What's new from the Petersons....

2010-04-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

Gosh...It's April 28th, 2010! Where does the time go?

A l ittle re-cap of the last few months activities.....& A LOT of pics! FUN!

Dec, Christmas was amazing in Texas this year...complete with SNOW on Christmas Eve! We stayed home and had a great time just being with each other & no where to go!

McKall got her "15yr" trip. She chose L.A. ...we had a fantastic time!

Jan, Ryann's 3V3 team took us to National's in Orlando Florida. We spent the week hitting the parks, beach, Datona 500 race track, movies & A LOT of soccer! Ry's team did ok, taking 10th out of 40something teams. Ry played like a rock-star and had a great time!

Feb,Ryann turned the big 10, she had a party with pedi/manicures, dinner & sleepover!

March, Dan & I took a quick trip to Utah. Dan worked & I spent time with ALL my sista's & my sweet friends back home. Kaden turned 8...getting baptized in May in New York with his cousins!

April....crazy! Alec-broken thumb/cast for 3 weeks/playing on 2 different basketball teams/getting straight A's, McKall-playing soccer for Plano Premier League...the Dynamos, who are undefeated!, she just made the Wakeland HS dance team for next year & is a 4.0 student.

Dan & I celebrated 19 years of LUV!

Ryann-playing A LOT of soccer, loving school & hanging with friends!

Kaden-doing awesome in school, playing basketball on a good team where he is getting better and faster....& with the help of Alec, shooting awesome!

Me...I have a great life! I get my boot-A kicked every morning, go to lunch, shopping, clean my house, do whatever till my kids get home, then we hit homework, practices, dinner & bed! :)

Dan...still traveling about every week for 2-4 days at a time & LOVING his crazy schedule!

* We are heading to PA here in a week to see family & baptise Kaden, Luke & Christian. Can't wait to hug all our babies again!

*pics of the last few months!

Alec, playing with the Plano A division Panther Pack! The team pic below shows his height challange!...but, he's awesome!

My little soccer studs/diva's!McKall's header....soon after she was knocked to the ground & got a slight concussion! rough game!Our Christmas snowWoman! :)Christmas fun...Christmas eve...fam pics are never fun!

The next million pics are from our trip to Orlando! Fun times and awesome soccer!

making the train rides a little more exciting! :)Ryann, gettin in on the fun! hahahaha!

Epcot...Amimal kingdom...3V3.....these teams we played were rough! If you didn't push & fight, you lost!Ry scored here but was taken 'out' by this chick...look at her face!

Daytona beach!... There was NO one there...it's like we had the whole beach to ourself! We saw dolphins jumping in the water and just played in the white sand for hours! One of our favorite days! Seeing the Daytona race track.McKall's L.A. trip was amazing! She got her convertable mustang!

I think Rodeo Dr. was her favorite...shopping in Juicy was awesome! Newport beach, by our hotel. The weather was awesome...in the 70's Visiting the wax museum, the hollywood walk of fame, taking a tour bus all over Hollywood, we did everything we could and had a blast!My USC superFan! ...we don't even go there and we spent like 400 bucks in the bookstore on the USC campus! We took a tour, and then went to the USC Trojans Stadium! Awesome! McKall shoppin in the 3 story bookstore. :)

ThANksGiViNG.... mom & dad visit! :)

2009-12-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks have FLOWN by! I had some major surgery on the 17 of Nov (no, not a boobjob, tummy-tuck or lipo...hahaha, I wish)!, was 'out of commission' for that whole week, then my parents flew in for the Thanksgiving vacation! And NOW it's Dec 5th....crazy! Good thing I have a lot of my shopping done! :) .....anyway, things are great now, I have all my essential bodily functions back to normal and I am feeling like I could run a marathon! ;)

The Fam is doing fantastic! McKall is loving school, soccer, friends AND Texas! Alec is a great student and loving playing basketball for the Middle School and for a competitive league. Ryann is happy in school, sassy, and plays soccer like a little rock-star! Kaden is still a little devil, but, is doing great in school, playing on a basketball team, & making a ton of friends! Dan is busy with running the West and traveling, but always finding time to build a shed, throw the ball & help with homework...& these days....... cook & clean! hahaha!

Here is just a few pics of the last couple of crazy weeks!

checkin out the pool...brrrrrr! definitely TOO cold to swim!

atop the slide....cheesy!

Grandma's FAMOUS SUGAR COOKIES!! FUN TIMES!

Pics at the LONGHORN park....Pic after Thanksgiving dinner....we ate OUT...at Texas Land And Cattle! Nothin better than making a new tradition...eating Steak for Turkey Day!

I think I got my obsessive cleaning habits from my father!!! He went on a 'cleaning' frenzy with my husband making us find the extension ladder and dust-rod!!! Thanx Dad!!! After eating out...we did put a turkey in & made rolls....Alec thought the Turkey "parts" were pretty gross!! FUNNY!!! Really????

One of our favorite events!! Seeing the place where JFK was assassinated...the little square window in the building on the left, one down from the top...where Lee Harvey Oswald was. The X on the street....by mom & dads feet is where JFK was fatally shot from the FRONT....Pics of the assassination and 'theory' behind the 4 shooters....really GROSS pics from the day of the shooting! A visit to Southern Methodist University Campus....One of our favorite places!!

The GREAT & SPACIOUS BUILDING! Dallas Cowboys Stadium! WOW!

A LITTLE CATCH-UP!

2009-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

I am loving my crazy-busy life! The kids are keeping us running constantly and we love it! I don't think there is anything Dan and I would rather be doing right now than spending every second helping and supporting them! We go to practices and games 6 days a week...sometimes even 7! We spend hours figuring out homework and doing projects for school, we take lunch to them at school and vistit with their friends, we get up with McKall at 6:15a.m. & head to seminary, Alec too is up and we are off to the locker room at 6:45. Ryann's soccer is amazing and hard and intense.....she is so fiesty and stubborn....it shows on the field! Kaden is finally getting involved in sports and being 'pushed' by his brother to be a 'beast' on the field! .....hahahaha! Dan and I even find a spare moment or two to go to a party or to dinner! Life is short, so fill it with all the things you love to do .... and 'just do it'.......'be happy'.....and take A LOT of pics along the way!

Halloween fun...Alec (not in costume anymore)...with Christian....his "girlfriend" :) ....All the cheerleaders made Football Jerseys with their 'boys' on it! funny!

My two 'babies' :) ...Dead SWAT Officer & our ROCK STAR! Kaden, #25, WARRIORS! Kaden getting in on a tackle! Ryann up against one of the toughest forwards in North Texas...'yayua' ...Ry beats her! Another tough match up against a TOP team ...Solar...Ry gets the ball, but gets pummelled to the ground after! Alec, showin some GUNS with teammates from the Griffin Gators! Alec is on the ground with the ball....fumble recovery! Alec with his two GIANT friends from Pioneer Middle School....they also play on Alec's basketball team....Alec has some GROWIN to do! hahaha! These boys are 6foot & 6'2"...crazy! My cute McKall......:)Soccer with the Dynamos......they are 7 and 0 ! Family night....preseason Mavs vs. Cavs...nothin better than seeing SHAQ & LEBRON! Ya, and Luke Nevil, on the left of SHAQ...from Utah Utes! Another fun Family night....MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL at the new Cowboys Stadium! ...or what I like to refer to as 'the great and spacious building' ! Seriously!!!
Getting a 'first-class' ride from the parking lot to the Stadium.....(in the background)! We actually look like Cowboys Fans in this pic! hahahaha! GOOD TIMES!

HE JUMPED!!!

2009-09-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that Dan is traveling quite a bit with his job. He is over ALL the Argosy campuses in the West; Seattle, Washington St, California, Phoenix, Salt Lake, Hawaii..... to name a few. He gets to travel to all these locations and "work" :) Well, his last "work" trip to Hawaii, he decided to have a little more fun than usual! He didn't let me know till AFTER his little 'adventure' bec he did not want me to worry! ANyhoo.....I won't expound too much, just to say that he got really nervous on their way UP...but, was told it was too late! hahahahaa! SO ENJOY some of these amazing pics of my crazy 'workaholic' hubby, jumping out of a PLANE at 15,000 feet!!!

Where Does the time GO?

2009-09-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

SHEEEESE! It's only been a little over 2 months since I have been on my BLOG! I feel bad I have not kept up with my posts...but, you know how time seems to just FLY by and all the sudden your kids are back in school and you don't know where ALL your summer went!!!! :)

Anyhoo...I guess that is what happened to me!
Summer was fantastic, full of fun, sun, travel, friends and family!
August was a complete blurrrr!!! McKall turned 15 (yes, I'm that old)!.. & the kids all got back into sports and practices and crazy schedules!

