We've Got the Family Love Bug

Happy Birthday my Sweet Easton

2009-12-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe Easton is 5. He is so sweet and such a kind big brother. He loves his sisters so much. Last week, I really hurt my back. I was in so much pain, I couldn’t move, so I just slowly fell to the floor. He came running over in tears. He said “Mommy, I am so sorry, I tried to catch you. I wasn’t fast enough. I am so sorry mommy..” It went on like that. It was so sweet that that was his first thought, to save me from falling. I would have squished him for sure, but he didn’t worry about that. He is so conscientious of others.

He is very helpful and kind. He has been pretty shy but I think he is starting to come out of that. He gave a great talk today (Dec, 13th). He spoke up and was confident. His talk was about "Remembering Jesus Christ strengthens my family". “My family is blessed when we remember Jesus Christ.”
He helped me with it. He stood by the computer as I asked him questions and typed his responses.
"There are a few ways I like to remember with my family. I like family home evening because it makes me feel good. I love to play with my family and talk about the scriptures. My favorite scripture story is David and Goliath. I like to remember that David had faith that Heavenly Father and Jesus would protect him and give him strength and courage. I really like the movie called finding faith in Christ because it makes me feel good and happy to see how Jesus loved the people. I feel kind when we learn about Jesus together.
I love Jesus Christ. I love the scriptures. I love my family. I love president Monson. I am thankful for all the things Jesus did for me. I am excited to have Christmas, it helps us remember Jesus more often."

We love our little Easton man!

For Easton's family party we went to Primos (fully loaded with quarters for the machines). Everyone had fun and we were all filled to the max.

We came home and opened presents. Easton had so much fun.

So you can remember your presents later, Easton here they are. nana gave you 10 dollars. YOu said "A dollar!!!!" I said, no 10 dollars. Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds gave him 8 hero transforming cars. Each car has 8 body styles. Amber gave him a toy gun that is complete with sounds and shells. Bama and Boppa gave him clothes and Geotrax train accessories with Sarge, Ty and I gave him Bumble Bee transformer and some Bakugan ball transformer robots. Grandma Simmons gave him transformer walkie talkies. He also got some cool toys from his birthday party. He was pretty spoiled this year. Thank you to everyone for remembering his birthday! It made it extra fun for him. Which was even more important since Tyler didn't get home from Florida until 5pm that night. Thanks!

As we opened presents, Macey somehow made it in her high chair with 3 suckers! Don't ask my why she had 1 let alone 3, but she was a HAPPY camper!

Tea Party

2009-12-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Skylie was invited to a Tea Party. Her friend paige's birthday is the same day as Easton's. I couldn't pass up letting her go. I knew it was going to be way too fun. They had a couple butlers waiting on them; tuxes and hand towels and all.

They had so much fun.

ARRR Happy Birthday Pirate Easton

2009-12-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Easton had his 5th birthday today. We invited some boys from his primary class to come in their best pirate garb! They had a blast hunting for pirate treasure. They all had little pirate mustaches inspired by Easton’s friend Kellen (who came decked out from head to toe!) One of his little friends who shall remain nameless was a camera cheeseball. It was fun!

Red Robbin

2009-12-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

We went to Red Robbin tonight and had a great time. The workers sang to Easton and gave him bunny ears for his 5th birthday.

Sitting on Santa’s Lap

2009-12-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Easton, Skylie and Macey had a good time sitting on Santa’s lap today. Easton wanted the Polar Express look-a-like train from Target and some transformers. Skylie wanted a princess. Macey was...mute.

Yay for Cousins!!!

2009-12-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

My mom brought my sister Kacie and her three kids up for the weekend. They drove 9 !/2 hours one way to come see us. This was the weekend the Musettes (a show choir I am in) had the Christmas concert. It was so fun.

