The Rasmussen Family

Hi all!!!

2009-12-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

Wow!! Has it really been that long since I have posted! I am a major slacker. Things are going very well for our family. We had a very busy summer with all the kids and their activities. We took the kids to Yellowstone for the first time and the kids loved it! They are still talking about all the cool things they were able to see. Among them were many buffalo, elk, a bald eagle, Miranda said she saw a wolf but I highly doubt that. On our last day there we were sad that we hadn't encountered a bear yet, and towards the end of the day as we were driving, to our surprise there one was, walking down the side of a hill. We were able to pull over, as did everyone else and get some great pictures of the black bear. We also had 2 kids in soccer this summer, 4 in swimming and 1 in karate. So needless to say my week was always full . We spent this past thanksgiving with Cody's family and had a wonderful time. I am grateful for my wonderful sisters and brothers on Cody's side and also for my in laws who have always been so great to us. I love that my family is also here nearby so I can visit and see them often.I am very grateful for this Christmas season and all the many blessings that fill my life. I am grateful for my wonderful husband who works so hard to provide for us and for the blessing of good employment. My kids are growing up so fast and they each have their own cute, sweet personalities. They are the joy in my life! Here are some recent pics of the kids! Enjoy!

Cameron getting some mommy love

Jacob and Miranda

Miranda loves taking pictures

All my cute, crazy kids!

My oldest!

Soo Serious Jacob!

My little Diva!

There is some angel in her.

What a doll! Sweet Alyssa!

Brendan my little goofball

Brendan crackin up! Always happy!

Cameron...my baby

Cute boy!

Weekend in Moab!

2009-06-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

On fathers day weekend we took a trip to Moab with Brandon and Amber . I had never been there and had heard how fun it is. We went on a river rafting trip the first day there and had a blast. It wasn't the best weather for river rafting, I think it was about 80 degrees, but there was no sun out and it happened to rain on us which made it freezing for a while on the raft. Our raft was known as the pirate raft because we would get into water battles with all the other boats and we would destroy them. We had an awesome guide who wasn't afraid to get into the battles with us. The water in the river was sooo cold, I think it was 58 degrees, so I wasn't getting in! Of course, Cody and Brandon wanted to test the waters and jumped in a few times. They didn't stay in too long though. We hit a few good rapids but mostly it was pretty calm. Next time I want to try a different part of the river that is more wild. I didn't get any pictures from the rafting because my camera is broken at the moment, but I did get some from the next day and our hike up to the delicate arch! Enjoy! The arch is amazing! We had so much fun hanging out and getting a break from the kids!

This is a picture of Cody and Brandon in front of some ancient drawings! Pretty cool!

Oh my gosh....it was about a mile and a half hike up to the delicate arch. This stretch was a killer! pretty much straight up the mountain. I have height issues and was sort of freaked out!

Here is me looking down over a ledge right before we come around the corner to the arch! I was pretty nervous. Cody kept getting really close to the edge to make me crazy!

My cute hubby relaxing after the hike up!

Brandon and Amber up at the arch!

Cody and me at the arch. This is pretty much where I stayed, I was too chicken to walk right up to the arch.

Brandon pretending to fall off the ledge! Goofball!

Brandon at the arch!

Cody had to go exploring by the arch! Too scary for me!

Cody down under the arch! sooo cool!

This a random picture of Cameron after I got his haircut! He is my sweetheart!

Miranda's Baptism

2009-05-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my sweet Miranda was baptized. We are so proud of her for making this decision and know that she will be blessed for it. It was such a beautiful baptism. Miranda and her cousin Malia decided that they wanted to be baptized together since they are so close in age. That made it fun and memorable for her as well. They sang a primary song together, "When I am baptized". I couldnt hold the tears back when I heard them sing. It was so precious and sweet to listen to their voices. It was wonderful to see all the friends and family who attended. Miranda is a special girl and is loved by all those who know her. We love you Miranda and hope you enjoyed your special day.

Miranda in her baptism dress

Miranda and cousin Malia waiting to get baptized

Miranda with her proud daddy

Miranda and her pretzal creation...check out the chocolate fountains...fancy!

proud parents!

Miranda with grandma and grandpa Stephenson

Miranda and grandma and grandpa Rasmussen

Randomness

2009-02-27T12:56:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures I have taken recently of the kids I wanted to share! Enjoy!

Kids at Jumpin Jacks!!

Valentines Day Weekend

2009-02-27T11:50:00.001-08:00

I had a wonderful Valentines Weekend! Cody and I never really go all out for Valentines day, because our Anniversary is a couple weeks after. It all started when I woke up Saturday morning to go to the gym like I always do and I went out to the car to find a single rose sitting on the seat. Soo sweet!! That meant so much to me! My husband is very thoughtful and romantic. I then spent the morning getting my hair done and relaxing. It was fun because the girl who did my hair wanted to do something different than I am used to. She used a flat iron and put big curls in my hair. I loved it! You cant tell to much from the picture below, but my hair is a honey blonde all over. It turned out great.

Later that night we got a babysitter and went to see the movie Marley and Me. Oh my gosh I loved that show! Total tearjerker and such a feel good movie. I recommend it to anyone especially the dog lovers like me. After the movie we went to eat at Bajio Mexican Grill. I cant decide if I like this place better or Cafe Rio. I think I liked this place. We went shopping and just enjoyed a night out away from our crazy life.

The Monday after which was presidents day, we took the kids to see the movie Bolt! I thought it was soo cute and I cried at that one too. I must be a sucker for dog shows or maybe just a total sap. Good show!! Take the kids if you havent seen it!

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Miranda!!

2009-02-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

I am about a month late with this, but I wanted to let Miranda know how much we love and appreciate her in our home. She turned 8 years old this past February and can't wait to be baptized. Miranda loves anything that has to do with art. She loves to draw pictures and write stories. I think she is amazing with her drawing and imagination. Her favorite color is pink and she loves animals. She has a very spunky personality. Sometimes we don't always see eye to eye on things but that is what makes life with her interesting. Miranda teaches me new things everyday. We love you Miranda and are proud of the wonderful girl you are becoming!

New Years!

2009-01-13T05:02:00.000-08:00

For New years Eve, we went over to my brother and sister in laws house and had a blast! We ate tons of food, played games and enjoyed eachothers company. The Wii and Rockband were definitely big hits with the kids and adults. I was impressed that all the kids were party animals. They all stayed up and partied with us till the wee hours of the night. We did lose Alyssa 10 minutes before midnight, but we woke her up so she could celebrate with us. Here are some funny pics and moments from the night!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2008-12-29T15:14:00.001-08:00

Holy Crap we got ALOT of snow!!! I think probably about a foot and a half. The kids loved it!

Christmas!

2008-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year as a family. I am still recovering from the parties and late nights without sleep. Christmas eve we went to my mom and dads house and had dinner and exchanged gifts and just enjoyed each others company. Everyone from my side of the family was there so it was nice to see family and the kids loved playing with the cousins. Because of the big snowstorm on Christmas day, we just lounged around and watched movies with the kids and they were entertained by their gifts that they didn't care too much about being stuck inside. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

For Cameron, it was all about Wall-E. The kid is obsessed!
Miranda and Alyssa enjoying their art sets

Brendan Jamming out on his new keyboard

Jacob giving big smiles! He was happy with his Pokemon cards and his new computer.

Check out my kids dance moves!

2008-12-16T09:10:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Fun at Grandma and Grandpas!

2008-12-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving weekend, we were in Logan and wanted to spend some time at Cody's parents. The kids just love it there because they have so many cool toys! Here is one of them: The Rhino!

