looks!

Ellie had to wait a week until her preschool started, but she waited patiently and finally her day arrived too!

Milo and max have been keeping busy while everyone is at school. Here is one of their favorite activities!

Oooo... this looks comfy!

Just a little closer...

Ahh... much better!

Now this is the life!!

Retro Perspective

2010-08-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Remember when we were little and we would stay outside all day and not come home until we were hungry or it got dark? When it was safe to ride your bike in the road and not a soul wore a helmet? And the highlight of the summer evenings was when the ice cream truck came around and we all chased after him whether or not (mostly for me it was not) had any money.

Well fast forward to today where my kids are not allowed to ride their bikes on the street and they are supposed to wear their helmets. But two things are still the same- my kids love to chase the ice cream man and they almost never have any money!

Oh and one more thing is the same! These pictures I took using an app that uses a retro camera! These kids could have been born 25 years ago!

Pretty stinkin' cute- don't you think!?

P.S. I ran a half marathon today and I had a blast! I did 13.2 miles in 1 hr and 55 min! Not too shabby, aye! I am already planning another one to improve on my time! It's addicting- that's for sure!

All about me!

2010-08-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

I am going to blog about something besides the fact that summer is nearing the end although every morning it is the first thought that crosses my mind! How can my lazy summer days be coming to an end!???

Well, not too lazy... I have been training all summer for a half marathon and this Saturday, like in two days, is my big race! I have loved all the running I have gotten to do this summer... I have given up running with my ipod for three reasons. One it annoys me. The ear phones get sweaty and slip out or the song might have too slow of a tempo so I have to fumble with it until I find a better one. Reason number two is I run to run... Yes I do have a lot of gadgets for running, like my GPS, my treadmill, and I have had quite a number of jogging strollers but the best runs I have ever had are about the run. A clear mind. Solitude. Just being able to be me for an hour or two with no interruptions. And reason number three- Safety! I want to be able to hear if some one is sneaking up behind me! And I feel sorry for the person who would dare try to sneak up behind me! This summer is the first summer that when thoughts about a full marathon have crossed my mind I actually thought, "Maybe..."

I am also addicted to ALIAS! Just finished the first season and have started the second! I have found that there are many others share my love it is soooo good! It's really hard because I also love all the usa shows like Burn Notice, Psyche, White Collar and the all new Covert Affairs. So I stay up way to late some nights catching up on my shows!

I have hired my friend Corinne to help me with my housekeeping! I didn't know I would be getting such a super cleaner! She is awesome! My walls are even clean and I feel like I have time for other stuff, like folding the piles of laundry on my bed, instead of what I usually do which is avoid cleaning because there is just too much and I am totally overwhelmed by it! Well not any more! I am so happy!

Well I have been taking too long and I didn't even get to what my kids have been up to this summer, but what they are up to right now is mischief!!! Indy is yelling that there is toilet paper all the way down the stairs so I will have to leave this post with a....

To Be Continued (when my children are in bed!)

2010-07-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

Grandpa, Milo, and daddy, having some male bonding time over a video game!

2010-07-24T17:30:00.001-07:00

Indy and Max soooo cute!

Just to so we are clear....

2010-07-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

When I said in my last post, "When all my kids were in school..." I meant "When ALL my kids are in school..." as in all 4, right down to Milo! That list I created will not be accomplished for another 3-4 years depending on when I start Milo in kindergarten! But as you can tell I am looking forward to it!

When all the kids are in school

2010-07-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

If you are a stay at home mom then people have probably asked you the question, "What are you going to do with yourself when your kids are in school???" Well... I know exactly what I am going to do!!

I will get the kitchen table cleared off before lunch. As of now the kids will occasionally eat lunch with their cereal bowls still on the table.

I will fold the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer. Right now it piles up on my couch, my bed, and my treadmill.

I will vacuum every morning. People will never again know what kind of crackers my kids were eating for snacks just by looking at my carpet!

I will vacuum my car every week and the only thing you will smell when you get in is a pina colada air fresher instead of curled milk from an old sippy cup lost under the seat.

I will take the time every morning to do all three of my girls' hair in the latest style instead of reminding them to at least finger brush their hair as drop them off at school!

My bathrooms will be sanitized every morning and smell lemony fresh and guests will feel privileged to use my bathroom instead of wishing they had stopped at the corner gas station for their pit stop.

I will have time to run whatever distance I would want each day and when I got home I will even be able to take the time to stretch with out kids climbing all over me.