The kids had fun wrestling, playing, and making gingerbread men. The kids played together so well. We took the kids to Cabella's to see the huge fish in the fish tank, while Kacie and I did some christmas shopping. I wish we could play more often.

I wish mom and the Kiepkes could have stayed longer!!! I miss laughing 'till it hurts with you guys! Love you all! And miss you tons!

Winter Coats

2009-11-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Yay, cute new coats! They look so cute don't they! Thank you auntie Julie!

NICE!!!

2009-11-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you give a 4-year-old a rotating toothbrush while leaning over them to brush their teeth with a different toothbrush...Yeah and this is after I pulled out all the hair I could get loose from the brushes! It was hard to stop laughing long enough to look mad in this picture! :O

Happy Birthday Ammer

2009-11-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

For Amber's birthday, Auntie Julie treated us to the Melting Pot!!! YUMMMMMMMMYYYYY! It was so fun and the food, irresistable. We had fun talking to the owner. Who informed us (in her accent) she knew we were 'moah-man' because "Around hea if you aren't drinkin' you are either a recoverin' alcoholic or a moah-men". She was hilarious, really. We had fun!

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-11-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Well I had great intentions of getting our pictures in front of these

pretty bushes all summer (while they were green..). Well this will have to do! Macey was sooo ticked that I was making her sit still!

Musettes

2009-11-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

I am in a city show choir called Musettes. It is way cheesy and soo my style. I love it. My friend Marie did it last year and that is how I found out about it. There are about 50 women in the choir. This is a small group of us doing a separate number called Christmas Candy Calendar. I also did the posters and fliers for the christmas concert! Fun fun!! If you are in the area, COME COME COME!!!! It is a fun show!

Vampire Kiddies

2009-11-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

Easton and Macey were having fun with their halloween teeth from trick-or-treating.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

YaY!!! i pOstEd! I am so proud of myself.

So here are some random kids in our picture, nice huh!
I was a lady bug. The wings on the back helped pull it together.

He was so cute. He wouldn't wear his shoulder pads though. He said they were to itchy. Oh well he is the cutest little football player I've ever seen!

Skylie went through 3 costumes. Her real costume was a cute witch. The wig was "too itchy". Then we had a cute cinderella costume, the skirt was too squeezy on her tummy(we had to pull it up because it was too long. Finally she decided she needed to be a monkey again this year...so silly.

Here is my matching lady bug baby. I told her to smile and she totally cheesed. I love it!

Halloween was way fun. The kids and I were dressed to impress all day long as we went from activity to activity. We went to a community event in the park, then to the Farmstead corn maze to visit Amber, then trick or treating and then to a bonfire...tiring but fun day for sure!

Oh and Macey and I won a prize in the costume contest at the maze. I got a $25 gift card! I thought that was most definitely worth it!

They all loved trick or treating at night. They are still talking about one house in particular that was totally decked out. Equipped with a moving ghost on an invisible zip line and interactive mic.(the talking pumpkin). They had a ton of stuff making it feel pretty eerie. A Easton was talking back and forth to the pumpkin ( the dad was inside with a mic and the speaker must have been in the pumpkin...). Easton asked "...do you have any candy?" the pumpkin replied knock on the door and find out. They had so much fun!

Ward Halloween Trunk or treat

2009-10-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here is skylie's cute witch costume! I guess it was a bit much for a 3-year-old. She really wanted me to paint her face though...

Easter Bunny’s Off-Season Cabin

2009-08-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

For FHE we got these little Easter bunny huts. They came pre-assembled (totally awesome!) We just got to decorate them. Our little artist Skylie LOVED this. She would put the frosting on(squeezing her little heart out). Then it had to be smoothed just so with a butter knife. Easton has a ton of fun piling on the frosting. His looked more smooth and traditional. Just the way he likes things. He is so funny. He kept grabbing everyone else’s tube trying to put more more more frosting. He was having a hayday with the candy too. He placed each one just right before he went onto the next.
They had so much fun with these (even if they were hardly edible… they didn’t care one wit).

