Time off!

Sorry I've been MIA lately! I've been taking some much needed time off from a few things, but it's been GREAT. Haven't even looked at any blogs in weeks and it's been four weeks since I've been on Facebook. Occasionally I've commented on something, but I mainly get on to check events or grab a picture. Facebook just takes up so much of my time and I know it's my own fault, so it really is nice being off there, makes me realize how much time I do waste on there! I was able to clean and organize most of the rooms in my house and it feels great! Still making myself keep up on all of it, but I'll get there ;) There hasn't been a whole lot that's happened while I've been away though, sad to say! There's only one thing really worth mentioning.

It was about two weeks ago, I was on my way to work a crossing guard shift in the morning and I brought the kids with me. We were driving over the viaduct by our house and traffic had backed up near the top of it, so I had stopped. The car behind us didn't see we had stopped though and rear-ended us. I was so completely stressed that morning and the kids were stressing me out too, so add being rear-ended to all that and I was crying and freaking out. I made sure the kids were ok, then got out of the car and was just freaking out about everything to the other driver. Looking back now, I laugh at how I acted, I must have looked like a psycho to that poor guy LOL. We pulled over to a nearby church parking lot and I again made sure the kids were ok (poor Anna was crying as well and was scared, but I keep reassuring her everything was ok), then I got out and surveyed the damage. There was a nice lady who had pulled over with us to make sure we were all ok, then gave us her number in case we needed anything and left. I called her later that day and thanked her for her kindness and thoughtfulness, she really was sweet :). Anyway, a cop came and got our police report and luckily Jared hadn't left for work yet, so I had called him to come down and help. I was just shaking as I filled out the paperwork, it was just a shock. Usually when I have to stop suddenly like that, I look in my rearview mirror to make sure the person behind me is paying attention. This was the one time I didn't do that and now, whenever I even slow down, I'm looking in the mirror to make sure the driver is watching! lol.

We had some damage done to our bumper, the other guy's car was damaged pretty good, and even though it wasn't damaged a lot, we still decided to file a claim with the other guy's insurance to get the car fixed because we'd still be driving that car around for a while and would have to deal with it if we didn't fix it. Well, this all happened Thursday the 13th and that following Monday, we had turned in our car to get fixed and got in a rental. That rental car was SWEET. 2011 Ford Explorer with all the bells and whistles, it was SO nice :). It was only supposed to take two days, MAYBE three, to get our car fixed and we ended up having that rental car for a week! We just got our car back this past Monday, two days ago. They kept having problems finding parts for our car, so it just took a lot longer. That was fine by me, I loved driving that car! And now I'm having to get re-used to driving our own car! lol. I do love our car though. Anyway, I'll stop talking about it now, we're all doing fine from it and have our fixed car back :).

I had the kids pictures taken last week at Kiddie Kandids. They are just little balls of energy, going NON-STOP, seriously. But we did get some really cute photos of them, I'm excited to pick them up next week :). I typically never go to Kiddie Kandids anymore because of how pricey they are (the last time I went was December 2008!), but they sent me an email with a deal of a free session, $30 in free product/prints and 20% off the rest of my order...how could I refuse?? ;)

My sister and her hubby found out what they are having and I am SOO stoked!! They are having a little boy!! They wanted a boy and I couldn't be happier for them, he is going to be so freaking adorable!! :)

Nothing else is really going on at the moment. This weekend and a few days next week are going to be hectic, but we'll survive as we always do and have a good time while we're at it! :) Aiden turns THREE next Thursday the 3, in about a week....I can't believe my little baby will be three!! Time flies by so fast it's not even funny. Really can't believe it's been three years since I last had a baby and brought our sweet boy into the world. We are so happy and complete with him here though, love him to pieces!! My nephew just so happened to be born on the same day as Aiden, a year later, and he and his family are coming up from Arizona next week, I'm so excited! Because they'll be here during the boys' birthdays, we decided to do a combined party for them at Boondock's (where my sister works), it'll be so fun! We just invited family members and a couple friends who live close-by, but I'm excited, the boys will have a blast!