I will spend and hour every morning improving my spirituality and become a scripture scholar like Bro. Belnap and always have fascinating facts I discovered in my studies to share in Sunday school, instead of just popping my head in to tell a parent their child is in need of them in nursery.

I will have time to cook the gormet meals I read about in my Food Network magazine that I drool over every month.

And if I am cooking like a chef I better take the time to cut coupons and bargain shop so that I can brag to my friends about how I got 10 grocery sacks full of food for $8.69!!

I will read all the books I want to read now but can't because every time I am at the library I spend the whole time chasing kids and carrying all their books that I can't even remember how to read let alone remember what book I wanted to check out!!

My flower beds will never even know what a weed looks like! I will be a gardener extraordinaire and people will stand in awe of the rainbow of colors that grace their street!

And that's just twelve things I plan on doing when my kids are all in school... And if there is anytime left after that I just might take nap!!!

;0)

2010-07-13T10:13:00.001-07:00

Indy and Max watching cartoons.

2010-07-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

Old school super nintentendo. I personally would feel like a bad mom if I didn't pass down the joy that is in that little gray box!

9

2010-07-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

Indiana is 9!!!

Yes this happened on June 28th and it is now July 11th, but I am catching up!

Here are some pics from her big day! We had a big BBQ with our family and friends and she got spoiled with gifts! She is a happy girl!

2010-07-09T20:15:00.001-07:00

You all know if a free puppy comes any where near me I am going to get it! Well look who came our way! Jared even approves because he is a small dog!! This is Max the chiuaua pug mix! Ellie has been fine so far but its only been 2 days! I pray I will finally get to keep this one!

2010-07-09T18:55:00.001-07:00

"You know mom, that owl is just a human in a costume!" said Ellie who used to be scared of the orem owlz mascot...

2010-07-06T13:44:00.001-07:00

Milo sleeping with his daddys motorcycle!!

2010-07-04T21:21:00.001-07:00

As we were watching our neighbors light off their fireworks after a fun night with our friends, Ellie says, Mom, I love this day!!

2010-06-21T19:48:00.001-07:00

I chopped it!! And Cassi highlighted it! Nothing says summer more than this! :o)

2010-06-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

two cuties swinging!

2010-06-13T18:04:00.001-07:00

Boxers and briefs night!!

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2010-06-09T16:57:00.001-07:00

Milo enjoying his cartoons!

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2010-06-08T16:21:00.001-07:00

My little summer diva!

2010-06-08T09:55:00.001-07:00

Milo is already giving the chicks a ride on his motorcycle!

Nappy Time!

2010-06-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to record a first that happened to me today in almost 9 years! I took a 2 hour and 40 min nap today! Ahhh... Life is good!

2010-06-03T15:15:00.001-07:00

A Jaynes' kid favorite- anyone else like a little chip with their ketchup????? ;o)

2010-05-31T09:38:00.001-07:00

Taking time to stop and smell the roses! Mmmmmm!

2010-05-29T21:12:00.001-07:00

Ice cream cones and cartoons at Grandma Pennys after going out to pizza and the park! Ahhh... Life is good!

2010-05-29T10:41:00.001-07:00

This is how we get the mail in the country! Taking a ride in style!

2010-05-28T03:57:00.001-07:00

Sleep over at grammy and gramps'!!! Finally at 4am!!

2010-05-26T14:05:00.001-07:00

Indy did great at her track meet!!! Look how proud she is! (but I think my face looks twice as proud!!)

2010-05-23T20:07:00.001-07:00

The best way to entertain Milo!! A silde show of motorcycle pics! I love that he rests his chin on his hands!

2010-05-22T18:51:00.001-07:00

Why I am done having kids- Reason 307

2010-05-19T15:52:00.001-07:00

2010-05-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

I was finishing a project and Milo was ready for his nap... So he took one!

2010-05-17T15:52:00.001-07:00

Milo got his motorcycle magazine pulled up a pink princess chair and sat down for and enjoyable manly moment at the princess table!

A Day in my Life

2010-05-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday- I got up early to do my long Saturday run. I wasn't feeling too hot thanks to Milo and Indy who had both been very sick with colds during the week. After running for about half a mile I realized my long, peaceful, run wasn't going to happen. My lungs were burning and I felt very out of breath... So I walked another mile and turned around and walked home. I tried to enjoy the beautiful morning, the cool air, and the rushing river but I was too disappointed. Last weekend I had missed my long run too and I was feeling very much like a running loooo-ser...