Cody has Cameron on his lap and Brendan in the seat beside him.

Cody actually let Cameron steer for a while! Very cute!

Brendan loves going for rides!

Here is another cool toy! The girls love to ride Buttercup!

Cameron, Alyssa and Brendan swinging!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post some pictures from Thanksgiving. This year we spent thanksgiving in logan with my side of the family. My mom and dad hosted it at their house. All of my siblings and their families who lived close by came. We had lots of fun just spending time with each other and of course the food was delicious. That night all the girls decided we wanted to go see twilight. I had already seen it and so had some of the others, but my mom was interested because of all the hype so we convinced her to go with us. My dad was funny, he didn't want to be left out, so he went with us too. We had soo much fun! My dad actually enjoyed it too. I think it was the company! Here are some pics!

Random pics of the kids

2008-11-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some cute pics of the kids my sister in law Adelle took! Thanks Adelle!

Jacob

Miranda

Alyssa

Brendan

Cameron

TWILIGHT!

2008-11-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that I am so glad that I went and saw this movie! I absolutely loved it! I mean, yes there were a few parts that were cheesy, but all in all it was great! I thought they did a wonderful job following the book and most of the characters were exactly what I pictured in my mind. And yes Edward was quite yummy!! I ended up going to one of the late shows on Friday night with my sister in laws and there was a mob of people there. We had so much fun together laughing and sharing our appreciation for a good book and flick! If you haven't seen it yet, go!! It might not be as great as the book, but not many movies are and this one comes pretty close!

Jungle Jims

2008-11-10T08:43:00.001-08:00

Saturday we went to Jungle Jim's Playland for my niece, Brenna's birthday. We had a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed all the rides and just being there with all their cousins! Here are some pics from our day!

Happy Birthday Brenna! Brenna and Miranda!

Miranda is always pulling faces!

Cody with Cameron and Brendan. Daddy had to have some fun too!

Cameron loved the merry-go-round

Cute Alyssa!

Waiting for a turn on the jeeps! Jacob, Cameron, Brendan and Alyssa.

Miranda and Cameron in the airplanes!

Jacob and cousin Madison! Cheese!

Alyssa and cousin Faith!

Mom, Cameron and Faith on the roller coaster! This little thing was really fast!

Cameron loved driving the jeep!

Snow Buddies!

2008-11-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago when it snowed the boys were dying to get out and play in it before it melted the next day. Even if it was only for a little while, they had a blast together! Just a little note about this picture, I really do have better snow gear for the boys. When we were getting the house ready to sell, we packed up a lot of stuff, including all of their winter gear. This is all I could find last minute! Funny!

Cameron and Brendan

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

We had a busy week with pumpkin carving and the annual Halloween carnival at the kids school, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.The kids had soo much fun this year for Halloween. All the kids were finally at the age where they could really enjoy themselves. I think this year we went trick or treating for the longest time. No one whined or complained the whole time. Even the little ones loved it. My feet were hurting at the end of the night from all the walking. We had to drag the kids home. Every year we go to my sister in laws house for her annual Halloween party. Also all the cousins love to trick or treat together. There is always a variety of yummy soups and treats to enjoy. I brought my chowder and that was a hit as usual. Everyone wanted the recipe. They always have activities for the kids to enjoy as well. This year they had a giant screen set up outside with a projector and speakers and Rockband going. Everyone was entertained by that alone! All in all it was a very fun night. The kids brought home so much candy! Cameron is going crazy over the candy!

My cute trick or treaters!!
We had the little ones handing out candy at the door so we could party! Cameron, Brendan, and Faith had fun being the candy givers for a while. The lightsavers were cool too!

Cameron my little dragon!

Miranda my renaissance princess

Brendan was some sort of ninja

Alyssa was the cutest witch

I thought Jacob made a great Harry Potter! Although I wanted his hair to be brown and it turned out more red!

Jacob with his cousins Madison, and Brenna

Had to get this cute picture of Cameron running to the door for some candy! He was soo cute to watch!

The gang before trick or treating!

Miranda, Alyssa and Brendan enjoying some soup!!

First Time Daddy

2008-10-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

So you would think that a first time daddy wouldn't pull crazy stunts with their first borns. For those of you who dont know...there is a classic dad hold where you are able to hold a baby in one hand and they will just instinctively stand there. I don't remember my husband doing anything like this with any of my babies. I'm sure I would freak out!! This is my youngest brother Golden with his first born Porter. He is just 5 months! Check out the cute leg warmers!!

Happy Birthday Brendan!!

2008-10-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Brendan turned 4 years old on Oct. 23rd. I can hardly believe it! Seems like just yesterday that we brought this tough little guy home. Brendan is such a funny kid. He is sweet, independent, funny, very cute, sometimes a tease, hard-headed at times, active, smart and a joy to have around. He loves to play soccer and baseball. Brendan says the funniest things all the time too. I really need to start writing down some of the things he says. Happy birthday to my little big man!! We love you!

Random pics of my Brendan:

Brendan Tyler Rasmussen

7 lbs. 10 ozs. 18 in. long

Happy Brendan-6 months old

Sweet Brendan- 1 year old

Brendan-18 months old-check out those eyes! Dreamy!

Brendan-2 years old

Brendan is a character! 3 years old!

Happy Birthday little buddy!!

I was Tagged!

2008-10-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

So I got tagged by my friend Wendy to name 7 things about myself. I consider myself to pretty much be an open book but maybe I can think of a few things that might shock a few people or maybe not. Here I go!

#1- This one is no shocker to most people, but I am a sports fanatic! I played 3 sports in high school(Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball). I don't mean to brag, but I was REALLY good at all 3(All county and all conference in all 3). I love to watch almost all sports on T.V., but my favorite to watch is football(Go Colts!). I don't get to play as regularly as I would hope to, but I get out when I can.

#2- I absolutely LOVE to exercise! I get up at 5am and head to the gym every morning for my me time. Some people might think that is crazy, but I love it. I love to do cardio and strength training. Every once in a while I take in a Yoga class when I need something different. The other day my 4 year old Brendan came to me and said he wanted to have muscles like me!!

#3- Something you might not have known about me was that in Junior high, I played the flute in the school band for 3 years. I was really good too. But once I got into high school, sports took over. I probably couldn't play now, but who knows.

#4-I love anything with salt!! That is definitely my weakness! White cheddar popcorn is my favorite!

#5- I melt when I get around puppies!! Can't get enough of them!

#6- I didn't have many girlfriends in high school for some reason, I guess it was hard for me to connect. There were a few that I was close too that I wish I still had contact with. I had plenty of guy friends though:) I consider my college friends to be the ones who had the most impact on me and I love them to this day!!

#7- I am not a phone person. Unless you are a close friend or relative, I will not call you unless I have to. For some reason I am paranoid to call people. Weird I know.

Anyone surprised or shocked? Haha!

Fun Day At The Park!

2008-10-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

Since the kids were off of school for fall recess, my sister in laws and I decided to get together at the park and have lunch and let the kids play together. The cousins have soo much fun playing together. Thanks Ren, Malia, Madison, Brenna, Chase and baby Ryder for playing with us!! Thumbs up for the wonderful weather we had these past few days. It was gorgeous outside!! Here are some cute pics from the day.

Wheres Cameron? There he is!! I just noticed he has a chicken nugget in his hand...that is kind of gross!!
The kids could not stay out of the sandbox!!

Say cheese Cameron!! Is that the same chicken nugget? Gross!! I had noo idea!!

These two are inseparable!! Alyssa and Chase!