It is now Sept 3, we are 1 week into school and going full throttle! :)
I have to say that I have never been really SAD when I put my kiddos on the bus for their first day of Kindergarten or Middle School....I was just excited for them....and ME!..... BUT, this year, when I took McKall to High School....I was kind of teary! ...She was a little nervous,( but who isn't their 1st day of High School)!?? AND there are 1,300+ freshman in her class!!! WOW!!! It's not like Logan High where she knows everyone and has Tosh to look up to and take care of her! But, McKall is amazing, tough, funny and crazy! She had a great first week and is now just trying to adjust to her schedule!

OK, enough babble....I will just put some pics of summer and the start of school and sports and fun here in Texas! Love Y'all!

McKall is 15!!!

Fun at Bear Lake

Cutlar with the BUTTARS! I think our favorite thing EVER!

RyRy...3V3 Tourney in Austin! 2nd Place!

Ry played with the Samba Zehnos while we were in Utah! Fun to play with all her old friends!

First Day of School! Ry 4th, Kaden 2nd, Alec 7th, & McKall 9th!!

Fun in the Pool....my RyRy posing like a movie star! hahahaa!

Girls CAMP!

2009-06-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be called as the camp director for our ward this year! The theme for camp was B.O.O.T. Camp....(Building Our Own Testimonies)! We went to a ranch this year out in East Texas. We stayed in cabins, which were primitive! They were little wood shacks with about 8 bunk beds along the outside walls, with mattresses that were so old they were falling apart and our neighbors even had bugs inside one of theirs!!! GROSS! We tried to put on our smiley faces, make our beds and get ready for a week of FUN! hahahaha!

There were MANY activities everyday that kept our girls busy and entertained! We had a little schedule book with times and events and duties! We had about 200 girls and about 50 leaders including our whole stake presidency. We did archery, went on hikes, played in the lake, canoed, sang & danced, ate, chanted, had R&R (reading & reflection), served a meal, prepared food, had a shaving cream fight and laughed and laughed! We also had many testimony building experiences that will never be forgotten by any of us! I will just tell you about 1 very powerful night!....... The night of the tornado, where we all ran to the 'shelter' ....(a huge steel framed cabin on the lake...with JUST steel frames...not sturdy walls)......all the girls huddled together in 2 big rooms crying, hugging close together and singing. At one point when the Sheriff told us that this was very serious and that the tornado warning was coming right for us......ALL the girls started singing "I know that my Redeemer Lives' very quietly, but very powerful! The stake President just stood, along with the leaders and sang quietly, we then sang "I am a child of God".....Then Pres Dotter offered a prayer and the storm HIT....for about 20 min the walls shook, the lights swung, the thunder and lightening crashed so loud and it rained in sheets!.....then, it was gone! We were all OK! Later that night we learned that the storm that had us in it's direct path had parted and gone all around us, but not through us. We were safe due to the power of the amazing priesthood, the power of prayer, and righteous young women who were were they were supposed to be serving their Heavenly Father!

So, despite the stifling heat and bugs and cabins and toilets(where we could not even flush our own toilet paper), we had amazing food, fun and crazy leaders that made camp awesome!

Enjoy some of the 400 + pics I took!

The leaders, on our cabin's front porch....

Our amazing shaving cream fight...me and JenThe crazy rope swing! I didn't make it out too far! The yellow slide next to the swing was so fast that it launched you off the end into the lake at like I swear 20 miles per hour! hahaha!Doin the cupid shuffle on skit night!

Fun at the archery range! The inside of our sweet cabin! One plus, it did have 2 plugs for FANS!!! Even though we were still wet from the humidity....the fans helped a TON! Our girls were in this cabin and the one behind it....we set up tents in between the two cabins for the girls due to the 'bug' and 'bed' problem! hahahaha! Moustache night! 'did oo say ambooger'?????

The Storm....Kind of hard to see but this is the start of the sever weather night from the 'shelter' or cabin where we were all together.Inside one of the rooms, singing while the storm blew outside. You can see the steel beams, but the walls were just heavy vinyl.The barn where we had to move our vehicles. It was across a field, so it ended up being too far to run with all the girls in the storm.

Serving breakfast to the troops! They were up at 6:30 to help prepare and they even had smiles on their faces!The pavilion where we had our programs each night.This is the front of the big cabin on the lake where we went during the storm....we came here during the days to sit in the shade and feel the hot breeze! hahaha!

The lake front. the girls cabins were on the left side of the lake. The big white building on the right was the storm shelter....not very much of a shelter! ...but a great view of the lake!

CaTCh Up!

2009-06-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the last few weeks! Soccer, baseball, basketball ...end of year tourneys, School achievement awards, last day of school parties, memorial weekend trip to Possum Kingdom Lake! ........since I am a photography maniac....I have taken a TON of pics of all of these happenings and cannot fit them ALL in one post...so, for now here is our Memorial Weekend Trip to Possum Kingdom Lake!

The Road Trip 2 hours South West to the Lake! Our first trip to a lake in 10 years WITHOUT a boat! WEIRD!
Matthew and Alec, two peas in a pod!
Nick, Matthew's brother, Kaden and our 'movie-star' Ryann!
Our Lake house! It was not the 'plushest of accomidations' but it worked! It was right on the lake and you can see the CLIFFS in the background....with lake homes all around. Our sleeping arrangements, NICE...6 bunks down and 6 bunks Up in the loft! hahaha!
There were about 12 families, 2 families to a lake-house. It was really fun to hang around the fire at night and chat and smore! What do you do if you're at the lake and you don't have a boat? You FISH of course!
The Cliffs reminded us a little of Lake Powell....except these cliffs had homes all over them! And NOT small homes either! Homes with Heli-pads and BIG boats!
One of those NOT so small homes on the Lake! equipted with it's heli-pad and house boats! There was also a huge pool on the side of the home. Another neat Lake-home....this one with 2 sweet boats!
We went on a plontoon-boat ride to Hell's Gate (the opening in the cliffs) we hiked about 1/2 a mile up to the top and looked over the lake! It was awesome!
Alec and Matthew, doing what they did ALL day for the 2 days we were there! Football, Football, Football!

Fun times! New friends! .....but, now we just need the boat and a Lake house! Maybe next year!

FuN StUFf!

2009-05-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Last week was a great week! Our awesome Alec turned 12! He had a fantastic B-day party with a bunch of friends and then his grandpa Leish and his grandparents Peterson came in on the weekend !! Grandpa Steve has the same B-day as Alec so we had to do a little celebrating together! Alec was also ordained and set-apart on Sunday! What a neat day for him! Having two priesthood holders in our family now is pretty cool! Alec is getting so big....well, to me anyway... compared to some of his friends that you will see in the pics he is still a 'little' boy! hahaha! We are proud of Alec's accomplishments academically, spiritually and physically this year! He is really an AMAZING KID!

Enjoy some of the pics of our awesome weekend!

Birthday morning...before school!

Alec and a couple of friends, Matthew & Stone....jumping in!The B-Day Crew!

On Saturday, our friend Russell Robertson, gave my dad the 'exclusive' DALLAS tour....We saw Dirk Nowitzki's house, THE Jerry Jones Mansion!, All of down's finest, the new Cowboys Stadium, Texas Rangers Stadium and everything in between! Then he took us to his FAVORITE mexican/elsalvadorian restraunt (Glorias)....it was AMAZING!

Dad being crazy & braving the slide with the boys!Hot-tubin with the Petersons!

Birthday cheesecake from Alec's favorite....THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!

The LONGHORN Park....Scary! Holy WHite Boy!The NEW COWBOYS STADIUM! Pictures do NOT do this structure justice! It is seriously MASSIVE!

Time to hit the POOL!

2009-05-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I'm finally making back to the blogging world! Sorry for my hiatus....just busy, busy, busy! :)

ANyHoO, back in February we decided to go ahead with finishing our back yard and putting in a pool! NO, we did NOT have any freezing temps or snow to deal with...just 60-70degree weather! We debated and debated and got bid after bid! Finally we made our mind up, and after about 6 design changes we were ready to roll!

The whole process was really amazing! OUr pool guy, Greg, was incredible! We heard tons of stories about how long it takes and how much mess is made and what a PAIN the whole process really is....so we warned our neighbors that we were starting a pool and to be patient! They were all great ....because they all have pools and know what to expect.
To make a long story short, from DIG to SWIM was 6 weeks...minus a couple of weeks because of rain delay! ....so we were swimming in 8 weeks! Everything went smooth and there was absolutly NO 'painful' part at all!
So, we are now enjoying 80 to 90 degree temps and we have an awesome pool, with a 9' deep end, diving board, turbo-twister slide, huge hot-tub, and fire-pit! We even have some side yard to kick the soccerball or throw some passes!

Dan and I decided that a pool is probably better right now than a boat.....due to our schedule of sporting events and travel this summer......!!! Maybe a Malibu will be in the works for next summer! Ya baby! :)

Enjoy some pics of our awesome pool process! .....HOpe to see ALL of you 'lookers' at some point here in Texas enjoying it with us!!!!!!

The DIG!

I did not realize that after the DIG....it is a TON of REBAR!

Blowing in the gunnite!Finally looking like a 'pool' !

