photos from my phone

Anyone who knows me knows I love pictures. Particularly pictures of my kids. :) As a result, I love that my phone has a camera and recorder on it, so that I am able to capture even more moments of us living our everyday lives. Is 10,000+ pictures on my computer, extreme? I don't think so either. :) When I look back through these pictures all they do is make me smile.

Taylor was reading to me the other night after a long day of playing with friends, tumbling class and school. About 5 minutes into her reading, she stopped. I looked over at her and this is what I found...Taylor fast asleep.

Easton loves swimming. Recently, we taught him how to swim with a life jacket on. The other day while we were all out swimming together, I looked over at Easton and saw him sitting on this rock. He loves this side of the pool for some reason. Probably has something to do with me NOT liking him over on the rocks away from everyone else.

Cort took the boys to a Diamond Back game a couple weeks ago. It was fan night and everyone there in attendance got replica rings of when the Diamond Backs won the World Series. Cort gave his ring to Taylor. A girl in Cort's class wanted to buy one from him. So Cort told her that Taylor might be willing to sell hers. The girl said she would get her a gift card to Justice if she did. When Cort asked Taylor, she didn't even hesitate. Taylor ran upstairs and got the ring and gave it to Cort. She was so excited and talked about it for the rest of the night and the next day. The following night me and Taylor made a night of it while the boys went to the Bass Shop, us girls went on a little shopping spree.
Taylor trying on clothes at Justice. I swear anything would look cute on Taylor. :)

The boys with their dad at the Diamondback game



Chase has a couple stuffed animals that are like his pets. Seriously. He takes them on bike rides, car rides. There is Ly-Ly the lion, Turtle, and Sonic the hedgehog. The other day Chase and Talan were heading down to a friends house to play and Chase wanted to take Sonic with him. I told him NO cause I didn't want him to get lost. Chase was so sad and Talan being the wonderful kid that he is, did his best to try and comfort Chase. Love catching my kids in moments like these.

Easton is quite the little troublemaker these days. I know I've said it before, but times that trouble by 10 and you have Easton at the age he is now. He is constantly into everything. The other day I made smoothies, put some in a sippy cup for him and ran upstairs to do something when I came back down this is how I found Easton and his smoothie.

With Taylor and Chase gone all day Talan and Easton have become best buddies.

Out on run with mom. They love to turn around in the stroller and sit on the bottom of the stroller. They think it's hilarious. And although it makes pushing them a lot harder, I can't help but let them when they are so happy doing it.

Hanging out in the backyard drying off after swimming

Feel the love


Easton thinks he is so big and jumps at the chance to do anything that he sees his siblings doing. Easton trying to ride Talan's new bike.

Me and my Taylor being super silly after the boys were fast asleep

Horsie rides with dad. Talan and Eastons very favorite!

The other day while playing Lego's, Chase made me this sign. Isn't he the sweetest? Yesterday as I was getting ready to leave his class at school after volunteering all on his own he came up to me and gave me the biggest hug and said "thanks for coming mom." Also, every time I drop him off from school he turns back at least 3 times with the hugest smile and waves good-bye to me. And then when I pick him up he comes running while waving at me. He really has the hugest heart. Right back at ya Chasers! I love you too. A lot.

Talan loves to make this face. Doesn't surprise me at all.


Easton and me hanging out after all the other kids had gone to bed. Love spending one on one time with our kids.

Chase is doing soccer again, and he still is a walking scoreboard, keeping track of how many scores each team has and how many he has made. And he still smiles from ear to ear the whole time he is on the field.

Story time with Easton and Talan. I am thinking Easton might still be a little too young for story time, he was all over the place! We will try again in a couple months. However, I was able to get a shot of him during the 5 seconds he did sit still while we were there. Love how he practically sat on top of Talan and how Talan was so excited to see him.

A dear friend of my mind from Utah recently moved to Oregon. Utah will never be the same! We aren't even there anymore and we miss them being there. But, I am so happy for her and her family, this is where they have always wanted to be. And I look forward to visiting them sometime very soon. Before they moved though we met up with them in St. George over the weekend. A good time was had by all.





This is what being in a 2 bedroom condo for the weekend with 11 kids under the age of 8 does to a person. HA! We had such a great time. So grateful for good friends in my life. Love you girls!

what a difference a year makes

I took the kids over to my Aunt's amazing backyard to take some updated pictures of them. They weren't too interested in the pictures. Shockers. I can't say I blame them though. Their backyard is full of fun things to do. A tire swing, a rope, a helicopter teeter totter, huge trees, places to explore, a tramp, a clubhouse, you get the idea. However, with all that going on I still managed to snap a couple shots of each of them. So YAY for that! As I was looking at the pictures I took and the ones we had taken only a little over a year ago I can't believe how much they have all changed and grown. I can see changes in all of them, but I think Taylor and Easton definitely have changed the most.

Talan's 4th birthday

Talan is now 4. He still loves all things Lego, ninjas, swimming with big arms, and playing with his friends and toys. Honestly, he could, would, and does sit and play with his legos and star wars guys for hours. Literally. He will go off on his own and just play and play and play. His favorite TV shows are Phineas and Ferb and Jake and the Never Land Pirates. He says the funniest things and is so animated. The other day he had locked himself in the bathroom while going potty, when I realized he had been in there for awhile, I knocked on the door and told him to open it. And that's when he screamed "NEVER!" at me. When I ask him to do something he'll say "YES SIR!" I don't know where he comes up with some of the stuff he says and does. I drove carpool last week to his preschool and it was so fun watching Talan interact with his little buddies in the car. He is such a class clown. Anything for a laugh. I have a feeling we will be spending some time in the principal's office with our sweet and adorable little Talan in the future. :) Kids and people tend to be drawn to him. I can't say I blame them, it's always a good time when Talan is around.
Opening presents

He loved Taylor's ninja present

We have a tradition for birthdays at our house. The night before each of the kids birthdays we blow up a package of balloons and spread them across their bedroom floors. It's a small thing, but hopefully helps them realize that today is their very own special day. I feel like birthdays should be HUGE! After all, they all only come around once a year.