Soooo Big!! Cameron is pretty independent..doesn't need moms help much anymore.

Cute baby Ryder! Believe it or not he is barely 5 months old! Big boy!!

Miranda getting some love from a nearby dog. We made sure he was nice first!

The 3 musketeers! They are now too grown up to be around the other kids. They are all only months apart. Ren, Jacob and Madison.

Awww...brothers stick together! Cameron and Brendan are buds!

Are you taking my picture? He has sand up his nose I think! haha!

I love a sleeping baby...

2008-10-17T08:20:00.001-07:00

Aren't sleeping babies the sweetest thing in the world? So precious and innocent and free from all the worries in the world. Lately when I get around babies, for a split second I get that mommy feeling. I think to myself...I could do this again... I mean whats one more...I already have 5!!! Haha..then I snap back into reality when I hear all my kids yelling for me at once! "MOM!" "MOM! Bam! Feeling gone!! Its nice to hang out with the ity bitys once in a while though and get in some baby love! This is my nephew Ryder. He hung out with me last night while I watched ER. He loves his auntie! So sweet!!

I hate Winter!!

2008-10-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

So I woke up this past Saturday to this? What the heck? Where did fall go? I had to pull all the winter coats out of storage just to find out the some of them didn't fit the kids anymore, so off to the store I was to buy some new winter coats. I just hope it isn't like this for Halloween and this is just a fluke that snow is falling this early. It makes me want to crawl under the covers and never come out!!

Update on us!

2008-09-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been MIA for a while but we have been very busy! As of now our house is for sale and we have spent the last month getting it ready. Crazy!!!! especially with 5 kids running around. So wish us luck with this next move! We are looking to move to Utah county if everything goes as planned.

I wanted to post these pictures from Cody's work party we had last month. I thought they were soo cute!! We went to Pineview Reservoir and BBQed and waterskiied and had a wonderful time. Hey Mel...I am pretty sure we were there the same day that Carl did is triathlon. While we were on the boat, Cody's boss took us out to the middle of the water and we saw a bunch of swimmers and bikes on the shore. He said they were doing a triathlon. Small world huh? Anyways, enjoy the pics!

The kids had soo much fun riding on the boat. This is my favorite pic!!

Isn't this picture great! All the kids felt like they were flying when we were going fast on the boat! Check out Alyssa!!

The kids couldn't wait to get moving. It was so fun!

Jacob waving to the camera!

The kids an us walking on the beach after the boat ride

Family picture minus Brendan. I have no idea where he was...haha.

Fun visit!

2008-09-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my little brother Golden and his wife Carly came out for a visit with their new baby boy Porter. We had a family party while they were there at my parents house in Logan. It was soo much fun! All the family was their and we laughed about old times and just enjoyed each others company. Porter is a doll Golden! Thanks for sharing him with us even if it was only for a day!!

Me gettin' in some Porter time!

Cutie!!

Golden is exactly the same! I can't believe he is a dad!!

My Dad and Porter! Soo cute!!

They grow up too fast!

2008-08-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today my baby girl had her first day of Kindergarten. She was very excited, not scared at all. I thought it would be hard for me for her to leave, but I got through it. Cameron didn't understand, he screamed as we walked away from the school. I have to admit..I was loving only having the two boys at home. They loved having one on one time with me. Don't get me wrong, Alyssa is as sweet as pie and I will miss her very much. She really is a sweetheart and no trouble at all most of the time. Here are some pics of her before she left for school and one when she had to line up with her class.

First Day of School

2008-08-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Miranda started school yesterday! Yay! Only 1 more to go and then I will only have the 2 boys at home. Alyssa starts kindergarten next Monday. The kids were so excited for their first day. They had their new shoes out and clothes layed out and their new book bags all ready. When Miranda woke up she said, "Mommy I want you to make me beautiful for my first day." It was very cute. Jacob got up at the crack of dawn and was all ready like a half an hour before we had to leave. Here is a picture of them right before they left.

Bear Lake Fun!!

2008-08-11T07:26:00.001-07:00

Saturday we took the kids to Bear Lake and had a blast! We went with Caleb(Codys Brother), Brandon and Amber and some of their family and friends. I was worried about the weather because the forecast for bear lake was calling for 50% chance of rain. So we thought for sure it was going to rain on us. It started out a little chilly when we arrived but turned out to be a gorgeous day. I think it was only about 80 degrees and there was no rain or wind. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand and the water. Cameron was soo cute! I thought he was going to hate it but we couldn't keep him out of the water and sand. Brandon and Amber brought their wave runner and that was great. We all had a chance to ride it and Cody gave all the kids a ride on it as well. It seems like whenever we go to Bear lake we get hit with a sand storm at the same time. At around 5pm the wind started to pick up. It came out of nowhere. We tried to grab all of the kids and our stuff before everything blew away. We didn't lose any children or stuff to the wind thankfully.

Remind me to check the days that we go next time. It was Raspberry Days at Bear Lake this weekend and the traffic was crazy! I guess that is a big event there. We were hoping to stop at the Famous La Beaus and get a yummy raspberry shake, but because of the crazy traffic we decided to pass on that idea. Luckily there is a La Beaus in Logan too! Yay! We stopped there and indulged a little. Those shakes are to die for! So good! So all in all we had a wonderful time, the kids were tired and worn out by the end of the day and there was sand all over us and in our car, but its all worth it. Thanks to everyone who went with us!!

Cameron loved digging in the sand! He kept going over to the people next to us and stealing there trucks though. Next time I will have to bring his own!

I thought this was a cute picture. This is Uncle Caleb washing the sand off of Camerons face.

Some of the kids having fun in the water! Jacob, Alyssa and cousin Chase!

Cody said Cameron loved the wave runner. Every time they went over a wave, he squealed with joy!

More sand fun!

kids building a sand mountain! We put the dog on top after. She didn't like it too much.

Miranda and Chase having fun!

Cameron was soo tired he zonked out right when we got in the car.

Caleb and Cody got creative and made a big Turtle out of sand! The kids thought that was pretty great.

Caleb riding the turtle when it was finished

Capturing Summer

2008-08-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a "Summer fun" picture contest. The is by far my most favorite summer picture. My two oldest on the beach pointing at a seagull at the same time! Sooo cute!

Random pics of my Cameron

2008-08-03T20:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of my sweet baby boy!!

Awww...a few hours old!!

Cameron-6months

Happy #2 to my sweet baby blue!! We love you!

Happy Birthday Cam!!

2008-08-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my baby boy turned two!! I am so blessed to have this sweet boy in my life. He is an absolute joy. We love him very much. For his birthday we decided to take the kids to the dinosaur museum in Lehi. We love going there because the kids have fun every time they go and we thought he would really enjoy it this time. He loved it! He kept pointing and growling at all the dinosaur skeletons and he loved digging for fossils at the end. After the museum we took everyone to mcdonalds and had cupcakes and icecream. I find it is so much easier to do a party at some place like this that has a playplace. The kids enjoy it more and you dont have a house to clean up after:) There are a few things that Cameron is obsessed with and they were all incorporated in his birthday: Trucks, Curious George, Wall-E, and spongebob. Cameron was a happy boy at the end of the day!!

A little tid bit about this picture: While Cameron was in this cave, Cody went in behind him in the dark and growled really loud....Cameron shot out of the cave soo fast! He was scared to death! It was hilarious!! He didnt want to go back in after that!

I think this part of the museum is the most fun for kids. They get to play in water and sand! How fun is that?

Cameron and Brendan digging for fossils. Cameron wasnt sure about the sand and his bare feet at first...he walked really slow.