Preparing for the 'pour' the deck around the pool!All poured and 'rain-filled' ! yuck! They had to come in and pump it out 3 times!Getting the fire-pit and bench done! Dan's idea!

The finished fire-pit and bench!....Deck stain too!Blowing in the 'pebble-tech' ....the inside covering of the pool!

All done! Now it's time to FILL IT WITH WATER! YEA!The kids were soooo excited! They started to swim while it was filling up!Almost completly full !

McKall....diving in...the pool is complete....minus some muchly needed landscape!The BIG kids first trick...jumping off the TOP of the slide into the deep end! YIKES!Our fearless Kaden doing a cannonball!

Hot-Tub Fun with the family!

In 3's?

2009-04-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Ok......crazy things sometimes happen...and they usually happen in 3's....right? OK, NUMBER 1: Jami, my crazy sister in Pennsylvania had her 3rd baby on Saturday, the 18th! She finally had a little GIRL! Lexie Lyn Vernon! ....she is very cute, looks like her brothers and has a serious 'attitude' like her mom...according to the nurses! She is a month EARLY and in the NICU for breathing problems. There is some kind of knicks or small holes or something in her lungs letting air escape into her chest cavity. I know, sounds crazy scary....but she is doing the 'same' not getting worse or better....apparently the nurses say whenever they 'mess' with her she gets all bent out of shape and ornery! hahahaa! Lexie is going to be fine....hopefully 'shakin' this thing on her own....but is stayin in the NICU for the next few days or so! Stacey, who lives about and hour and a half away....came to the rescue and has Jami's two little boys for the week! OK, NUMBER 2: This morning my mom was hit by a car while walking to her school. She had parked her car and was walking across the road to the school when a lady apparently did NOT see her and hit her. Mom was knocked to the ground, not sure why she didn't jump up or over the hood of the car??, .... and hurt. They took her to the hospital where they found she has a fractured knee! ouch! She is having surgery in the morning, but, is going to be fine! She was mostly upset bec she just paid a fee to change her plane ticket to Pennsylvania to see her new baby and was flying out on Saturday!!! Do you think the airlines will believe she got hit by a car? hahahaa! AND number 3: nothing has happened YET.....and Trisha's fridge quit working doesen't count! I'll keep you posted!

CraZY BrEAk, B-daY & ViSitOrS!

2009-03-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

We started our Spring Break out by shipping McKall off to Utah to hang with her friends. This, however, turned into an adventure by itself! She flew 'standby' with Dan, who was trying to get to Reno for the WACC and Taho skiing! ....however, they STAYED 'standby' for the entire day...about 12 hours.....and NEVER got to Utah that day! They finally got a flight to Cincinnati, where they stayed the night and then flew to Denver & on to Salt Lake City the next morning....which they ALMOST did NOT get on either!!! CRAZY! She finally made it last Friday and is having a great reunion party with her friends! ....Dan NEVER did make it to his final destination, RENO. He was bummed not to hang & ski with his friends....he had to fly home to Dallas and be with his wife! ya baby!

The weather has been fabulous here in Dallas....75-80 degrees! So we did a TON of yard work and landscaping projects! The kids really enjoyed this! NO REALLY! They were great helpers! We told them if they helped do yard & house projects for the first couple of days of break, then we would take them to play during the week! What awesome kiddies to help without whining or complaining!....well, almost no whining and complaining! hahahaa!

Trisha and Adrian got here on Wednesday! Ryann and I picked them up from the airport! It was a happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, reunion! No tears...just big smiles & hugs!

Ryann and Adrian fell back into their 'sister' mode immediately! They sang and played and laughed hysterically for 4 days!

They went to FC Dallas Youth Academy Soccer Camp, swam (every day), sold kool-aid, went to a movie, went shopping, ate out, played teacher, played soccer, rode bikes, sang, danced, drank chocolate, had tubbies, went to FC DALLAS's home opener against Chicago and cheered for Kenny Cooper, had nachos, watched fire-works, puked nachos and laughed and laughed and laughed!
Trisha and I laughed at the girls most of the time, but did find a few moments to ourselves to lay-out by the neighbors pool and catch-up on life!
We had a really great time just hangin out and relaxing. It felt almost as if we really haven't been gone for 7 months! Can't wait to see them again in a few months!

Our SWEET KADEN turned 7 during all this spring break fun! He was sooo excited to have Trish and Adrian here to celebrate! ...although...he said he really wished Tanner Watson would have come with them too! hahaha!

We had a fun day......Dan and I got up at 8a.m....we had to actually WAKE the kids at 9 to open presents! Kaden was sooooo excited! We got him this 'batman' action-figure that is almost as big as he is! He got some walkie-talkies, snorkel/pool toys, clothes, RC plane & a 'main-event' gift card from Nick & the Hendirx!

Kaden was oh SO lucky to have a professional cake maker here...this prevented him from having a 'lame' cake made/or bought by his mother! hahahaha!! Trisha made the cake and she made me frost and decorate! It was a baseball cake....just in case you can't tell from the pic!

After presents, Trish and Dan fixed crepes with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, whip cream, syrup & powdered sugar! We had our friends Aimee, Adam & their boys over also....it was Adams B-day too! We then got ready and headed to Dave&Busters, this huge arcade game store/restaurant for a little competitive fun! hahahaa! After playing till we ran out of steam...we got some lunch & a treat in the mall & some Texas souvenirs for the Buttars.
We had a fantastic day with all our family and friends! Thanks guys!
Our spring break was friend-filled, fun, busy, crazy, productive, entertaining, loud, tiring & amazing!

Enjoy the madness!

Kenny Cooper....FC DALLAS MLS!

B-Day Boy KADEN!....& BatMan!The B-day party clan!Dave & Busters with Kaden for his B-day!Makin the birthday cake! Thanx Trisha!Bathing Beauties...with lilly-white legs! FC DALLAS Youth Soccer camp! Adrian & RY...'peace out' sellin 'sunny-D'...with no ice! hahahaha! we even had some takers!Fun at the Mall!Havin Chocolate!...our daily 'happy' juice!B-day morning fun! Rockets & Planes!

Ry's 9 !!!

2009-02-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Ryann's BirthDay! It was a bit 'low-key' due to the fact we had church and had to speak and give lessons...but, we made it HER day anyway! WE got up at 8:30 to do the most anticipated...'present' opening & picture taking....(this, was NOT McKall's idea of fun or sleeping-in....but, who cares??? It's NOT her day is it)! ...anyhoo, after we had fun opening presents and taking a bunch of cute photos, Dan made Ry's favorite.....Crepes!

Later that evening some neighbors stopped by for cake and ice cream & more presents!

Ry was queen for a day and got all the attention we could muster!

Here are 9 reasons WE love our RY RY!

1. Her attitude! spunky!

2. She can DANCE! oh, and it's 'beyonce' hahah!

3. She absolutely LOVES music! ....ya, she gets it from ME...ok, & McKall! She can sing ANY song and knows ALL the words & even some actions! hahaha!

4. Ry is sensitive & loving.

5. Ryann has a great imagination! She is constantly wearing someones high-heels, jewelry, make-up, dresses, and teachin/reading to the people!

6. Ry is funny! She is always making us laugh! Some of the things that come out of her mouth!!

7. Ryann is an athlete! You should see her ZHENO, MARIDONA & her 'off-ball-movement' !! She is aggressive and mean on that field! She is getting better and faster! We love to watch her! She can hang with her brothers too.......she can dunk the basketball jumping off the back of the couch......& tackle Alec to the ground when he is trying to 'juke' and 'score'...!

8.Ry loves to cuddle and tickle! No matter where we are she is always pushing her sleeves or pants up or lifting her shirt so we can tickle her back, arm, legs, face, hands...you name it!

9. Ryann is our curious one, always asking questions and wanting to know who, what, when, where, how, & why! Yikes! Sometimes she scares me with her 'inquiring mind' !

B-Day Treats at School!
Blowin out the 'candle'...where is Trisha when I need her??? The 'happy' morning birthday photo! McKall is sooooooo pleasant!Kaden....causing havoc with the 'hula-hoop'...shocking!Ryann's favorite gift...the 'hula-hoop' & 'Heely's' !Another "FUN" family photo! What sweet kids I have! hahaha!

T.P'n

2009-01-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

Remember when you were a teenager and you LOVED to doorbell ditch, play sniper, capture the flag, ghost in the graveyard, kick the can....and OF COURSE T.P. the crap out of people's houses?!!! Well, now I have a teenager who likes to do all of these stupid, annoying, messy activities! .....and what do 'I DO' because I'm nervous for them to go sneaking around at night with dark clothes on and bags of evidence?.....I DRIVE THEM of course!!! Oh, and I take pictures of the festive fun! .....I forgot, this is a house of boys who are all friends with McKall and her friends.....so, it is all just a loving gesture of friendship, NO maliciousness! The girls even typed up a note with candy attached & left on the doorstep! What a bunch of tards! Can't wait for the retaliation!