Livin' La Vida LOCA- LDS style

2009-06-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been a while since I have updated, but we have been crazy busy lately. Here is my crazy list of stuff keeping me from my blog.
Our Treasure Valley American Mothers (AMI)group put on a state-wide conference. I did all the graphics stuff needed, we had fun and it was a nice success. It was fun to create a whole series that went together for the convention. I designed the flier, posters, thank you posters, booth signs, and tbe program. It was fun and a lot of work! I was nominated/volunteered/voted the new Treasure Valley American Mothers president. And with that comes work... We are working on our AMI blog.

Come check us out, we are at forevermoms.blogspot.com. It is still under construction, but should be up and running next week. Our mothers group focuses on many things, one being positive parenting. The book we find answers in is Glenn Latham's book Positive Parenting. He is AWESOME!!!! If you check it out, you will love it! He has such an awesome way of helping families work together to create harmony, love and peace in the home. He is also real. I love it, it has help me tons as a new mom. On the blog, we will have forums where moms can come ask questions and get Latham-based answers. We will also have each month's lesson handouts and tips on there. We are starting a "literacy corner" deal too. You'll be able to click and see what literacy activities we have been working on for kids. If anyone is wanting to come we meet the first Tuesday of each month in Caldwell, and it is FREE!! Let me know if you want to come anyone is welcome!
I have been working on a couple different AAA lock and Key brochures for a family friend's business. (this is not done)

More things that have been taking computer/blogging time are:

We had Skylie's birthday. I have been doing highlights/low lights in friends hair. I have been playing playing PLAYING it up this summer with the kids! We have had swimming lessons. I got a new calling, where I am now over scouts! I have been so awesome at keeping the house clean (that is a feat in and of itself with 3 kids 4 and under). I have also been working on a photo spread for a wall in my house...I keep changing my mind and have to redesign the pictures on photoshop.

I am also a mad couponer(I am sooooooooo over-addicted, Melissa don't even say a word...JK)!!

I have been reading lots too. Lately I have read Ella Enchanted, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Book of a Thousand Days, Goose Girl and Princess Academy. I have Enna Burning and Jamaican Inn on hold at the library. And somehow manage to spend time with my hubby, who I love so much, and especially for the fact that he loves me busybee and all!

So please give me a break when it comes to the old blog, it is coming! I have tons and TONZ of stuff to blog...but I am so not doing it tonight.

I hope everyone is doing well! We are loving life and staying sane...somehow!

Flying Frenzy

2009-05-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

So all 3 of our kids are always so scared of being thrown in the air. Well I think Uncle Jason and Tyler broke Easton of this. They were tossing him back and forth. Don’t worry; he was caught in all of the tosses. He was even caught in the one where it looks like he is going to kick Jason right in the chest. Skylie wasn’t broken of the fear… she cried.
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Dia De La Familia

2009-05-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

We went to this Day of the Family Celebration to watch one of Tyler’s coworkers little girl’s Latin dance team. Well what we found was so fun. We will go back next year for sure! They had the blow up obstacle coarses, jump houses, free dinner, music and dancing, pony rides, hoola hooping, parachute games, gunny sack, cotton candy, shaved ice and horse rides all for free! (For all those that know me I LOVE FREE!) All this was put on by the LDS church to help the community to celebrate family and the time we spend together. We had a blast!