I mentioned to Cort that I wanted to make Talan some sort of Lego cake for his birthday, and look what Cort stayed up super late making and surprised us all with. I'm telling you there is nothing Cort can't do. Best dad and husband EVER!

New birthday bike

Getting ready to celebrate his birthday at Peggy's house :)

Happy Birthday Budda! We love you SO MUCH! You bring so much happiness and excitement into our lives and there is nothing we would change about you.

Boston and Much, Much More

For our 10 year anniversary Cort surprised me with a trip out to Boston. I have never been there and LOVE seeing new places and just driving around imagining what life is like for people who live there and what it would be like for me if I was born there. We drove up the coast to Maine, stopping in Salem, Mass., saw some witches, had brunch in Dorchester, Mass. at a quaint little place, drove through New Hampshire, and stopped at a beach in Kennebuckport, Maine along the way. It is so beautiful over there. It is so green and there is so much history. We also did as much tourist stuff in Boston that we could sneak in. The bridge where the shot heard around the world, Paul Revere's house, Bunker Hill, (my calves are still a little aching after walking up 294 steps to the top of Bunker Hill.), the Boston temple, Concord, Mass., Sleepy Hollow cemetery, Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., and then our last day we took a ferry over to Martha's Vineyard from Woods Hole and rented mopeds and cruised the island for the rest of the day. My favorite part of the whole trip was without a doubt, Salem, Mass. with all the witchy stuff, Sleepy Hollow cemetery and Martha's Vineyard. But it was all great. We put 649 miles on our rental car in 4 days. A trip to remember. For sure.

favorite things

Easton is in LOVE with Elmo. Whenever we mention Elmo he turns to the side and "sings" the theme song to Elmo's World, while shaking his hand. "Emo's Wor, du, du du," It's very endearing. He has a couple of Elmo's that he loves to love on. His eyes beam with excitement when ever they are near or whenever we mention to him anything about his precious Elmo. I LOVE the age he is at right now. I wish we could freeze time and enjoy him at this age a little longer. It all goes by way too fast. Elmo and Easton friends forever.

Talan's turn

Talan started preschool with Mrs. Peggy this week. He calls her Peggy. Instead of Mrs. Peggy. "I'm going to Peggy's house." "Peggy said...." It's adorable. When we went to the meet and greet before school started, Talan turned to me at the front door and said "bye mom." Without a dash of hesitation. I told him I got to stay with him today and he seemed as though he could careless. He reminds me a lot of Taylor that way. Very independent. He loved his first and second day there. He is now our little scripture star. Today he was telling me all about how Nephi went and got the plates from the bad man. So grateful that we have our very own Mrs. Peggy.

1st day of school outside of Mrs. Peggy's house

Second day of school with his kindness bucket. The idea behind the kindness bucket is we all have buckets we carry around and when we do or say nice things to each other it's like we are filling each others buckets up. So, in his class they all went around and said nice things to each other and as they did that they got to put a red rock in each others bucket's symbolizing the nice things they did and said to each other. Oh how I would of loved to have been a fly on the wall as these sweet little 3 and 4 years took turns saying nice things to each other! I'm sure it was very entertaining to hear what they came up with. We love our Scripture Star preschool! I know Talan is going to grow and learn so much this year.

August 16, 2011

Cort and I have been married for 10 years. 10 years ago we were sealed for time and eternity in the Manti Temple in Manti, Utah. In the same place and on the same day as my mom and dad. I wanted to do it on that day and in that place as a tribute to my mom. 10 years, 4 kids, 7 years in Herriman Utah and 1 year in Mesa Arizona. Hard for me to believe. Where does the time go? Hope the next 10 will be as great as the first. (I have a hunch that they will be!)
2001 Engagement picture. Awe Young love.

2002 Hawaii.

2003 Our little family. Taylor at 6 weeks. Getting ready for our first night out after her birth.

2004. Us and my brother and sister in law at my little sister's wedding.

2005 Couldn't find the bulk of my 2005 pictures??? Not good.
2006 Us on my 30th birthday.

2007 Family pictures 3 months after Talan was born. The kids all look so young. Sometimes its so hard looking at pictures of them at this age. They sure are changing and growing up fast.

2008 Disneyland in October. My favorite time of year to go. Matching sunglasses. WOOT! WOOT!

2009 Family Reunion in Arizona. Picnic in the Pines. 6 months pregnant with Easty.

2010 One of our last days together in our house in Herriman.

2011 Just the two of us on the actual big day. Picture courtesy of Talan. He was so funny trying to take it. It took a couple of tries and this is the best one he got. :) When he took it he said "I got it!" So cute.


It's been a great ten years, good times and bad. Happy and Sad. I wouldn't change a thing and look forward to the future together. Yesterday at lunch Cort asked me "10 years ago did you think we would be where we are?" The answer was a definite no. Funny how that works. And then it made us think about what the next 10 will bring. Lots of changes I am sure. That's the one thing you can count on in life right, is CHANGE. Happy 10th Cort. Thanks for putting up with me all these years. Love you!