Oh My HAiR!

2009-01-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

Some of you have noticed that my hair is no longer short and sassy! It has become long and annoying! I'ts not that I can't find a hair-dresser, it's just that I want to try something a little different! SOOO I have been growing it out since I left Logan. Seriously....I don't know what to do with SOOOO much hair!??? Do I blow it dry and round-bursh it....do I curl it...ok NO....It is just so weird...it just hangs there with NO ATTITUDE whatsoever! ANyhoo...I'm trying really hard to stick to my decision to let it get past my ears to my chin....then I'm going to try to do some kind of A-LINE style of some sort! BUT for now, it is just at that ugly hang in my face, can't do a thing with style! I do pull it away from my face and try to do a puff or twist...trying not to look like I'm 14! hahahaa!

I will post my hair-style again in a few months...if I make it that long!

Philly~D.C.~New York~..WHEW!

2009-01-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

Statue of Liberty in the background! Roadie to NYC! Of course this is the kind of fun the boys would have!

Downtown Stoudsburg with the Beebe's!

Nice window shopping in Stroudsburg!! hahahahaa!

Christmas morning CHAOS!

Downtown D.C. checkin out a favorite 'Bush policy'! hahaha! The Air/Space Smithsonian was a favorite! The Jefferson Memorial! Way Cool!

THE WHITE HOUSE!

The Streets of Philly!....the West Side! Can you say...."ROCKY" ...we just enjoyed the 72steps from top our tour bus!The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in the background!Watch out for the Amish Horse & Buggy while driving! Another cool shot of Independence HallAmish lifestyle anyone????Everyday Amish clothes....only the men got buttons on their clothes...the women had straight pins....ya, ONLY straight pins to hold their dress together & apron on!!!!

Enjoying Amish treats from the Kitchen Kettle Village.....we watched Amish women canning all of these yummy treats! We got to try them all!Getting on the train to downtown PHILLY!....longjohns and all! NBA store on 5th Ave in NYC....Alec comparing hands with SHAQ

Can you reach Yau Mings nostrils????

Kaden with the NYPD on the streets of NY!This beautiful church right in the middle of NYC 5th AveSince Matt was out of town...we had to settle for his pop-up at the NBC store in Rockefeller Plaza Purse shopping on the streets of NewYork!

Broadway! On Time Square!

Taking it ALL in!...Time Sq was amazing!More NYPD and the boys!

The Empire St. Building! AMAZINGOur SWEET hotel on 45th and 6th ave....look where Kaden is! His favorite thing to do in the city!

Kaden and Luke hit EVERY turn door they saw in New York...and there were a lot!Ground O.....tons of construction going on.Coming out of Essex Cafe....you can see Ground O across the street...this is the cafe that was used for the medical station! Awesome pics inside the cafe.Looking IN the cafe...the right drink fridge was all medicine during 9-11Pics in the Cafe of 9-11, very sad but so neat!Well, 2008 has come to a close! It was a HUGE year of change for us! Many exciting and memorable events have happened to our family! I don't need to go into details bec most of you know about job changes and starting a new life in Texas! For the most part, things are going great, not too many bumps in the road! ....Anyhoo, we decided that we needed one more fun event to end the year with a BANG! And what could be more fun than going to freezing-butt-cold Philladelphia to see my sisters and their families for Christmas!??

We flew out on the 18th of Dec and hit the Vernies 1st! Jami and Jason were SOOO excited that we were coming to take over their house for 4 or 5 days! Their two little ones, Cole & Miles, didn't quite know what to think of ALL of us, however, after a little warming up, they played and wrestled and sang and had a great time with Alec, Mckall, Ry and Kaden! Jam and jas loaded our heads with all the tourist information and what and when and where to go. We rode the train into downtown Philly and took a tour bus all over the city. You could get on and off whenever you wanted and do whatever you wanted. It was AMAZING! I don't know how much Ry and Kaden got out of INDEPENDENCE HALL (Where the Decleration of Indep..was signed) or seeing the LIBERTY BELL.....but, Dan and I and the big kids LOVED it! Really, ALL of our AMERICAN HISTORY started in Philly! Very Cool!

We went to Amish Village, ....that was very interesting. They are such simple people who want nothing to do with the modern world and it's technologies. It was raining that day and we were driving on the roads next to an Amish horse and buggy! We toured an amish home and learned about their culture and dress and traditions. The kids wore some of their hats and dresses and ate some of the food the Amish women were preparing. My kids said that they feel lucky to be living the way we are and that they were grateful Dan and I were not part of that Religion! hahahahaaa! Really! Me Too!...I kind of think I would be a rebel!

Driving to Washington D.C. was another exciting adventure! What did we ever do without GPS? Getting around in Philly with all those winding roads through the forests was unnerving! But with Garmin...we got everywhere...and with NO problems!

D.C. was awesome! We did a lot of walking and saw everything we could! More History to see and more learning for our kids! They loved it! ....well, kind of! hahahaa!

After 5 days with Jami we hit the road and headed north to East Stroudsburg to see Stacey & James and their 6 wild indians! We packed in their house and had the greatest time! The kids played non-stop and Christmas morning was insane! 10 kids, 500 presents, scooters, lip-gloss, and Guitar Hero World Tour.....we were all entertained for hours!

We toured downtown Stroudsburg, went to movies, and our highlight....driving to New York for 2 days to see the sights! We were there Dec 29 & 30th, 2 days before New Years Eve.....& you know what that's like in NY's time square!! I think EVERY other HUMAN BEING was there too! It was insanely crowded! .....BUT....just being there was amazing and the kids absolutly LOVED everything! WE saw GROUND O and ate at the Essex Cafe that was right across the street from the twin towers and was used as a Medic Station while trying to save the victims. There are pics inside the cafe of that terrible day.

We saw the Statue of Liberty....she was a lot smaller than I thought she would be.

We saw the Lincoln Tunnel, well drove though it, and the Manhattan & Brooklyn Bridge.

We drove up 6th Ave...all the way to Midtown Manhattan, parked our car, and started walking. Seeing The Empire State Bldg, Time Square, 5thAve, NYSE, Broadway, Central Park, Rockefellar Plaza, Today Show, NBC studios, Radio-City-Music-Hall, and shopping galore! We walked and walked and walked and had an amazing time!

I could probably go on forever about the things we did....but this blog is already too long! So, enjoy some of the 1,236 pics I took of our amazing EAST COAST vacation! And if you would like to see or hear more........come and visit!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

I swear I don't know where time goes? Has it really been 3 weeks since I blogged last? Ya, sorry! Anyway, things are busy as ever! UGH!
WE actually got all of our Christmas stuff out the week of Thanksgiving. We decided since Thanksgiving was a week late this year, & we are heading EAST, that we should decorate early and enjoy! Although, it just does NOT seem like December and Christmasy...is that a word jami....?? ..when it is 75degrees outside and the kids are still riding bikes and wearing shorts! WEIRD!

The kids were great helping get lights outside on the bushes, our nativity out and the tree up and decorations on! Of course we had Christmas music blaring to make the mood just right..Dan was even singing along!...I'm sure it was because he didn't have to put ANY lights up this year!
I took a few pics of our activities, but I forgot to take a pic of McKall trying to make Gram Flo's awesome sugar cookies and frosting. She wanted to make them in Holiday shapes and have red and green frosting. The cookie making was fine, we followed ALL instructions and the dough was awesome! .....but, the first batch came out of the oven and they looked like pilsbury-dough-boys, huge, fluffy, thick....GROSS...& the frosting.....grainy,slimy...GROSS! ....guess we will have to try again to make Christmas treats! Maybe next time we will just stick with Choc Chip!

EDWARD!

2008-11-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

Galleria Mall....Twilight Tour! Having lunch while waiting in line!
Getting on CAMERA! ahahahahaaaaaaaaaa EDWARD!!! Die~Hard TWILIGHT FANS...waiting 10 hours to see ROBBERT! The AMAZING Galleria Mall....4 stories of screaming girls!
Robbert coming on stage being SHOCKED at ALL the SCREAMING GIRLS! My favorit pic of my fav VAMPIRE!

Looking right McKall and I.....McKall was screaming & was snapping as fast as I could!

OK, how many moms let their kids sluff school for the chance to see a movie star? WELL, apparently there are A LOT of COOL moms out there who are either too lienent & dont care OR who are CRAZED TWILIGHT VAMPIRE fans!!!!!