This is the crew that went to the museum with us. Cameron loved having his cousins there to celebrate.

I thought this was so cute! Cameron and his big brother Jacob.

Wow Mom!! Scary! He loved growling at the dinosaurs.

One of his obsessions! Trucks!!

Another obsession! We had to have Wall-E!

Getting ready to blow out the candles!

Yummmmm!! Cakkkkeee!!

Tons of summer fun!!!

2008-07-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been MIA for a while but I have been crazy busy with all the summer activities going on, swim lessons 3 times a week. Let me catch you all up on what we have been doing. First of all, last month I reached a milestone....yes....I turned 30 years old!!! EEEEEk!! No, really it isn't that bad. I thought that it would be and I was a little freaked out at first, but then I thought about all that I have accomplished in those 30 years. I have a beautiful family and a wonderful life...oh...and I look good for 30!!! Haha! I had a wonderful birthday.

On July 2, Jacob celebrated his 9th birthday! I cannot believe that I have a 9 year old. Blows my mind. Jacob is such a sweet boy and a joy to have in our lives. He is very smart and loves to play video games and play with his friends. He also loves to swim and play soccer.

Jacob wanted to have his Birthday dinner at Golden Corral. Who doesn't love Golden Corral? All you can eat food and desserts? Of course we said yes and we all had a wonderful time. We actually decided to go to Logan the weekend of my birthday and Jacobs birthday which are a couple days apart. Jacob loved the idea because we could spend some time at both grandparents houses now.

Cameron was loving the ice cream at Golden Corral

Miranda is such a goof!!

Brendan loves to eat anything!!

My mom and dad joined us for dinner that night

After dinner, we took the kids to Willow Park in Logan. Our kids LOVE Willow Park. It is so great! If anyone hasn't been to willow park with their kids, you should definitely go. It is like a small zoo. There are animals to see, ducks to feed, all sorts of birds to look at and there is a wonderful playground to play on after that is well shaded. The kids had a blast!

Cameron is obsessed with slides!!

Brendan decides to be brave and go down the big slide! He has noo fear!!

I love this picture! My dad is pushing Alyssa on the swing! Doesn't that look like pure joy?! I think it is funny too!

Miranda stopping to give my a big cheesy grin!!

Miranda and Jacob having a great time!

Cute Cam!! We absolutely love this boy!!

One day while we were in Logan, we went to Codys parents house and they made Jacob a cake for his birthday. We had fun there trying out Jacobs new remote control Hummer that he got for his birthday. I had a picture of that but I deleted it accidentally.

Blowing out the candles!!

While we were in Logan we decided to visit Codys grandma Garnet. This year she turned 97 years old. We don't get down to see her much so it was nice to be able to do that. And the kids just adore her. She is super sweet and fun to talk to. We love her!

The weekend of the 4th of July was very fun for us as well. We were planning on having a BBQ and fireworks at my sister in laws house with family, but she called me that day and asked if we could do it at my house. My brother in law had just had surgery and wasn't as recovered as he thought he would be. So the party was moved to our house and it all worked out and was a success and we all had a blast. We BBQed yummy burgers and hot dogs and enjoyed the company and the fireworks. We like to do fireworks with our neighbors because they have good ones and the kids enjoy it. Cody would let the kids take turns lighting some and that was a little scary to watch. Cameron was a little frightened of the noise so he just clung to me the whole night.

Saturday, July 5, we thought it might be fun to take all the kids to lagoon. Jacob has been dying to go to lagoon for soo long so we thought we would do it as part of his birthday present. Codys brother joined us as well as his sister and her kids. The kids had soo much fun!! They were all just about the right height where they could pretty much ride what they wanted. And Cameron was such a trooper....he just sat in his stroller the whole day and as long as he had water he was happy! We took him on a few rides and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Because we had other adults with us we were able enjoy some adult rides. I loved "Wicked"!! I went on that one by myself while Cody stayed with the kids and watched. I also loved Rattlesnake Rapids. That was fun for all of us! The kids were laughing sooo hard on that ride because we were all drenched at the end. We did have a few scary moments while we were there. At one point in the day we took all the kids to the water park "Laguna Beach". There were tons of people there and little water places everywhere. As you can imagine, with five little kids it is hard to keep a constant eye on every one of them. I had Cameron in my arms and the other kids and Cody had Brendan(my 3 year old) with him. Well Cody turned his back for a couple seconds and Brendan was gone. He is our wanderer. We looked everywhere and couldn't see him. My heart about stopped at that point. Cody ran and alerted the lifeguards and went off looking for him. It was about a good ten minutes before I spotted him walking around in the distance. I handed Cameron to my sister in law and had her stay with the other kids while I ran and got him. The first thing he said to me when he saw me was, " Mommy you were lost." I was like "ummm I think you have it backwards". I was sooo mad at him at that moment that he had wandered off, but was thanking the Lord at the same time that he was safe and we had found him ok.

After that little incident we were constantly paranoid and counting heads the rest of the night. So needless to say even though we had a wonderful time and the kids loved it and are still talking about how much fun it was, I don't know if we will be doing that again anytime soon, at least with all five kids.

I forgot to bring my camera to Lagoon so my brother in law took a bunch of pics, but I haven't gotten them from him yet. Here is a cute one of Cameron!

On July 12, we had our annual Rasmussen reunion that we do with just the immediate family on Codys side. We had a fun day. We had dinner together at the park, played games, volleyball and had a talent show. Then we went and saw a dinosaur movie at the IMAX theater in Lehi at Thanksgiving point. Here is a picture of all but 5 of the grand kids on the Rasmussen side. There are 4 of mine on the far left. (Brendan, Cameron, Alyssa and Miranda)

Sunday, July 13 my mom had a birthday party for my dad in Logan. He turned 61 on July 15th. We had a great time. All my brothers and sisters came who live out west along with some of my aunts and uncles. We reminisced about old times, looked at old photos and told funny stories. I love you dad!!

This last week my sister April and her family drove out here from Denver and stayed a few days with us. One night we had a girls night with April, my mom, and my cousin Heather. We ate dinner at Cafe Rio(Yum!) and saw the movie Baby Mama. Very funny!! Good times! We also took the kids swimming all day the next day at my sister in laws Suzanne's community pool. The kids loved it! That night, everyone came over to my house to watch the All-Star game. My mom and dad and April and Matt and Suzanne came to enjoy the game. That was the longest game ever!! But it was soo exciting to watch! Here is a picture of Matt and Bailey. She was soo cute, she would get out this toy laptop and sit next to matt with his and say "Daddy I,m checking my email! Haha. She is soo stinking cute!!

Bailey Kaye giving my a cheeser smile!!

This past weekend we had the Cramer Family Reunion on my moms side. I love my Grandma and Grandpa Cramer. They are the sweetest people I know. We had alot of fun talking and enjoying every ones company. We started out eating lunch together at a pavilion in a park then we ended the day with swimming.

This is the place we went swimming. It is in Layton and it was really fun. It was basically a big wave pool. The kids had a blast and I loved it too because for me it was easy to keep track of the kids. I had Cameron and Brendan on a tube and the girls on another and Jacob on his own. The kids could have stayed there all day. They loved going over the waves in their tubes. I had a good workout too. But the day had to end and we were all fried and exhausted at the end of the day.

Thanks to whoever made it to the end of this post, I know it was never-ending!!

Summertime! Summertime!!

2008-06-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

I love summertime! I love the weather, the flowers, the fun trips we can take. I love everything about it! My kids last day of school is tomorrow, but it has already been summer here. I signed my 3 older kids up for swimming lessons that start this coming Monday, so that should be fun. I have also been taking the kids to the park regularly. They love it! Yesterday my kids played in the sprinkler all day and loved it! Here are some pics:

My buddy Brendan! He loved to be right in the sprinklers!