I decided I was sick, and for me actually admitting I am sick is rare! I can get sick but I usually pretend I am not and it just goes away. Today I wanted to be sick! I wanted to sleep! I made sure someone was going to be there for my nursery babies on Sunday and I went into rest and relaxation mode. (With a short break to go to a matinee on Saturday to see Iron Man II- which was freakin' awesome!!)

This morning I just wanted to sleep in! I knew if I could just sleep in the gunk in my chest and sinuses would magically disappear! And, Jared let me... He made the kids breakfast and played with them while I was laying in bed not really sleeping but trying to anyway, which is almost as good! I laid in bed most of the morning reading, something I loved to do as a teenager, and now is only an occasional treat. I got up to get a bowl of cereal and as I was carrying it upstairs to eat in bed when my foot slipped on a random item left on the stairs and I slipped and spilled the whole bowl of cereal UP the stairs! Jared even cleaned it up.. Since I was in a fit laughing/crying/coughing hysterics... So sad :0)

I eventually got up showered and put on some comfortable lounging type clothes... I made the kids lunch and cleaned it up, did some laundry, and made my bed... Then Jared took the girls to the park while Milo was napping to fly his helicopter which I don't usually approve of as a Sunday activity, but whatever! I was going to take advantage of the peace and quiet!

So I read some more, and wrote in my journal and pondered stuff, like I usually do when I don't have kids to distract me from my thoughts... And I started thinking about something Mrs. Walton had said to me a couple weeks ago in the hallway at school... It was almost like I had been saving it to be enjoyed privately and contemplated because it was quite possibly one of the highest compliments I had ever been given. I had said to her that I was sad that she wasn't going to be Libby's teacher next year but that I was so happy that she was having a baby! And she told me, "Thanks, now I will get to be like you!"

I pause now to really think what it meant, to have someone want to be like me...

I am always reading about moms that I would like be like, through blogging, and church, and my scores of friends and family that are fabulous mommies! And I know what it feels like to want to be another person because they do something I wish I could do to! But to think, to KNOW, that I was someone that someone else wanted to be like...Wow!

I have a very charmed life so it's easy to be happy, and energetic when I am happily married with four beautiful, healthy children! And it is fun to be me most of the time! (I am sooo not bragging but it would be very ungrateful of me if I didn't admit it! :0)

But there are times when I get frustrated, upset and act in a way that no one would want to be like me if they saw! So I think I will try harder...

I will try harder to be that mom Mrs Walton thinks I am. All the time...

Which is a perfect thought to end on since I am about to try to bathe my four, happy, beautiful children and get them to bed ...

2010-05-15T09:24:00.001-07:00

Daddy always wears these gloves so that must make them cool!!

2010-05-13T18:28:00.001-07:00

Libby's 2nd tooth came out!

2010-05-13T09:54:00.001-07:00

now that the weather is nice the kids can come with me on my runs on the river trail and we have had fun playing at new parks!

Happenings at the Jaynes pad...

2010-05-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Here is Milo calling for his dad.. Nate needed Jared's help for a minute last weekend and Milo watched him the whole time he was gone. I kept telling him to call out for his "Da" but he kept coming over to me and banging on my leg yelling- Daaaa! Daaa! and pointing at the window...

I think it makes Jared happy to know someone is always waiting impatiently for him to get home!

Libby lost her first tooth finally! She was so excited that of course she would not put the dang tooth in one spot and of course it got lost and we had to write the tooth fairy a note explaining what happen...

Luckily, the tooth fairy was very understanding and left Libby a very tiny note telling her not to worry, this kind of thing happens all the time!

Here is Milo enjoying his favorite snack... "What is it?" you ask... Costco shredded cheese, of course! Don't all kids go to the fridge and beg for handfuls of it??

Can you tell he enjoys it!?

Here are some cute picture I found of the girls on the camera... I love how a camera instantly turns my girls into supermodels!

They are pretty adorable, huh!

A friend of mine passed down some fun boy bathroom decor on to me and I set it up in the upstairs bathroom just for fun, since Milo is not anywhere near actually using a bathroom!! Wow, can I tell you how weird it is to have a BOY bathroom! Everything has been pink for so long...

But I am adjusting quickly!

Here is me holding a sleeping Milo and Leo. Chelsea had surgery two weeks ago and she can't lift more than 8 lbs for a month.

As you can see Leo weighs more than 8 lbs! So I have been babysitting Chelsea and her kids when my mom is busy! I have loved getting to spend more time with my little nephew and Michaela loves it over here with all her cousins! ( I look super grunge in this picture and I am pretty sure greasy hair is out... Oh well!)

And That's all Folks!

For Now...

2010-05-04T22:21:00.001-07:00

Indy's choir singing at Abravenell Hall!!