McKall is constantly on Stephenie Meyer's website checking on the latest Twilight news! Last week she found out that Robbert Pattinson was going to be here in Dallas at the Galleria Mall. So of course she was trying to finagle a way to go and get a wrist-band. We finally decided that she could be LATE for school & that we would go get in line that morning. Well, we apparently missed the memo....really, being STUPID and not knowing that the line would start forming the night before! I guess if we really thought about it we would have realized that we NEVER even had a chance of getting a ticket to see him and have a signiture! When we got to the mall yesterday morning at 8:30am and got to Hot Topic....there was a sign that said ..."Twilight Event Sold Out"........ of course McKall and I were bummed! We talked to one of the employees and he filled us in on how since we could NOT get an autograph and see him for 5 seconds....that we could go sit by the stage and wait ......ya, for 10 hours..... and get to see him answer questions and talk about the MOVIE. So, to make a long but very FUN story short....we had breakfast at our favorite, Corner Bakery, and decided to stay! Heck, we were the FIRST ones in line down on the floor by the stage and it was ONLY school and housework we were missing out on! It was fun meeting fans from all over who drove for hours, from Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Lousiana. Having the CAMERA crews interviewing the girls and putting them on T.V. was awesome. Doing a little shopping, getting hair-cuts, spending 20dollars in the "candy~shop" , making some new friends and OF COURSE seeing Robbert....EDWARD! It turned out to be a VERY long, fun filled GIRLS/TWILIGHT/EDWARD DAY OUT!

EleCtiOn DaY!

2008-11-04T06:02:00.000-08:00

Today is the BIG DAY! Explore the issues, research the candidates...(Hope you already did)......VOTE!

fffffoooorrrrtttty!

2008-10-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

I've hit my PEAK! I'm in my PRIME! I'm SEXIER with my push~up bra and a few more "laugh~wrinkles"! I realize that it's time to burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear fancy clothes and NOT save it for a special occasion....bec TODAY is special! It's time to DANCE like no~one is watching....oh yea, I do that already!....and it's OK to embarass my kids! I know LIFE isn't fair, but it's still good! And there is NOTHING more rewarding than living it to it's fullest with my FAMILY! I'm NOT getting a boob~job, taking pole~dancing lessons or getting a job at Hooters...although it sounds FUN to Dan! I'm just going to keep living my incredible JOURNEY and hope there is MORE amazing, unforgettable, MEMORIES to come!

Speaking of amazing & unforgettable....last weekend was the BOMB! My SWEET husband ALWAYS comes through! He was stressed out for months about what to do for my 40th! But, somehow he planned the PERFECT weekend...and it was even a SURPRISE!

On Friday, we got all dressed UP. We went to a restraunt called III Forks, one of Dallas' BEST steak houses. I don't think we have ever had a fillet that good! YUMMY! After dinner, I was ready to go home and put the kiddies to bed......Dan instead took me to the Dallas Intercontinental Hotel...ya, the 14th floor suite! Talk about being SPOILED! We finally had ONE night to OURSELVES! He let me open 1 gift....no it was NOT a TEDDY....it was a TAMRON LENSE for my Nikon! YA BABY!!!!!!!!!! He is definitely THE MAN! :)

On Saturday I came home to a decorated house and kids and neighbors with silly~string! I walked in the door and was attacked! Kaden had one of those air-horns and scared the crap out of me & then everyone was yelling and spraying me with silly-string! I laughed till I was crying and peeing my pants! It was GREAT!

The rest of my B-DAY was spent at soccer games and football....shocking I know! ALL of my cutest FRIENDS and FAMILY from home called and SANG and WISHED me well now that I'm an old fart! .......they ALL truly MADE my day! ....I think the only thing that was missing was a DIRT~HILL~CAKE from TRISHA!!!!!!!

I had a great evening previous, and a fun B-Day with my kids! .......I didn't know it WASEN"T over yet! .......the next morning our friends, Russell & Paige, picked us up at 9a.m. We were going to my FIRST NFL FOOTBALL GAME!!!! I was soooo excited! We even went in STYLE. Russell's company has a "party-bus" that they shuttle people to and from the STADIUM. It was seriously HILARIOUS! It looks like a "short-bus"....which would be totally appropriate for US!!! ..but, once inside.....the party begins! hahahahaaa!

We get to the game an hour or so early and just "take-in" the CRAZIES! Talk about FANATICS!

WE.. DID have our COWBOY ATTIRE ON, but NO face paint, beer, banners, horns or boots!

Our seats were on the 17th row in the corner of the end-zone. I loved being so close that we could hear the players! The GAME was more like a big SHOW....lights, cameras, fire, Randy Travis, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Players, screaming crazy dressed-up fans.....FUN!!!!!!!

What a FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY! I LOVE 40! I love Texas! & I love my MAN!

My Lense!

Happy 40th poster!
The PARTY BUS!

TEXAS STADIUM!

Inside the DOME!

Dan's FAVORITE! He got out the BINOCS!!! hahahaha

Here come the COWBOYS! Field Goal!

Hand off to Marion Barber....He's THE MAN! Dreads and all! Look at the SIZE of these guys! T.O. is even BIG!

This is the trail of fans leaving Texas Stadium! This paking lot is full of Stretch SUV's and Limos....people comin & goin with STYLE! Like us! hahaha!

mOvINg AgaIN!!

2008-10-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

These two pics are our staircase...going down to the front door/entry/dining.

This is a view from the back door...kitchen to the left and family room & den to the right. The other pic is obviously our kitchen. Kind of hard to tell with all the boxes in the way!

A couple more pics of the kitchen and family room...which is all open to the formal dining and entry way.

Last week we spent our FINAL night at the apt. On Friday, October 3rd, the movers came and moved us out! It was such a great feeling! We got all the furniture (which was NOT much) from our apt moved into our new home. We spent the weekend there and unpacked what we could. On Monday of last week the SEMI and 2 other large trucks came with the rest of our STUFF!! It was so funny....they just kept unloading and unloading and unloading....yea, for about 51/2 hours!! And I thought we got rid of a lot BEFORE we moved to Texas!! hahahahahaaaa Guess it's time for another garage sale! Anyway, we are in and happy! Now we just get to unpack and unpack and unpack! Hopefully you can see a little bit of our home from the pics above!

Other than getting our house in order things are just the same....you know....football, basketball, soccer, homework, church, work, play...and we even find time to eat, sleep & blog!

MIA

2008-10-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, ok, I know it has been a while since I had some blogging action! But....we have NOT had the internet for almost 2 weeks now. Yes, it is my husbands fault for messing with the provider and turning on and off service! ...MEN!! ANyway, we will be "unserviced" until next Monday or Tuesday... Then will be ready for some serious blogging updates! ...Right now I am on the internet at our Apts community computers for the residents and there are a bunch of kids waiting to get on and play games!!! ....otherwise, I would try to blog aobut SOMETHING....hahaaa!! So now you know why I am MIA for a little longer! :)

Thou Shalt Not SWEAR!......or say naughty words!

2008-09-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

So, did you know in the scriptures it says we, you, me, us should ..."swear not at all........." "hold your tongue....." So, I have been trying really hard when I get mad or frustrated NOT to let one little tiny BAD word come out of my mouth! Well, it's NOT working! I mean, good hell, sometimes there is nothing better than letting out a blue~streak of profanities to vent your mental melt down! :) Just Kidding!! hahhaaaaa!

Really, for FHE one night we decided that we all call too many names and say too many naughty words.....you know, like idiot, butt-hole (thanx Keith), retard, dip, dinkus, stupid....and so on..... WE decided to write all of our bad words on a piece of paper, put them into a jar and bury them away, NEVER to think about them or use them again! It has only been a couple of weeks, but we are doing awesome! Sometimes we slip...but, for the most part we just say .... "ugh" and walk away and sing our favorite song! Hopefully we can keep this up and put smiles on each others faces!

ArE YoU ReADy FoR SOme FOOTBALL?!!!

2008-09-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

Alec wearing #7 ...due to a jersey mix-up! ....It was a Lucky #7! Alec had a great game!

Finally, football is in full swing! Between Alec and Kaden we are at practices EVERY night of the week and 2 games on Saturday! Well, actually we have been practicing for about 3 weeks now, but, the REAL games just started!

Alec's team, the TCU HORNFROGS, played ARMY. The HORNFROGS beat them 24 to 2. Alec plays running~back, strong safety, linebacker & wide receiver. He had some great "ESPN HITS" and ran a 50 yard TD. It was 96degrees and the humidity made it seem like 101!!! We had a lot of boys getting "heat-sick".....whew!!!......talk about swum & swoob!! (thanx Tosh)!

Kaden's flag-football game was right after Alec's. His team is kind of pathetic....but fun to watch!

Most of the kids on his team cry if someone takes their flag or gets knocked out of bounds or falls down......Luckily there are a few tough kids who just don't care and just want to run with the ball! Kaden is sooooo funny....he tries really hard to listen and run the plays & get as many flags as he can...though, that is not EXACTLY the object of the game! hahaa! He does not cry he just puts his "game-face" on and gets tough!...(a little advice from his bro)! Kaden's team is the EAGLES. They played the COWBOYS and lost 28 to 0. ....but, they really did not even notice!!! Kaden did NOT even ask the score....in fact, he said ..."I think we lost mom....did we?" I said ya but you guys looked awesome! He was good with that and was ready to go swim! hahahahaa!

NEw AdVenTUreS!

2008-08-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Moving, apartment, weather and now SCHOOL! So many NEW CHANGES in our lives right now! The kids and I are trying to adjust to all of them.