Alyssa!! Cute girl!

Miranda! She is crazy!! Ha Ha!

My cute girls!! Yes....I know my lawn needs help!!

Cameron did not want me to take his picture! He would yell "NO!" at me every time I tried to! He was scared of the sprinklers...bummer.

I sort of got him looking this time, but he wasn't happy! Cute boy!!

Maryland Trip!

2008-06-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

So I have returned from my trip tired and exhausted but I had alot of fun. I stayed with my sister Jeri the whole time I was there and I had a great time. I hadn't seen her in a couple of years so it was nice to be able to stay with her and hang out. I had a chance to just be with her family and get to know her kids and see her baby Chase for the first time. He loved me!! He went right to me and loved me right from the start. It was nice to snuggle a little baby again. I was only there for 3 days but it was great to relax and have a break from my life. Thanks for letting my crash with you for a few days Jeri. I already miss you!

When I was planning my trip, the plan was that I would fly in and drive back out west with my parents who were moving at the same time. So while I was there(MD), I didn't see my parents much because they were crazy busy with packing. Thats ok they will be out west with me forever now. The last day I was in Md we got the devastating news that my sister, April, who was 6 1/2 months pregnant with her first little boy, had lost him. It was just one of those accidents that are very rare in a pregnancy. There was nothing wrong with him, he was perfect. She had to have a c-section and when she did they found out that his cord was wrapped around his neck four times. Needless to say, I was soo grateful to be where I was at this time. I was with my mom and sister Jeri, who had also been through this before, when we found out. We were all able to comfort each other at that time. Also because we were getting ready to drive back west, my parents and I were able to make a stop in Denver and be with my sister April and comfort her at this time in her life. I love you April and I think about you every day.

The drive back was long, but I enjoyed the talks I was able to have with my mom and dad. Some days I would ride with my mom and some with my dad in the truck. I missed my kids so I'm glad to be home and get things back on schedule and back to normal. Cody did a wonderful job with the kids. They are all alive and well and the house didn't burn down so I guess that is a plus. Thanks so much honey!!

Sisters forever!! Love and miss you Jeri!!

Bowling night with my Bro., Golden

Finally, I get to snuggle my new nephew, Porter!

Chase Face! Such a cutie!! Always happy!

Me and miss natalie!!

Me and Chase! He loved me!!

Off To Maryland!!

2008-06-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

So, tomorrow morning I leave for MD! Yay, I am counting down the hours. This is my little vacation I am taking for my 30th birthday coming up. I will be in Maryland for about three days then driving back with my parents. My mom wanted someone to drive out with her so she didn't have to do it alone. I am excited to see family back east that I haven't seen in a while and all the new babies that were born. What am I going to do for 8 whole days without the kids? PARTY!!! I am stressing a little about leaving them, especially my little one. Cody keeps telling me that he will take care of things so I guess I should trust him. Anyways, it will be soo fun and a much needed break for me. Party on!!

Alyssa's Preschool Graduation

2008-06-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, my baby girl graduated from Preschool. She had a wonderful time in her preschool class. I was a little worried because she is super shy and sensitive to everything so I didn't know how she would do. Her teacher said that although she is shy, she opened right up and did a great job all year. Alyssa loved her teacher Miss Barbara. Miss Barbara said that Alyssa was a joy to have in class and she will miss her. I asked Alyssa what her favorite part of preschool was and she said learning her letters and going on field trips especially the field trip they took to the fire station. She loved that! Its funny because I don't think she quite understands the concept of time yet. Every day she keeps asking me when she gets to go to Kindergarten and I keep telling her she has to wait a couple of months. She still asks me the same question every day though. I guess she is excited. I am so glad she had a chance to attend Miss Barbaras preschool, she had a blast! I can't believe she will be in Kindergarten soon!

This is Alyssa after her graduation!!
Cameron, Alyssa and Brendan so excited after graduation

Alyssa with her classmates at graduation. I think that might be her boyfriend she is sitting next to. She told me she had a few(Haha).

This is Alyssas class. They had the graduation at the local library. It was so cute to here the songs they learned this year and hear about everything they did together!

Nice Day to myself

2008-06-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

So after a week of craziness with the kids, I was able to enjoy a wonderful day to myself. Last Saturday, I went and got my hair done and almost cut it short but I was too much of a chicken!! Can I just say I love getting my hair done. It is soo relaxing for me. I don't mind that I have a ton of hair to do or that it takes 3 hours to do it. I love the pampering. And I always feel sexy and beautiful when its done. I was very pleased with the result. Let me know what you think. After getting my hair done, I went and did a little shopping for me and also went tanning. So that was my day and it was much needed. I have the sweetest husband in the world. He never complains whenever I want to give myself some attention. He loves it in fact!

I Am An Aunt 2 Times Over!!

2008-05-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

This this last week was a busy one for babies being born! I became an aunt twice last week. My youngest brother Golden and his wife Carly welcomed their first baby into the world on Monday May 19th at around 10a.m. Porter Douglas Stephenson weighed in at 8 pounds 6 ounces and was 21 inches long. Way to go Carly, that is a big boy, especially for your first! Congrats you two...I cant wait to get my hands on him in a couple of weeks!! He is adorable!!

Big Yawns!!
Hangin' with daddy!

Wide Awake!

Now for number two. On Thursday May 22, my brother in law Brandon and his wife Amber welcomed their 4th child into the world. Little Ryder Scott Rasmussen weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. He had a rough delivery and his whole face was bruised. As you can see from the pictures, he is perfect and soo beautiful. Because they live close I had a chance to hold him and snuggle him in the hospital. Good work you guys! He is gorgeous!

Sooo sleepy!

Funny, Cute Kids! Fun Places to Hide!

2008-05-14T08:50:00.001-07:00

Cameron loves to play hide and seek!! Kids find the funniest places to hide. Cameron is really good at this game! Look where I found him finally!! Sooo cute!! He loves to play in there now all the time!

So, the kids thought that playing in the dryer might be a fun idea! What do you think? I think it could be. They seem to be having fun! This is Alyssa, Brendan and Cameron. I found them in the dryer after I was done folding clothes. Funny!

Happy Mothers Day!

2008-05-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

So I didn't really take any pictures on mothers day because I was too busy RELAXING! I had a wonderful mothers day! Cody got up early with the kids so I could sleep in. We don't have church until 11am so that is nice. I got up and jumped in the shower and when I got out I heard the most beautiful, sweetest sound. All my kids were in my room singing mothers day songs they learned in primary. I was in tears! They sang "mother I love you, mother I need you" and "I often go walking", that is one of my favorites. Cody was also with them holding a tray with my favorite breakfast on it, an omelet made with egg whites(I am on a health kick) and a bagel with orange juice. After breakfast Cody got all the kids ready for church, aside from doing the girls hair, so I could relax some more. He didn't have early meetings like he usually does. We had wonderful church meetings. All the mothers received beautiful leis to wear all day. We didn't go visit my mom because she is still back east and my in-laws are busy cruising in the Caribbean. How would that be? Nice!! When I got home Cody gave me a beautiful card and some yummy body lotion that is to die for. He also gave me a pass to go tanning. Love it! The kids gave me all sorts of cute homemade gifts, from flowers made out of cookies to cards and necklaces. I wish I took pictures. Oh well. Anyways, I was able to relax all day and Cody took care of meals and the kids. I wish every day was mothers day!!