2010-05-04T17:57:00.001-07:00

Abravenell Hall

2010-05-02T20:01:00.001-07:00

Everytime I told them to say cheese Milo would start banging Ellie on the head!! It was like I was saying the code word for 'hit your sister on the head!"

2010-05-02T19:58:00.001-07:00

Bedtime?? Yeah right!!!

2010-05-01T20:15:00.001-07:00

Ellie- "Mom! Indy lost all my flowers I made!!!" Indy- "Ellie! They are in your hair!!" *loud laughter* Classic, huh!

Have I mentioned lately...

2010-04-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

That I have the cutest kids in the whole world! Well, I think so! And I have a fabulous husband that makes me happy all the time! And we own our dream home, in a dream location, and I am not yet 30 years old! That I have a wonderful extended family that is always there for me, including (but not limited to!) my parents, sisters and brothers, Jared's parents and brothers and sisters! And any one of them can be found babysitting for us, feeding us delicious food, or just spending time together quite often, I love that!! I also have the most fabulous friends in the whole world! All the houses directly around me are full of some of my best friends... And I just have to drive down the street to find lots more of my bestest friends! I have friends I've known forever that I am still close to and we still can laugh together about all our inside jokes!

But the best thing of all, is the blessing that I know exactly who I am, where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going! I don't know if my life would be as sweet without that knowledge! Knowing that all these people I love so much in my life will always and forever be a part of me! That I am building and growing here in this life for a greater purpose. There is always something to learn from life! I know I have a lot of blessings and I know that those blessing come from Above...

And today I want to show my thanks in all the little things...

2010-04-27T07:33:00.001-07:00

Libby enjoying her beauty rest! These were her favorite things she got at Katies party she wears them every night!! She is really sleeping in this picture!!

2010-04-26T16:01:00.001-07:00

After flipping through my favorite cookbook this brownie sundae makes me really miss my oven!!

Mommy's Retreat!

2010-04-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

I had a crazy fun weekend staying at this $10 million dollar Park City Mansion with 9 of my very best friends this weekend! WE did all the things you'd expect... Like going out to a delicious dinner, pedicures, hot tubbing, chatting, movie watching, staying up way too late and shopping! We also did a few unexpected things that, unfortunately, I have no pictures of because I forgot my camera, but it's probably for the best and I can only hope that my friends that did take their camera post pictures wisely!!
And sadly for all the other girls I was the only one who actually got to sleep in until almost 10am! I enjoyed every minute of my retreat! I missed my babies a lot and sleeping in my most comfortable bed with my wonderful husband. But Olivia was quite a fun bed fellow and after deciding we were tired and going to bed sometime after midnight we ended up talking into the wee morning hours!
Some of us got to stay and go shopping at the outlets on Saturday and we had a blast! I wanted to buy so many beautiful things! But I stuck with my list and got myself some new running shoes and filp flops for the kids!

Speaking of running... I am quite obsessed with it lately and I want to run all the time! Especially with all the beautiful weather lately! In fact it doesn't even have to be great weather- Kari watched my kids Friday morning and I ran 7 miles in the rain andI loved it! I will be running my second half marathon in August and I am going to be ready!!

And I just have to congratulate Jared on his many accomplishments this weekend! Some of those include- Changing 2 poopy diapers (shocking I know!), getting up at 4 am to get Milo a sippy, shopping for two birthday presents with all four kids, taking Libby to two birthday parties, and the house was still in the same condition when I got homes as it was when I left! Your the best- Babe!

I have the best girlfriends in all the world! Life is good!

Famous Scones

2010-04-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Scones in my family are so much more than food! Once a month on Sunday nights my Grammy and Gramps would make scones and we would all gather together... Uncles, Aunts, cousins and friends. Dipping the scones in Karo corn syrup or homemade jams! My cousins and I running around enjoying being together with so many people who loved us and enjoying the essence of our family- which was the scones! And the love of course :0)!

Here is my Grammy's original recipe. She would always make homemade bread for her family when my mom was young and she would make 6 loaves of bread at one time to last the whole week. This recipe can be used for bread, rolls and scones! But most of you will not need to make a this much dough. This recipe could easily feed thirty people! And if you have not made bread with yeast before you will need more instructions!

Grammy’s Scones

(6 Loaves)

5 ½ c. water

½ c warm water for yeast

3 envelopes of yeast – dissolve for at least 5 min.

¾ c sugar

¾ c oil

3 T salt

5 lbs of flour

Mix water, sugar, oil, salt, and yeast. Add flour to wet ingredients. Knead 5-7 min, until smooth.