We bought a house in Frisco which is about 12 miles from where we live right now. The kids schools are all within walking distance from our NEW house,,,,however, we are not in our house until Sept 30th.... So we get the fun commuting adventure every morning!

We have to get up at 6:30 A.M.(if you know my kids, that is a whole adventure in itself)!!....get ready, eat and be out the door by 7:15....the drive, in traffic, is about 25 to 30 minutes! It is like taking our kids to Brigham City every morning for school!

Ryann and Kaden start at 7:50 and end at 3:00. Mckall and Alec start at 8:35 and end at 3:55.

Our mornings are sooooo fun! I keep telling the kids that we can do ANYTHING for 4 weeks! We have 1 down....3 to go!....Then when we are in our house the kids can walk or ride bikes to school AND they can sleep until 7:15 or 7:45!!!! YEA!!!!!!!

Mckall says the Middle School is Strict! At lunch they have to sit 4 kids a side and no more at the tables....& they have to raise their hands if they want to get back in line and get seconds!!....Mckall said when they want to be done...they have to raise their hands and be excused from the lunch room......."GAY" ....that is what Mckall said! hahahaaa! Apparently, they lighten up after the first month, but, they set the expectations high on behavior!!!

As far as Kaden and Ryann go......Kaden brings home a BEHAVIOR CHART every day. It has either a smiley face or a frowny face for the day......so far Kaden is 4 smiley and 1 frowny!!! I know, I was shocked too! hahahaaaa!!!

My middle two...Alec and Ryann....just go with the flo and are doing great!

Lets get these next few weeks over with and MOVED,... AGAIN!....then we will be back to getting NORMAL! :) :) :)

GOLDEN OLYMPIAN!

2008-08-23T12:56:00.001-07:00

For the last couple of weeks we have had OLYMPIC FEVER! We have stayed awake EVERY night until midnight watching everything from equestrian (who knew that would be an olympic sport??)...to track to sand volleyball to swimming to basketball, to soccer to our favorite, womens gymnastics! My girls LOVED Nastia and Sean and Alicia! Our kids have cheered on the USA in all sports. It was fun watching the events all together. I mean, what else are we suppost to do here in our apt with no friends and 100 degree heat! It has been great family bonding!

Anyway, we were driving on the freeway here in Texas, on our way home from "down-town". Ryann, all the sudden yelled....."hey, hey it's Nastia and her mom in that silver car".... we all just laughed and said "sure, sure Ry...like you can tell"!....So, to please Ryann we slowed down and a silver Mercedes came up right next to our truck. Sure enough it was Nastia and her mom. My kids rolled down their windows and waved and said hi...so did Mckall and I. Nastia and her mom waved back and were laughing at US....these over-excited people with Utah license plates....!!

Pretty COOL! Fun to have a GOLD MEDAL OLYMPIAN living down the street! Maybe one day one of our little athletes will achieve that status!

NeW HoME!

2008-08-19T13:39:00.001-07:00

Well, so much for taking our time and "waiting" to buy a home! We made a decision after two weeks. We could NOT find a home in the neighborhood we wanted for the price we wanted in Allen. We started looking all over and kept getting farther and farther away from Dan's work. His commute time was about 45-60min each way. It was gettin way tooooo long! So.......
We decided to start looking back in Frisco.
After some prayers and tears and looking....we decided on this one. It is kind of funny. This is one of the very first houses Dan and I looked at back in May. We really liked it...but, the driveway is around the back. That was not a feature Dan was excited about so we kind of wrote it off. Now, after looking around for a couple of weeks/months (dan)....this feature is VERY common.
So now, looking at this home from a different perspective, we find it has everything we need and the driveway works great for our cars as well as a boat.
We are happy with the house, neighborhood and the ward. I think all of our hard work and prayers were answered! Now we can get started living and loving TEXAS!

VaMPiReS & WeREwOlvEs!!

2008-08-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

I finished breaking dawn! I ABSATIVLEY LOVED it! I love Vampires and Werewolves! Who'd a thought? Apparently, I have crossed over to the "dark-side" !!!!

TEXAS!

2008-08-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finally here in TEXAS! All the packing and moving vans and goodbyes are over. We made the JUMP!

I can't believe it has been a week already!

We stayed in a hotel for the first few days until our apt was filled with boxes and ready for unpacking.

Our first day at the apt with the movers was priceless... Our apt is on the 3rd floor......it is 100degrees & humid....the air-conditioner would NOT come on....our dryer would NOT fit.....the t.v. would not fit or turn on....the apt maintenence people painted over the phone jack so it did NOT work....Kaden climbed up the bunk-bed ladder that was leaning against the wall and fell, scraping the metal hooks down the newly painted wall.....AND the toilets had some sort of brown-sludge in them.....!

All turned out fine. A qiuck trip to the main office with our complaints was all it took! They were at the apt in about 10 min and fixed all of our problems. :)....well, at least the hook-ups and AIR!

Now, all is a little "GHETTO" as Mckall calls it...but, everything works and is CLEAN! We are still missing our dryer....so the laundry gets hung all over the apt....sweet...ya, ghetto!! hahahaa

We are currently house hunting. Every spare second we are driving through neighborhoods looking for somewhere to really settle in! We have found a lot of really neat homes...just still looking for that really neat price! ;)

The boys are already practicing football. The girls start soccer next week. We got signed up for school last week and need to finish up that stuff today and tomarrow!

Nothing like jumping right in and getting involved in EVERYTHING!

We did go to 3 wards on Sunday according to the neighborhoods where we are house hunting! Nice people in all.

Anyway, we are all doing GREAT and loving spending every second together...hahahahaaaa!!

Enjoy some of our moving memories!

We miss all you at home!

ZEHNOS!

2008-07-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Last week our cute U9 ZEHNOS played in their 1st competitive league soccer tournament! The girls were soooo cute in their new uni's and with their "bags"!!! The first game was against the home team Rampage #1, we whooped them 15 to 1 (& the one goal was off of our player)!! The second game was against another Rampage team, we put the hurt on them too!!! ....11-1. Then the 3rd game we got the chance to play La Roca, from Layton, they were amazing, like us, just a little more experience. We lost to them 9 to 2....ya, ouch! Our 4th game was against ANOTHER Rampage team and we BEAT them 9 to 1. This put us in the CHAMPIONSHIP game against La Roca! The coaches had a little different stratagey for this game.... MORE DEFENSE! The plan did work but the ladies~in~red were still scoring against us. At half time the score was 3 to 1 for La Roca. The second half we did a lot better, more aggressive and more bodying~up!!! We scored 2 more goals (by my sweet Ry...gettin the give-n-go down)!!!!.....but, lost 6 to 3!!!!!
It was an awesome game and we could not have been more PROUD of the girls EFFORT!! For our 1st games together and our 1st tourney....we were incerdible!!!
What an awesome experience and education we are having with Morgan and the Zehnos!
FANTASTIC GAMES ZEHNOS!!!!

BFF!

2008-07-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had friends who you LOVE sooooooooooooooooo much that you consider them FAMILY? Seriously! The Butterfilds are our MoST bEstEsT fRieNDs!

Dave is this CRAZY, wild~hair~Republican, music connoisseur, Alaskan Heli~skier!, Ornery~Attitude, speed~demon water skier, bishopric leader, passionate soccer~dad/coach, emotional/big~hearted guy!

Trisha is also CrAzY...but, NOT crazy enough to show me her butt-crack for a pic! She is a rigid~schedule keeper (unless I try to "shake" things up a bit)!! ,house project/interior designer, aLmoSt "enthusiastic" soccer mom, awesome downhill/water skier, USU special-ed instructor (being a bit "special" herself helps)!, primary partner, organizer extraordinaire, diet~coker, mother/wife of the year, AND most lovable,fun,sincere best Friend!

We are going to miss them sorely when we are gone in a few weeks! What are we going to do without them? I guess we will be planning a lot of trips back to Logan! Love you Buttersons!

InDEpEnDeNCe DaY!

2008-07-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend we celebrated the 4th of July! We live in the land of the free and easy! Or is it just the free? Anyhoo, I'm not going to bear my testimony or anything....but, we are so lucky to have all the luxuries and choices we enjoy! I am grateful for all of the service men & women who are protecting our rights and country....Dan has served in the Nat'l Air Guard for 24 years! ...My Dad who is now retired Army served for 40 years! And my bro's-in-law who have been to Iraq and serving now in Carasau (sp?)..!! So, lets all thank our lucky StArS we live here in the great USofA!!!

We did go to Romney Stadium for the festivities and fireworks! It was great, as usual, thanx to Holly Fejelsted! She is so awesome!

On the morning of the 4th, we had our usual a.m. spectacular ski/wake board event! Holy GLASS!...........we tore~it~up! Thanx Peterfields! hahahaha!!

Here are a few pics of our fun FrEeDOm WeEkeND!

WhEre Did JuNE gO?