Shout Out to My Wonderful Mother

This is one of my most favorite pictures of my mom. She is holding my last baby Cameron right after he was born. I think it is soo sweet and shows how loving and caring my mom is. I want my mom to know how much I love and appreciate her. She has always been there for me whenever I need her even if she lived 2500 miles away. She would do anything for her kids or grand kids if it meant that they were happy. My mom has been there for me through the thick and thin. Thanks mom for being my rock! I love you!

Loving the weather for a short time!!

2008-04-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Weather has been gorgeous these past few days so I tried to get the kids outside as much as possible. It is supposed to be cold again soon. It is fun to take the kids to the park because the kids are old enough now to play on their own without any help from me. Even little Cameron can hold his own. He loves the park, especially the slides! I swear he went down the slide 100 times! And I thought it was sooo cute that he would only go down headfirst. Maybe he thought that was right way to slide, I don't know. So I couldn't resist getting it on video. I didn't have my camera with me so I had to use the one on my phone. Sorry it is soo short, but you get the idea! Brendan started to join in on the headfirst sliding too! I am surprised that one of them never face planted into the wood chips. Gotta love little boys!!

Fun Facts!!

2008-04-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Everyone else is doing it so I might as well join in on the fun!

FUN FACTS
I hate to use the word tagged but this was a fun list ~
1. Song that always makes you sad? Where Can I turn for peace? My favorite church song
2. Last thing you bought? Food
3. Last person you argued with? Miranda (big surprise)
4. One of your stuffed animals' names as a kid? I don't think we cared that much about our stuffed animals because we were always chucking them out the window on the second floor for some reason.
5. Did you ever own at one time a Michael Jackson Cd? Of course!!
6. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
7. Did you take Piano lessons? Yes, when I was 8 mom forced me to, I quit after one year!
8. Most frequent song played? Right now? soundtrack from P.S. I love you
9. T.V. show you secretly enjoy? I love Greys Anatomy!!
10. Favorite scents? Rain, , Cinnamon, Newborn baby, homemade bread or rolls
11. Date someone older or younger? Older
12. One place you could travel right now? Hawaii or the carribean
13 Favorite time of the day? AFter the kids go to bed at night
14. Do you know all the words to the national anthem? Of Course!
15. Something you're wearing right now? PJ's
16. Job you've had? This is the Place Book store, four seasons, little ceasars
17. Did you go to your high school prom? Yes I went as a sophmore with Jeremy Hancock and then as a junior with B.J. Hanley, but I didnt go to my senior prom because I had a missionary away and I was too sad to go without him...I am lame I know.
18. Perfect time to wake up? 8 am
19. Perfect time to go to bed? 11:00
20. Favorite soda? Not a huge fan of soda but I like rootbeer ok
21. Ever been in a car accident? one little tiny one. I wasnt driving though
22. Closer to mom or dad...or neither? My mom probably for someone to talk to and hang out with, but I have a special place in my heart for my dad.
23. Who would you want on a deserted island with you? My whole family of course
24. Have you been bungee jumping? No, i would hate it.
25. Favorite ice cream flavor? Ben and jerrys chocolate chip cookie dough
26. Do you have an article of clothing you have had since you were in high school? yes, stuff from sports
27. Did you play high school sports? Of course, what is my last name...I played volleyball, basketball and softball
28. Were you ever in a school talent show? Negative
29. What are you allergic to? nothing luckily
30. Have you watched sex and the city?yes
31. Fun place you lived?Rexberg, Idaho(Ricks college was awesome!), Mt. Airy, Md
32. First kiss? Brian Jacobs(5th grade)
33. Favorite Hobby? digital Scrap booking,sports
34. Most Memorable Gift? My babies
35. Have you ever gambled at a casino? No, but I want to play the slot machines just once!!
36. Have you thrown up on a plane? not yet thank goodness
37. Have you thrown up in a car?Surprisingly, no
38. Favorite cartoon as a kid? Thunder Cats, the Smurfs, Fraggle Rock
39. favorite childhood tv show? Full House, Saved by the Bell, cosby show:)
40. Who was your first roommate? Annette hudson...love her!
41. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk for the first time?
. It was a screwdriver( Vodka & Orange juice) I am ashamed to admit that!!
42. What was your first car? Blue Chevy Cavalier(family car), technically my first car was a dodge stratus
43. What was the last movie you saw? License to Wed.(DVD), P.S. I love you in the theatre
44. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown? 18
45. Who was your first grade teacher?OMG I cant remember, but I remember what she looked like
46. Where did you go on your first airplane ride?UT
47. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with? I snuck out a lot, I think my first time was with a boy I liked.
48. Who was your first Best Friend and are you still friends with them? I think my cousin Kevin Tenney was my first best friend and yes we are still friends but it is definitely not the same because he is a guy and we are both married with families
49. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? Mom, Cody
50. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsman? My sister Gina
51. What is the first thing you do in the morning? Go potty
52. What are some concerts you have attended? Shania Twain, tim mcgraw/Faith Hill, Rascal flatts, One republic
53. First tattoo or piercing? Got my ears pierced at 12 & 18
54. First celebrity crush? Tom Selleck ( I still think he is hot!)

Worn Out Mom!!

2008-04-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever had one of those days where you just want to give up and quit your job as a mother? I'm sure many of you have. Yesterday was one of those days for me. My kids are on year round school and for the past two weeks they have been off track. Its hard for me to keep all of them occupied and busy when they are cooped up in the house. The weather has been yucky the past few days so they cant go outside and play. This past Monday it was wonderful and 80 degrees outside so I was able to take them to the park and let them get out a bit. Yesterday was one of those days where I couldn't make anyone happy and they were going nuts here! They were all fighting and whining and destroying the house. When I would ask them to do something it went in one ear and out the other. I literally wanted to rip my hair out! I was going from one mess to another. I felt like I couldn't keep up. I was definitely at my breaking point. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids with everything I have, but sometimes I want to strangle them!! It seems that when I have these awful days, Cody is always stuck at work and cant come ease my load any. I am in serious need of a night out! Anyone want to come rescue me? Oh well it has to be better tomorrow right? I need a bubble bath!

Painting-Round 2

2008-04-08T07:18:00.001-07:00

I had soo much fun painting the kids room, that this past Saturday, Gina and I decided to take on the living room, kitchen and hallway. Man I knew it was going to be a big job, but I didn't think it was going to be HUGE!! We started at about 9 in the morning and didn't finish till about midnight! We decided to go with a light tan, beige color and I love it! It makes the house feel so much warmer. I am not into drastic changes in the house so it is just what I needed. The poor kids were trapped in their rooms all day pretty much but they were really good sports about it, especially when daddy brought home pizza at 10 0clock at night. They also got to stay up late with their cousins and watch movies while we worked. All in all it was a wonderful day and we accomplished a lot and I am loving the finished product. I also had a great time hanging out with Gina and laughing while we painted. Gina was awesome to get up and into the nitty gritty areas that are not so fun to paint! We were both dead in the morning and felt like we wanted to die, but it was all worth it!! Thanks Gina!!

Gina was such a sport to get up in all the fun places to paint! Smile!!

Gina..way up high...you rock Gina!!

I painted!!

2008-03-30T11:06:00.001-07:00

So I have been dying to paint my house for a long time and haven't had the guts to do it myself. So on Saturday my sister Gina came over and her daughter Kylie and we took baby steps and painted both the kids rooms! They both turned out super cute. The girls room looks like a flamingo threw up in it but who cares, it is what they wanted and they love it!! I had so much fun doing it, although today my whole body aches. After this I am going to tackle the living room and kitchen..that is if Gina wants to help me with it. Here are some after pics: They aren't that great but you get the idea.