So here is the same recipe but I broke it down into a 2 loaf recipe... It looks long but I added lots of comments so don't worry, it is easy but it does take about 2 hours from start to completion! This should feed a family of 4-6 easy unless you like to eat the left over scones for bed time snack, breakfast the next day, and maybe even lunch then double it!

Grammy's Bread/Scone Recipe (2 loaves)

1 1/2 c. of warm water

1 packet or 1 TBS of yeast

1/2 c. warm water to activate the yeast. Yeast instructions- First take a deep breath and relax- this is so easy! !

Pour the half cup of warm water (the temp. of your kids bath) into a small bowl or mug (for some reason we always use mugs in my family). Pour in the yeast, sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top and stir it with a plastic or wooden spoon. Wait 5-8 min. The yeast should be foamy and bubbly. Now pat your self on the back you just did the hardest part!!

1/4 c of sugar (for scones or rolls add and extra 1/4 cup)

1/4 c oil

1 tbs of salt (for scones and rolls only use half a TBS)

optional- 1 egg if you are making scones and rolls

4+ c. of flour

While your yeast is activating mix the warm water, oil, sugar, salt and egg if desired in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture after it is bubbly. Add the 4 cups of flour stir until mixed and dump it out on a floured surface begin to knead, adding more flour as necessary- about 2 more cups (maybe a little more but the trick is to use the least amount of flour as possible). You should knead the dough for 8-10 min until it is no longer sticky and has an elastic feel when you pinch it. Put the dough into a medium- large mixing bowl the that you have buttered or sprayed with pam, cover with a clothe or lid. Place bowl in a warm spot for 45-60 min until the dough doubles in size.

Turn out on to a lightly floured surface divide in half. (For the scones if you use too much flour when you are rolling them out the flour will cause a lot of stinky smoke when you fry them). Roll out the dough until it about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into squares with a pizza cutter. Let rise for an addition 20- 30 more min.

Start heating the oil about 5 min before your scones are done rising. This is the hardest part because everyone's stove is different you want the oil hot- probably med-high. But you don't want the scones to cook too quickly that they are doughy in the middle! Depending on how big your pan is you can cook as many scones as can fit at one time. Place scones in a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb the oil...

Eat warm with what ever you like- (easy honey butter recipe, 1/2 c softened butter, 1/2 c honey, and 1 tsp of vanilla and stir!)

2010-04-17T18:56:00.001-07:00

Milo steps out of the gray and into the black! And he thoroughly enjoys it and always makes sure i am watching his naughtiness!

2010-04-17T18:16:00.001-07:00

Libby: Did you check to see if Rory was home? Ellie: Yes! I knocked on her ding dong and she didn't answer!!

2010-04-17T09:21:00.001-07:00

It doesnt matter what color it is... If it has two wheels he wants it!

2010-04-14T21:21:00.001-07:00

Milo lookin good for the camera while workin hard! Maybe he will be the next Ty Pennington!!

2010-04-14T21:14:00.001-07:00

Helping Daddy take out the old dishwasher to put in a NEW dishwasher!! Yay!

Ellie's Fabulous Lemonade Stand

2010-04-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ellie has been asking to have her own lemonade stand for months. I kept telling her to wait until it gets warmer. Well last Saturday it was finally warm enough. So, we made some lemonade, set up a table, and waited for customers! And come they came...

I must say the Strawberry Lemonade
turned out famously!

Some satisfied customers!

The entrepreneur in action! (This character trait comes directly from her daddy!)

Multimedia message

2010-04-13T10:32:00.001-07:00

Ellie wanted her hair beautiful, poofy and with a flower in it for school! She even carefully selected her outfit! Does she remind you of anyone? :o)

2010-04-12T19:43:00.001-07:00

I would look cuter with lipstick, mom!!

Once upon a time there was a dishwasher...

2010-04-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

I once knew a guy back in high school who's family didn't use a dishwasher. And he would never have to wash the dishes because he told me that he didn't think the dishes got clean enough when he washed them... He only felt like the dishes were truly clean if his mother washed them!! I was like- No way!! Your mom actually falls for that!! And you really never have to wash the dishes! He insisted it was the truth... His mom even verified that it was the reason he never had to wash the dishes!! Well, I never really believed it until now... I have lived with out a dishwasher for 3 weeks!! Hand washed dishes just don't have the sanitized cleanliness only a machine can give!! Only now I am the one who is supposed to "truly" clean the dishes and I feel I am failing miserably!!
Help! How do I really clean my dishes!???