2008-07-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I have been a total slacker on my blog...but does anyone REALLY care? The last time I posted was the end of May. Since then, we have been busy PLAYING!...& Even though the weather did NOT feel like summer for the better part of June...it was still time to PaRTy!

My sister Jami was here for a few weeks with her boys. It was fun to see them & to hang a little with my little sis! We did go shopping one day, Me, my mom, Mandy & Jami....it was the same old thing....shopping for what about 2 hours and then Jami was DoNE.....so we did lunch and laughed a lot at each others misfortunes and shortcomings! We can be so ruthless sometimes! Mandy and Jami had to remind me of my potty-mouth and party-days and how they thought I was going to hell! Why do they have to be so judgemental???? Like THEY were angels!?? ya right! They just had a different kind of fun.....you know, orange jello, rook, rOoTbeEr, bArbiES!

Dan came home from TEXAS for a couple of weeks and we have been having a ton of together time! The kids can't get enough of him! Neither can I!! ;) he got home just in time for his Birthday on the 23rd! the kids picked out his presents this year.....a Smoothie maker and the new UnderArmor Crosstrainers! We all went to lunch and then out to CuTLeR for some serious WaKEboArDinG!!! That night we had a little fire in our fire-pit, roasted smores and watched the sky for shooting stars! We talked a lot about moving and how hard...but FUN and EXCITING this new change is going to be!

ANyHoO....This past month has FLOWN by and now it is JULY 1st!!! I can't believe it! Dan will be leaving on the 6th to go to Chicago for a week. He will comeback for the Bees Game at Franklin Covey on Sat the 12th. Alec and his baseball team get to go out with the players in their positions for the national anthem and then get to throw out the 1st pitch! They did this last year and then got the tour of the stadium....it was VERY COOL!

We will then be getting ready for the biG move! YIKES!!

OKEEDOKEE...here are a few pics of our recent FUN!

FaMiLY PiC's!

2008-05-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Taking family pics is ALWAYS a fun experience! Dan's mom arranged a day and photographer and we were all set! We went to this ABSOLUTLY BEAUTIFUL location just off Wasatch Blvd. It was someone's residence and horse property....someone with a lot of MOOLA!!

These pics are 1) Mom's getting their kids to look and smile...:) 2)All the grandkids with gram&gramp..3) my CUTE sister-in-laws!! ...however, there are a couple of cuties missing! And 4) the one at the bottom...the location

We all grabbed some lunch after pics and met at the park to chat and play. It was a fun day!

Thanx Mom Peterson for having such a fun, crazy, beautiful family!

David Cook rocks!

2008-05-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

OK, we all knew that David Cook was going to win right! He was clearly (in my opinion) the more "creative one" with his singing talent! I was going to take my kids to the movie last night but they decided they just wanted to eat dinner, go get Aggie Ice Cream and watch American Idol! ....What good kids! Mckall, Alec and I watched it together.....with Ryann and Kaden coming in every so often to annoy us all! After we all got done saying "shut-up" to each other we could enjoy most of the performers! My favorite part of the show.....besides George Michael :)...haha!
Was when the USC Trojan Marching Band and Cheer Squad enlightened us with their hoop-laa!
I too loved the quick-looks back to the try-outs when all the completly HIDEOUS performances made everyone pee their pants laughing...even Simon! Anyhoo....loved it! And NO I did not cry!

Twilight Series!

2008-05-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, Mckall has been pratically begging me to read this series for a month now! I finally decided to start. Well, let me just tell you that It took me only about 6 days to finish all three of them!

I could NOT put them down. I LOVED all of them! My house and family all suffered...or really was just put on "hold" while all I did was enthral myself and READ!!! I haven't read a book for almost a year, I just haven't had the time! I forgot how much I love it. I think being able to fantasize and not be in the "real world" for a short time is amazing! ....I also think I want my husband to be a Vampire! hahahahaha! JK honey, you are every bit as HOTT as Edward! Maybe, just maybe, more!!!

CaN YOu sAY LoNGhOrnS?

2008-05-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, most of you already know that we are planning to move to Dallas Tx. Dan is already there having the time of his life working and working and house hunting and working and house hunting!!! He LOVES living out of his suitcase in a hotel and eating out every day & night! The rest of us are planning to join his FUN sometime in June.

This last weekend, Mckall, Alec and I flew out to spend a few days with Dan and SEE Texas. We had a great time. We stayed in the Hilton at Lincoln Square....Awesome...other than their pool was ffffffreezzziiinnnnggg! ;) We were on the 15th floor and enjoyed the Executive lounge & treats. We were also right across the freeway from the "Galleria Shopping Mall" ! I did NOT know this, but, according to Carrol Laub, the Galleria is the BIGGEST Mall in Texas and has EVERYTHING you could ever want!!! Yes, she was right! This mall was a MASSIVE 5-story building that had three "full-service" anchors....Nordstrom, Macy's and Sacks-5th-Avenue. It also had an ice-skating oval, 20 incredible sit-down NICE Restaurants, full food court with about 15 fast-food options, and SHOPS I had NEVER even heard of! It really was amazing & Mckall and I were in heaven! We did NOT get to see all of it because the "boys" were with us and continually whined about having to shop.....they will never understand!!! We did find a Sports-Bar Restaurant called Dave and Busters. It was great. Dan and Alec paid 25 bucks for an hour and watched the Spurs game and golfed and played pool while Mckall and I hurried through as many cool shops as we could!

One of the days we spent a few hours with our realtor. He took us to about 8 homes in different neighborhoods. The kids were really patient and enjoyed Brad (our realtor.... he is kind of a "hottie" with a tattoo and "tight" aviator glasses)!!! It was great having Mckall and Alec there giving their opinion and being in on a little bit of the decision making! After being with Brad, we did drive around for another few hours looking at schools and clubs and more houses until we were all starving! The kids wanted to eat at Chili's....blah! ....so we decided that we would NOT eat anywhere that we could at home...except for Mcdonalds brkfst! So, we tried a bunch of different, awseome, yummy restaurants! Our favorite ended up being ...dinner....Texas Land and Cattle........Steak & Garlic Mashed Potato's to die for! .....lunch.....Pey-Whey (PF Chang's fast food version)!! Another of Carrol Laub's fav's!! (she would know)!

We took a drive downtown and checked out the City. Very tall and beautiful buildings but seemed sooooo busy and traffic-congested and kind of grungy. We then ventured west through Irving and Arlington. We saw Six Flags over Texas, the Rangers stadium (minor league baseball like the Bee's), the OLD Dallas Cowboys Football stadium and then the NEW Stadium which is still under construction. The new stadium is GINORMUS and will have a retractable roof structure....it looks soooo cooooollll!!!! It will be done Spring of 2009. Maybe we will have to BECOME Cowboy fans??? ..........NAH!

Ok, this is kind of funny....but kind of NOT. Every night when we went back to the hotel it was about 8 or 9 pm. We were tired and just wanted to watch t.v. One night we did watch the Jazz obliterate the Rockets, that was great! The other couple of nights we decided to pay for a movie and just watch in our beds with drinks and a treat. So know the only delemia was what to watch. Mckall wanted to watch "Meet the Spartians" and Alec wanted to watch "Balls of Fury" go figure! Dan and I wanted to watch "Vantage Point". So we "rocked-off"....I won! Ya Baby!! Vantage Point ended up being a great thriller about an assination attempt in Italy of the US President! We all loved it!

The next night after annoying, begging, and pleading, and against our better judgement, we bought "Meet the Spartains" ....I did not know anything about this movie & had no idea what it was about.....Mckall said "mom, ALL my friends have seen it and said it was so funny"......ok, we started to watch and it was a spoof on all the other good movies that are out. Well, when the penguin (from happy-feet) came out and said "hey, ya p----! suck my baloutous.....(whatever the hell that means)!!!!! we all pulled our jaws off the floor and turned OFF that "funny" show! Dan then proceeded to lecture Mckall and the rest of us about our poor lack of judgement!

We all got to lecture him the next night when Alec said....mom, dad, lets watch Jackass2.....Dan said "rating anyone?" I said "think it's pg-13"....so before we could really say ya or nay....Alec pressed the buy button and the naked men with their private parts flailing about came on doing stunts that made your stomach churn! Needless to say, we did turn that one OFF too.....feeling embarrassed that we just let our kids "rule-the-roost" & PAY for something we knew was NOT right......I mean, come on, the title Jackass gave that one away! What were we thinking??? Anyhoo we did watch "I Am Legand" with Will Smith. It was intense and scary but a good movie! WHEW!!

Our hotel window looked out east. From there at night we could just see the Temple lights. We decided to drive over one night and check it out. It was a smaller temple, but beautiful. We walked around the grounds and took some pics. (maybe we should have done this before letting the kids decide which movie we should watch)!

Our trip was great. We got to see and do a lot. Mckall and Alec feel a little better about moving now and what to expect... even though, when the time comes, it will be dang-hard to go!

DaN mY MAN!