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Not-So-Sneaky Silly Putty

2009-05-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

So imagine what it might be like if a 4-year-old snuck silly putty to bed one night…

I woke up in the middle of the night to a sleepy cry. The kids had been in bed for a few hours. Easton talks in his sleep a lot. Whatever he says in hi sleep is usually yelling. On account of this, tried to ignore it thinking it was a bad dream. They OWWs got louder and more consistent, and I was worried he would wake Skylie and Macey so I went in his room (groggy and a little annoyed). He just said oww owww and wouldn’t tell me what hurt. I tried to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, but he seemed asleep still so I went out. That happened 3 times. I finally asked him where he was hurting trying to figure it out. Every time he tried to sit up to show me, he would only make it a couple inches and flop back down in pain and cry. I told him he must have a headache and to try to go to sleep. Between tears he said NO he didn’t have a head ache. I was positive that was what was going on. Just to make him feel better I felt behind his head… What in the world. No, he was not collapsing from headache pain every time he went to sit up, he was 100% woven to his pillow. It couldn’t have been a tighter fit if they were sewn together. He was woven to his pillow by his hair with (drum roll please) silly putty. I tried so hard not to laugh. He must have tossed and turned his little head on that silly putty 150 times at least. It was so matted to his hair and his pillow, I couldn’t have cut it out of his hair if I wanted to. Not to mention he must have had two eggs of silly putty in the mix. After much mommy-suppressed-laughter, and 4-year-old agonized screams we broke him loose of his pillow captor. LOL. I was so tired I just stuck a beanie on his head and told him not to take it off! (As if he would be able to anyway…)
In the morning it took a fine toothed comb, oil, and peanut butter to break it free. He screamed this whole time too. It would have been so much easier to cut it out, but I am telling you it was to his scalp!! Crazy stuff!
This is the mostly dissolved silly putty we combed out...He was a sad boy. This is the day I found out he has a sensitive head.

Loungin’ with their Shades

2009-04-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Even though it wasn’t very warm outside yet, the kids decided they needed a popsicle. They got geared up in warmer clothes and out they went. They were laying on this chair together when they decided they needed sunglasses. The only ones I could find were these 3D ones. Aren’t they so cute. They just laid there together with their huge shades, tiny faces and yummy popsicles; buddies for life.

I Won!

2009-04-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yay!! I never win anything!! I won the ATM give away, and then a week later won 4 free desserts to Carinos!!!!! Watch out lucky, here I come!!!

We Love Cousins!

2009-04-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

We have the Everton kids come over to play. We had so much fun playing Red light. Green light. Then we played red rover, and a little soccer and a three legged race. We love spending time with these guys. Our kids play so well together. They are all great kids.

Playin’ at the Calls

2009-04-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Easton and Skylie have fun with little Cedric and Cody. They all played in the warm sun. This was one of our first really warm days. We loved it. They played while I put a weave in Becky’s hair. We all had a fun time!

Feelin' the Love ;o)

2009-04-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

I just have to say I love my husband more than anything in the whole world. He is my very best friend and is so fun to be around. Thank you for your cheesy-fun flirtations... I wouldn't have it any other way. Ty is such an amazing daddy to our kids and a truly wonderful husband and best friend to me. You are more than I deserve and could ever ask for.
He is always wrestling with the kids and playing their little chasing games. He is the first to jump up and meet their needs when they ask. He is so good at thinking of our family first before himself. He is always graciously accepting the new little "projects" I get on a monthly basis and just lets me do my crazy thing. He is so kind and considerate of others. Tyler is the best person I have ever met, and I am so lucky to have him forever. Thank you for always making me laugh. Thank you for being a great listener. Thank you for all you do for me and our family. Most of all thank you for just being you.
Love Les.

Build-a-Bear

2009-04-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Amber treated Easton, Skylie and Macey to a new pet at Build-a-bear. Easton got Timmy the turtle, Skylie got Magic the unicorn and Macey got Mimi the monkey. They had a blast picking out their new little friend. I am actually surprized we didn't have a hyper piper and a fifi somewhere in those names. They sure like to name things in memory of their ducks! They had fun helping stuff them, then clean them, and lastly dress them. It was way fun! Easton chose the police officer outfit for timmy. Skylie chose the lucky wings. We chose Mimi a cute little sun outfit. Macey was soo super cute with her monkey. She would just bury her face into it. It is so soft. She love it.