The little boys room! Loved the green! I turned out super cute!!

Another shot of the little boys room

The girls room! Holy Pink!!

Shot of both rooms!

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-25T10:21:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!! We had so much going on this weekend, with birthdays and instacare emergencies, that we decided to have kind of a low-key Easter. We did manage to have a wonderful Easter dinner at my house with my extended family and all their kids. I think it was around 21 people that were there. We had yummy honey ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, peach and banana creme pies, and chocolate chip cookies. The kids enjoyed getting dressed up in their cute Easter outfits. Easter morning we had all the kids line up and run and find their baskets. They did pretty good, we had to help the little ones find theirs though. All in all it was a fun, relaxing day that we enjoyed spending with our families. Here are some pics from Easter. I didn't get all the kids together in one shot because I was in a hurry, and there are none of Cameron.

Miranda in her easter dress, this was later in the day so her hair is crazy!!

Brendan looking sharp!!

Alyssa in her easter dress

Jacob on easter sunday

Here are some of the kids making a run for their baskets! Hilarious!!

Happy Birthday Alyssa!!

2008-03-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

My Sweet baby girl turned 5 years old last Thursday! I can't believe it! Seems just yesterday they were putting this angel in my arms! Alyssa is such a good natured, soft-hearted little girl. We love her very much and are glad she is part of our lives!! Happy Birthday to my little Tweety bird!!

Alyssa wanted to go to Build a Bear for her birthday so on Thursday I took her there. We dropped the kids off with a sitter and spent the day together. She made a very cute, pink, bear that was full of sparkles. We also went out to lunch and got ice cream together. It was a fun day with just the two of us. She also told me that she wanted to have a party at a McDonald's with a play place. So on Saturday we invited the cousins to McDonald's for some cupcakes and ice cream. Alyssa had a ball!! After McDonald's we took the kids to the aquarium which is isn't the greatest, but the kids love it! They are entertained by the manta-ray pool where they can actually touch the manta rays.

Some Random pics of my Alyssa:

Alyssa and Jacob-sweet!

Alyssa-Age 4

Alyssa-2 years old! So cute!!

Bright-eyed girl!!

Sweet Alyssa Brooke-1 month-She was such a beautiful baby!

Rough Week for my Brendan

2008-03-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

So we knew the day would come....that one of our kids would eventually have a broken bone or get stitches. We always thought it would be Miranda because of how wild and crazy she is. Well she made it past those few years with a couple close calls but never had anything serious happen to her. Then along came Brendan. He is a very active little boy with no fear. We thought he would be the one to do it to us. He has had a rough couple of weeks. He was really sick with a fever, then he had a ruptured ear last week. Well today he was chasing the dog through the house and he tripped and fell and hit his head on Miranda's metal day bed. He came running out screaming and I knew by the sound of his scream that it wasn't just a little bump. Split wide open!! So I tried to stay calm and get the bleeding under control. Head wounds are really annoying because they can bleed forever! Brendan wasn't making it easy. He kept running away from me and wouldn't let me touch it. So I headed off to the instacare. I called my sister in law to see if she could take my kids while I went and she told me they would stitch him up there, otherwise I would have went to the emergency room. The doctors cleaned out the cut and said that it was deep enough that it went down to the bone, but that it didn't hit the bone. It was a nice clean, cut that would heal nicely. Brendan was such a trooper while they worked on him. He layed really still the whole time and only let out a little whimper when they were numbing him with needles. The doctors said that they had never had a 3 year old lay that still for them before. I was impressed! He ended up getting about 5 stitches inside the wound but just needed durabond on the outside. Since Brendan was such a good boy I took him for ice cream after. So that was my fun day..hopefully I don't have any more of those days for a while.

Look at that gash!! Poor thing!!

This was after he was fixed up.

My Poor Little Man!!

2008-03-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

This past Monday, I decided to take Brendan into the doctors because he had been running a fever off and on for about 5 days. He was showing all the signs of an ear infection. I thought it could have been strep too because that was going around. So I take him in and of course he is happy as a lark and not acting sick at all. His fever was gone and he was showing no signs of being sick. The doctor checked his ears and said they looked great and also did a strep test, which eventually came back negative. So I am thinking that he must have just had one of those annoying viruses that never go away and that you really cant do much about. Yesterday morning Brendan starts to complain that his ear was hurting. I asked him if he bumped it on something and he said yes, but he is three and he would say yes to anything probably. So I just ignored it thinking that he was just making it up. The thought came across my mind that maybe he had an ear infection, but then I thought..."No....they just checked his ears two days ago and said they were fine. Anyways, he screamed at me all day complaining of ear pain I just gave him some Tylenol and thought nothing of it. If anyone here knows Brendan you will know that he is a screamer anyways and so that is nothing new. By the end of the day I was getting a little worried because he was still crying in pain from the same ear. I gave him some more medicine and put him to bed. He woke up screaming in his bed. Yes...you guessed it...his ear had ruptured!! Imagine how awful I felt!! I am a horrible mommy! I should have listened to my baby when he was crying it pain!! Needless to say I wont doubt him anymore. Is it just me or do you think that the doctor missed something when I brought him to be checked on Monday? I was super ticked!! I should have asked her to double check when she said nothing was wrong when he has already had a fever for 5 days. Plus I had to pay for two doctors visits when it should have only been one.! So my sweetheart is doing better as of now, he is on antibiotics for the ear that ruptured and his other ear is slightly infected too. Poor little guy! Ear infections are soo painful too! I feel awful:(

I finished!!!! Yay!

2008-03-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

So after lots of persuasion I was finally convinced to read the Twilight series books. I kept telling myself that I wouldnt have the time, but I was wrong. When I started the first book, I could not put it down. It was like an addiction, whenever I found a spare minute or more I was back reading. I think I finished the first book in two days, then I couldn't wait to start the second book. The second book was just as good if not better. I finished the second book, "New Moon" in two days too. Then April came to town and I had to take a little break. It was good for me because my eyes needed the rest. I started the last book "Eclipse" and I finished a couple of days ago. I loved it! It was soo intense! Although I hate it when they leave you hanging at the end of books. So what do I do now? What will I do without the saga of Edward and Bella to entertain me? Well I guess I just have to wait for the next book to come out. I recommend these books to everyone! You might think you don't have the time to read, but with these books you make time. You just have to ignore the fact that your kids wont get watched and your house is a mess for a couple weeks.:) Thanks to everyone who kept pushing me to take the chance on these books!!!

10 Years Baby!!

2008-03-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

Feb.28,1998-wedding day

Engagement picture

snowmobiling-2005

How cute are we? Feb. 1998 two days before we got married!

right before we got engaged...DC pics Dec. 1997

When we first met outside his apartment at ricks. august 1997

Christmas ball-Ricks college
Random pics of cody and I:

This was taken from our balcony. Awesome view!

Here is me snowshoeing!

Johnsons Mill-Our room was the top right with the balcony....gorgeous!