2008-04-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

OK, OK, OK,.....I know he is ONE HOT STUD...just don't lick the screen ok?!!! I just want you all to know what a BABE I'm married to.

On Friday, April 25th, is our 17th Wedding Anniversary!

We have actually been "together" for 20 years! Can you believe that? Where did ALL that time go???

Dan & I met through a friend back in...yes, the 80's....1987 to be exact! I was in Aggiettes at Utah State and Dan was living in the PiKapp HouSe on Campus. To make a LONG but BEAUTIFUL story short....we hung out a ton, went to parties, listened to music, danced at XENON every weekend, went on drives, studied and became BEST Friends! We got along awesome and had a lot in common! Dan always treated me like a princess!!...(even though I did NOT always act like one)!! After 3 years of incredible memories we decided to make it REAL!!

We were married in the Logan Temple on Thrusday April 25, 1991. I will never forget that magical day! The happiest day of our live's!

Our "song" back then was by Depeche Mode "Somebody"..... to this day, I still love to listen to it and watch our wedding video that Dan's mom made for us. My kids think we look like nerds and that our hair and clothes were "butt-ugly"......hahahahaha! WHATEVER! Dan "the man" and I were ALWAYS STYLIN! Don't you love the floral vest & bow-tie under Dan's tux? SEXY!

Anyway, I thank my Heavenly Father every day for my incredible, hardworking, selfless, sexy, happy, motivated hubby!!!

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! Let's see if we can survive 20 more!

NotHiN LiKE tHe 80's!

2008-04-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, if any of you know me, you know that I LOVE music! I love almost ALL kinds...well, ok I don't listen to Country because it has been proven to make you brain-dead! ... (However, I do think Carrie Underwood is amazing! ;)

So anyhoo....I was messing around with my playlist and I decided to have a little "flash-back" fun! YOu know, Depeche, Duran-Druan, The Cult and of course U2!!!! I could have made my playlist 100 songs long but I chose just a few of my favorites back in the "day"....hahahahaha! They are also bands we saw LIVE in CoNceRT!

One of my favorite things to do was go to concerts...in fact, it still is! We just saw U2 and Depeche Mode when they came in December of 2006. If we were going to be here in July we would be going to the Police at USANA!!!! How cool is that! Maybe we will have to put off moving until after we see STING!

Well, get on my playlist and listen to the awesome tunes of my "youth" ;) I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do!!! ROCK ON!!

I LoVe AmERiCaN IdOL!!!

2008-04-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ok Y'all, (notice i've got my Texan accent goin already)... did you watch AmEriCaN IdOl last night?.... LOVED IT!
Can you believe they had that "hoochie-mamma" Mariah Carey be the "artist of choice" last night....well, me either! ;) hahahaha!!

Anyhoo, as far as the Idol's go, I really think it will come down to the two David's! David Archuleta was fantastic as usual. The judges absolutly love him and so does everyone else. Like Paula said ( "David you could sing the phone book and we would think it was incredible").... NOT that I think anything that Paula says is even credible....but, she is right on this one! .....( I actullay think Paula is on CrAcK or a bit LiquOrEd up at every show...she just babbles like an Idiot....and says "your a star...or you are brilliant".....WHATEVER PAULA!!! ) :)

David Cook was absoulutly phenomenol AGAIN last night! He has the stage presence already and the unique creativity of a talanted "rock-star"........the only thing I like about him better than David Archuleta is his maturity....he is a bit sexy!!!

I think Carley rocks....love her voice but she will NOT win. I think Brook is at best "fair"...and Christie...YUCK!......The cute black girl....what is her name????...she has a great voice but will NOT win either. And Dread-Lock-Boy....I don't mind him but he is not ExCePTioNaL!

So, there is my IDOL crituque! Hope y'all enjoyed it and hope you were all lucky enough to get to watch and vote!

SoCceR sTarTS!

2008-04-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

The SnOw FINALLY melted off of the playing fields last week! But, we were NOT able to play any games because the fields were too wet and muddy!...SO, we started this week and are making up 3 games from the previous week! ;) And what is better than statrting off with a WIN against these MoNStEr 15 yr olds!!! Mckall played way aggerssive and scored 2 of the three goals! Mckalls team won the game....3 to 2. It was exciting to see all the great foot work and aggerssiveness of the girls!

This was Mckall's 1st goal...she had a sweet breakaway and ran 3/4 of the field length to score! She was even tripped (sorry the pic was a bit out of focus)... she recovered quick, got control and scooooorrrrreeeeeeddddddddddddd!!!

Mckall was the defender in this pic...she saved this goal!

This is Emily Davis, their goaleeeeee!! She is awesome and has some seriously LONG LEGS!
Good JOB LOGAN LYNX!

BoOk TaG

2008-04-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

OK, I have been tagged by Amber. Here are the rules.
1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).
2. Turn to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog
5. Tag 5 people
I tag ...Jami, Mandy, Mckall, Tori & Sally...:)
**The closest book to me was NOTHING excititng! It is The UTAH BOATING GUIDE! :)

On page 123, 5th sentence it reads...................."In the late summer it does tend to get shallow, but it is a great place to waterski, wakeboard, scoot about on a watercraft, or fish in those weedy areas where the big fish hang out." (the book is talking aobut Manuta Reservoir....you know the one little lake in Sardine canyon?)!!!! :)

Actually this IS way exciting to think that spring and summer are right around the corner and we will be skiing and wakeboarding and sunning our lilly-whites!!! ;)

I am so excited for BOATING WEATHER!!!!!

BaSebAlL aNyONe?

2008-04-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering why I never have time to update my blog....it's because I am constantly at another GAME!!!

This time we were in Twin Falls Idaho and the GAME is BASEBALL!!! Alec's team played 4 games. They WON only 1 got killed only one and the other two were actually exciting close one's! I think Baseball is my LEAST favorite. However, I do still enjoy cheering and taking pictures for the team!

This last weekend was terribly COLD.....like in the 30's and the wind chill making it seem even more frigid! I felt bad for the boys playing..they were jumping up and down and drinking hot-chocolate and wrapping up in blankets between innings! Anyhoo.....we had a fun time staying at the hotel, swimming, eating out and cheering at the games!

These next few pics are some great shots of "ball-calls", missed pop-fly's, and should-have-been-out's......oh, and great facial expressions!

GO GRIZZ!

Vegas Easter Basketball Tourney!

2008-03-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

We had a ton of fun in VEGAS! We stay at the Fairfield Marriott at the South end of the STRIP, right behind Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino. The whole team stayed together and we had a blast! We swam, rode the Manhattan Express Rollercoaster, watched movies, shopped, layed out, hot tubbed, played a lot of basketball and even got kicked out of the pool one night! We all had an awesome time! We love Al Pal and are glad that he plays with such a great group of frineds and that we are all able to share that experience with him! Go GRIZZ!

So once again we spent the Easter weekend cheering for the Grizz at another exciting VEGAS basketball tournament! Some of the teams we played were incredible. This pic is from the first game we played. We played the California Elite. And ELITE they were! We had a hard time keeping up and shooting over their 6 foot ten year old! YA, their boys towered over ours! The final score was 74 to 19. It wasn't pretty for us....but it was fun watching that team and all of their talent, plus, we did get some great practice!!! ;)

I had to put this pic in so you could see the size of this teams boys!!! It was unreal!!! This dude #20 could NOT move fast but he got every rebound and pass underneath to score! Our little hustler boys could not even jump as high as this dude could reach up! I know unfair! but a fun game! Did I mention this dude was 10....yea!

On Friday, March 21st was Kaden's Birthday! He is 6 years old! We had presents in the hotel and a fun filled day of basketball! Kaden wanted to go to the HARDROCK CAFE for dinner after the games. We had a great time singing and dancing and the waitress took great care of Kaden, making sure he had a big dessert and the WHOLE restaurant wishing him "Happy B-day"!

Ok, I know this is silly, but I love Joshua Trees. This particular one did not have any clustered white flowers on the ends, so it is not as pretty as they are sometimes! Anyway, the trees remind me of BONO and his song "I still haven't found what I'm looking for"....But, actually I have found what I am looking for and what makes me happy. It is being with my family. It is having happy, healthy kids that we can travel with and support in all of their activities! There is nothing more awesome than watching our kids play and try their best and be passionate and love what they are doing! I love watching Al Pal's game face as he brings the ball down the court and Mckall's quick passes on the soccer field, and Ryann taking the ball away from a striker, and Kaden hauling down the mountain on his skis to win a race! How lucky we are to have such talented kiddies!!! ...so, whenever I see a Joshua Tree...it reminds me that I have found exactly what I am looking for....my sweet family!

A Few of Our Favorite Things!

2008-02-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

Right now my goal is to get all my picture files organized and all my developed pics under control and in some sort of visual beauty! So I thought while I am organizing I would share some of our favorite activities and pics with you! Hope you enjoy!
I know I need to be a little more creative with my blog...so, I will work on it! Thanx Julie for getting me started! Love you!