Anyway, I'll end on that note and try to keep up a little better. TTFN!

Beautiful Arizona

Last week I had the great opportunity to fly to Arizona and visit my brother and his family. Jared stayed home with the kids so I was able to go by myself, sure was a nice break!! ;) And if you don't know it already, I LOVE Arizona, even with it's freaking hot temperatures, it's just so wonderful there, love it :) I was only there a few short days, but they were great! I was home with my sis in law and her two kids most the time, but that was so fine with me! I got to cuddle my new little nephew a ton, I loved it :) And whenever I wasn't cuddling him, I was playing with my other cute nephew, he is a crack-up!! I also took him swimming one morning, it was fun! And so beautiful!! The weather there of course is scorching hot, but that makes the pool water just perfect for swimming, loved it! I love those two adorable little boys and I miss them already! It was nice to spend time with my brother and sis in law too, they are always fun to just hang out with :). Before I left, my sis in law took me to a store she loves, of which I fell in love with as well!! The store is called Charming Charlie....it's full of tons of jewelry and other accessories! They have purses, shoes, clothes, etc. as well, it is one fantastic place :) I was there looking around for at least an hour and could have looked around for another hour! There's so much to look at, love that place!! Sure wish they had an online store, but then again, that could be bad for me! ;) They really are decently priced too. I got a small purse and a ring/bracelet set for Anna and I bought myself a cute necklace and some sparkly high heel shoes, they are fantastic :).

Anyway, so my trip really was great. Wish it could have lasted longer, but the time I did have there I really enjoyed! We had turbulence the whole flight home, weren't even allowed to take our seatbelts off!, but I tried to keep myself distracted most the time by reading a book. It mostly worked ;) Back home now with my own cute family and it's good to see them again! But....I am already anxious to see my brother and his family again when they visit next month!! :)

"I'm going to be married!"

I seriously have the cutest little girl in the world :). She just put on her Tinkerbell pajama shirt and a dress skirt (over top of her other clothes) and she came up to me and said, "Look mom!" and was struttin' her stuff. I said how pretty she looked, then she nodded her head and said, "I'm going to be married!" I said oh really? She nodded again and said, "I'm going to marry, I'm older now!" Then she proceeded to show me how much older she was and put up five fingers for five years old (which she has been saying how old she is lately ;)). I said, "You're five, huh?" She nodded again and said, "Yep! I'm older now and I'm going to be married in the temple!" Seriously, how much cuter can she get?? I love the things she says, I really need to write them down more often! Lately she's been so interested in getting married and in Jared's and mine wedding pictures and we tell her that we were married in the temple and she loves it and is so interested in it! I just love it :) I just gave her a big hug and kiss and laughed at how adorable she is :)

So many great, and one no so great, things!!

Wow, has it really been a month since I last wrote on here?! I do apologize, I've tried to do better and now I've had a lapse! There have been so many things going on the past few weeks, it's been fantastic!! There are times where I do like to stay a little busy ;)

First off, on August 5th, my cute *not-so-little-anymore!* cousin got married!! I still can't believe it, but I am soo ecstatic for her! She was a gorgeous bride and her new hubby really seems like a great guy, they look perfect for each other :). Jared and I were able to go to the luncheon and that was great. There were a lot of extended family members that came from out of town and it was SO great to see all of them!! I love my family so much, they are awesome :). The reception was beautiful and we all had a great time. At some point, we had a lot of the little kids shut in the nursery room just running around LOL, but hey, it worked! ;) And yes, there were a few adults in there with them! Anyway, it was all so great and I'm so happy for both of them! Congrats Steve and Chantel!!