This past weekend was Cody and I's 10 year Anniversary!! Can you believe it? I still am amazed that it has been that long. Looking back I cant believe all the things we have accomplished and experienced together. We had an amazing weekend! Friday afternoon we dropped the kids off at my sister in laws and headed to Midway, Ut. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast called Johnsons Mill. It was gorgeous up there! We had a room with a beautiful view of the mountains and there was a waterfall right outside our window. This place is located on like 15 acres of land so there was wildlife right around the corner....I mean right outside...at one point cody and I were leaving for dinner and there were 5 deer right next to our car. We just stood there in awe....watching because they were that close to us. It took like 10 minutes for them all to move before we could get in the car. We ate at a nice restaurant called the snake creek grill for dinner. The food was delicious! The next morning we woke up and decided to go snowshoeing. We wanted to get a closer look at some of the wildlife. That was really fun. After our stay at Johnsons Mill we went to Park city and did some shopping which I enjoyed and cody was a good sport to let me drag him from store to store. We ended the night with some more shopping in salt lake and then a nice dinner. All in all it was a wonderful weekend and a much needed rest from the craziness that is our life.

Here are some fun facts about us: We met at ricks college in the fall of 1997, I can still remember the first time we met in his apartment. I was immediately attracted and drawn to him. Must have been his cute smile and the way he carried himself. We were inseparable since that day. I fell in love with his charm and his love of life. I am also a sucker for a guy with a beautiful voice. And wow....he has an amazing voice. It just melts you. He also plays the piano beautifully. So many times when we were dating I would just sit and listen to him play. I could do that forever! He would write me beautiful poems just out of the blue. He would ditch class and come be with me whenever I was feeling down or sick. I loved his spiritual side. He was very family oriented and wanted a big family. So those are some things that made me fall in love with him back then. Another thing that I love so much about him is that he makes me feel beautiful. He makes a point to tell me every day how beautiful I am and how lucky he is to have me. Anyways I could go on and on about how wonderful he is but that would take forever! I love you baby! I couldn't have asked for more in our first 10 years.....cant wait for the next!!

I love Volleyball!!

2008-02-20T05:41:00.000-08:00

Last night I had sooo much fun! I played volleyball with the women in our stake. I love my stake when it comes to sports because the women are all pretty hardcore and serious about it. Other wards I have been in before havent been as into it. Anyways, we only had 4 people on our team so that made it even more fun. I dont mean to be cockey, but I was awesome last night! I feel like I play better now then I did in high school. I was everywhere on the court. The women we were playing against kept saying, " How did she do that?" and "Man, she has arms everywhere!" It was very fun. And with only 4 women on my team that made it a great workout as well. My body ached this morning. Thanks to my sweet hubby for holding down the fort while I had some me time!

Fun and Relaxing Weekend

2008-02-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

Miranda and uncle caleb....she had so much fun!!

Brendan and Uncle Caleb..he was not scared at all!

Alyssa loved the snowmobiles. She is soo cute!

Check out the face! Miranda looks awesome!

Thats me in the blue coat about to speed off!

So this week was Miranda's 7th Birthday( Feb. 6th) and we were going to take her the Planetarium this past saturday. Codys parents have been trying to get us up to Logan to go snowmobiling for the past couple of weeks because of all the great snow they have up there. It has been a couple of years since there has been enough snow in logan to snowmobile. So we asked Miranda if she would rather go up to grandpas and snowmobile instead. She was surprisingly excited about the new idea. So we went up to logan and visited and rode the snowmobiles all day on saturday. The kids had a blast and so did I! I almost died when I went out on my own with codys brother. He is not married and kind of a daredevil. I tried to jump a hill and couldnt make it to the top and started to fall backwards on the machine. That was scary! I jumped off in time and grabbed the break before it could fall backwards. We did get stuck on the hill after. My body is really sore today from all the fun! Here are a few pics from this weekend!! Jacob didnt want to snowmobile because he was too addicted to the Wii!

Long Time No See!!

2008-02-08T13:05:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!! Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. I think I felt a little dumb because I havent quite gotten the hang of blogging yet. April showed me how to do a few things. I will try to keep up more and update more frequently. So whats going on with me? Well, I have been getting out alot more lately, going out on dates with cody and out with just the girls. It is nice not having a baby constantly attached to me. Cameron is 18 months old now and that seems really weird to me. I have never gotten this far without being already pregnant with the next one. I love it! I am realizing day by day that he is most likely my last one. I am cherishing every moment with him. I have finally gotten my body back.. yay!! I have been going to the gym for about 6 months now, 6 days a week. I feel so good and I probably look better than I have in a long time. Anyways, not much else, I will post when something insane or interesting happens! I have ten kids at my house now....that is pretty insane!

Potty Training Success!!

2007-09-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

So anyways, it has been my experience that boys are supposed to be harder to potty train then girls. At least that is what I have heard from other moms and I had the hardest time with my oldest. That is not the case with my almost 3 year old little man, Brendan. I started potty training him on Monday and he has pretty much mastered it. He hasnt had an accident since. I thought he would be my hardest on to train because he is soo stubborn. He had a couple of pee accidents right when I started but that was becuase he had never gone on the potty before. Once he went on the potty it has been ancient history. He is awesome! He goes on his own without me having to remind him. So I was waiting for him to have to go number two and thinking he will probably go in his underwear becuase that is how it always goes in the beginning. Last night at around 8pm he came running in to me and yelling," Mommy, I went poop in the potty!" He was soo excited and soo was I!! I was dreading having to clean out poopy underwear!! Right then and there I dropped what I was doing and took him to the store to pick out a toy and his own special underwear!! It has never been so easy for me! I think I deserve it after training 3 other kids before him!! Wish me luck that it all goes smoothly! I love having only one kid in diapers!!

My Wonderful Day Off!!

2007-09-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was Labor day and my mom was here visiting. We decided we needed a break from the kids. Cody had been gone all weekend hanging out with his family and working on the farm in logan. So Cody was sweet enough to take the kids all day while my mom and I went to Bear Lake. It was sooo nice! The water was beautiful and the weather was perfect. It was probably in the upper 80's and there was a tiny breeze. So we played in the water and soaked up some sun, a little too much sun for me, and just relaxed all day! After we had enough of the lake we decided to get cleaned up at my moms new house and then we went to a movie. We saw Stardust. I loved it!! I recommend it to everyone! After that we got some icecream and headed home. So that was my day and I needed it! Thanks to my sweet hubby for holding down the fort!!

Still run down!!

2007-08-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

So, my kids started school last week and I have been loving it!! But isnt it supposed to get easier for me just to have 3 little ones at home now? Apparently not!! I am still going crazy here at home. What do you do when your 2 year old is constantly screaming and chasing after you? He always wants something!! If it is not a snack, then it is a toy, or he doesnt want me to leave the room, or someone is bugging him, ect. Ahhhh!! Sometimes I just want to hide in my bedroom. But if I do that it is usually while my 1 year old is napping and then my two year old bangs on my door and kicks it and wakes the baby up. The good thing is that my 1 year old is completely weaned now and not so dependant and my 4 year old starts preschool next week. That will give me some more one on one time with my 2 year old and maybe he wont be such a terror if he gets more attention.

Rejuvinated!

2007-08-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh! I feel rejuvinated! Today was the first day back to the gym for me for a long time and let me tell you....it felt soo good!! I did some cardio and then some weights. It felt good to get back in the swing of things. I didnt even get too tired doing the cardio. I thought my body would feel like it was going to die, but not so, it just feels better. We will see tomorrow if I am really sore. Hopefully this will become a new daily routine and I wont wimp out!

Virgin blogger

2007-08-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Yep that is me! I have never done this before so bare with me. I figured I needed a place where I could share my thoughts and vent out my frustrations. Summer is almost over and my kids are going crazy being home all the time. They go back to school next wednesday! Yes!!!! I will have two kids in all day school!! What will I do with myself!! I know that sounds crazy but I am excited to just have 3 at home. Then maybe I can focus some on me and getting some ME time. Today is just going to be one of those days of constant running after the kids and trying to keep the house clean. I might take the kids to the park...who knows.