On that same day, at the very same time my cousin was getting married in the temple, my brother and his wife welcomed their new little son into their lives!! :) I could hardly hold back the excitement when I received the news. We knew she would be induced that morning, but a few hours before that was supposed to happen, she went into labor on her own! Greyson Blake Jensen was born at 8:32 a.m. and weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. (LITTLE guy!!) and was 20 1/2 inches. He is absolutely ADORABLE and I can't wait to meet him in person!! They live in Arizona, but thank goodness for Skype so I was able to see him that way!! :) I couldn't be more happy for them! Take a look for yourself, isn't he ADORABLE?! Love his red hair! :) Congrats Nick and Lindsey!!

I feel so lucky...I get to go see them in a few weeks!! :D Jared suggested that maybe just me could take a small trip down there and visit them, so I'll fly down there and stay with them for a few days, I am SO excited!! Jared has that whole week off that I'm going, so he'll stay home with the kids for the few days I'm gone. It'll be so great to see my brother, sis-in-law, their almost 2 year old son Bronson, and now their new addition Greyson!! I seriously can't wait, I'm just STOKED :)

Another piece of great news came a few weeks ago....my sister and her hubby are finally expecting a little one of their own!! :D They've waited so long and deserve to finally have a lil peanut of their own, I am SOOO excited and happy for them!! My sister is going to look so freaking cute pregnant! She's going to be one of those prego ladies who only gains weight in the belly and no where else, I'm so jealous of that!! But really, I can't express how happy I am for her, it's just so AWESOME!! Congrats Jeff and Melesa!!! :)

About a week ago, Thursday the 11th, I went to a sort of baby/birthday get together for my cousin Tara. We went to California Pizza Kitchen and had a great time! She had some of her family there, including her mom and sister, and my sister was there too. We now know that she was for sure in labor during that whole night, pretty funny! I rode home with her after dinner and kept making sure she was ok because she kept having intense contractions, just like during dinner! The next day, Friday the 12th, her sweet little baby boy was born! He has a mound of adorable blonde hair and he is such a major cutie! Looks so much like his older brother. Welcome to the world Kort Barnes and congrats to Troy and Tara!! :)

The not-so-exciting news that happened the same day of the dinner for my cousin was that our car died :P. It had died earlier in the week, but we got a new battery for it the next day and it worked fine until Thursday. I was going to go swimming with the kids at my dad's place before the dinner and once I got to his house, the car just died. Luckily there's a friend of ours who is a mechanic of sorts and was able to fix it for us. We found out it was the alternator so luckily he was able to fix it for a fraction of the price of a mechanic at a shop. So by Saturday afternoon, we had it fixed and goin' again, but man was it a headache of a week not having a working car for most of the week!! So glad that is all over with....for now.

One more piece of great news! Anna was accepted into the Title 1 preschool for our district and I couldn't be more excited about it!! It's truly a blessing for us and Anna is also so excited to start school! We went out that night she was accepted and she picked out a backpack...Tinkerbell of course ;). I cannot believe my little girl will be starting preschool...I've gotten teary-eyed about it and I'm sure will cry once school actually starts. She's growing up so much, can't time stand still for just a little bit longer?? Unfortunately, I made the mistake of planning my AZ trip the same day she starts preschool, but I figure it might be for the best. I'll be able to go to the orientation the day before I leave, but I have SOO much anxiety as well about her going that it'll probably be good to have Jared take her on her first day. Then when I start taking her to school, she'll already be used to it (mostly) so it won't be so hard on me or her. I really am excited for her though, preschool really will be such a good experience for her, I hope it all goes well and that she is able to learn what she needs to and get the social interaction we all crave for her and that she wants as well :). My little girl is just growing up!!

So you see, we've had a few exciting, and not so exciting!, events happen the past few weeks and it really has been SO great, I've loved every minute of it :). Well, except for when the car died that is! Next step.....my birthday, preschool starts, my fun trip, and other holidays and birthdays after that! So stay tuned....:)

YUM

This week I've been wanting a good ol' BLT. It just sounded so nice, so crunchy. So I made it to the store today to get some bacon.....but guess what else I wanted on top? Fresh, sliced avocado!!! Seriously, that just made the sandwich. Avocados may not have a whole lot of flavor plain like that, but they're still so smooth on the sandwich and give some good creamy texture to a very crunchy meal. My gosh I fell in love, it tasted SOO delish. I highly recommend it the next time you make yourself a BLT :).

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Jared was able to get four days off this past weekend for the fourth of July, it was fantastic!! From our last post, you see that one of those days was spent doing family pictures and going to the zoo. We didn't really do anything Saturday, til nighttime. Then we went to his parent's house to do some fireworks. The kids watched them, but covered their ears almost the whole time. Anna's done so much better with them this year, she kept saying afterwards how much she loved fireworks! Aiden liked them, but only if his ears were covered and he was sitting in someone's lap! ;) We had fun with those though, even did some of those aerial fireworks!

On Sunday, Jared's whole family was in town (his sisters go to school in Idaho and his brother lives in Provo), so it was great seeing all of them and playing games with them, we truly have a blast!! :) Monday was a fun-filled day. We went to a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Boy Scout's (so yummy!!) and afterwards went to the Clearfield parade. The breakfast was in the Macey's parking lot and the parade on the street right next to it, so we just walked over there and watched the parade, it was fun! Anna had a blast collecting the candy they threw. We went to the breakfast and parade with a couple of Jared's cousins and their spouses and his sister, we really enjoy spending time with his family :). That night, we went to Traverse Mountain (in Lehi) to my friend's parent's house and enjoyed a delicious barbeque and some good quality hang out time :). Then later that evening, we walked down the road and sat to watch the Thanksgiving Point fireworks, it was great! My friend has a 3 year old boy and he and Anna just played and played all night, they were so cute together! As usual, Aiden was kind of the third wheel and I felt bad, but he still had a blast. We also had fun with lots of glowsticks and making different things. I just wore some attached to my earrings, but Anna had glasses and a few bracelets, she loved it! My friend's sister and her fiancee went all out with their awesome designs, we loved it :) All in all, I'd say it was a very enjoyable holiday and weekend, we always love it when Jared has time off from work! We hope you all enjoyed your fourth of July as well and continue to remember those men and women who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice so much for our country and our freedoms we enjoy!! I love America!! :)

Here are some pictures both from the zoo and from fireworks, just made a quick collage, so enjoy! :) Click on the picture to see it bigger.

Gorillas, tigers and giraffes, oh my!

As you can guess by the title, we went to the zoo today! First time we've been to the Hogle Zoo as a family and we loved it :). First things first though....
This morning we had family pictures taken by a friend of mine who did a great job! I got a sneak peek of a few of the pictures and I already know I'm going to love them :). We went to the Bountiful Tabernacle and had them taken there, then we went across the street to get some taken by an old door....well, poor little Anna got stung by a wasp that was living by that door! :( We all felt so bad for her, she was just screaming and crying, poor thing. None of us have ever been stung by anything before, so I just felt so bad for her, can't imagine the pain for such a little girl! It was no one's fault, but we all felt bad just the same. After I put a bandaid on her though, she said she was better....thank goodness for bandaids ;). We quickly wrapped up our session after that and headed off to the zoo.
We got there and of course the place was already packed, but we still had a great time. The kids really enjoyed seeing all of the different animals and I of course enjoyed seeing my favorite animal....the tigers :). Not really sure what it is I like about them, but they're my favorite! They're so regal looking....I don't know, I just like them! We ended up staying there about three hours, there's so much to see and do! We went on the train ride, which the kids LOVED, and we went on the carousel, which they loved too! Not sure when we would go again, but we really did enjoy it. Of course it was really hot outside and we had brought water bottles with us, but we reached a point where it just got too hot and we had to leave, I seriously thought I almost got a heat stroke, I still have a headache from it! But we're home now and trying to relax from our busy, yet fun day!