Great Glorious Gaudins

***Raging Waters*

2009-07-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

We got Raging Waters Passes this year and the kids have had so much fun - and we always have lots of friends that want to join us.

Aleah & Brandon

Jade & Brianna

Everyone at the Wave Pool.

Cameron loves the water - and, no, at 7 he really doesn't need a life vest, but I make him wear it in the wave pool because that water can get scary.

Charlie played hard for 7 hours and then fell asleep a 1/2 hour before we were leaving.

4th of July*

2009-07-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

I had to work all day and Aaron took all the kids camping, but after that we headed over to Siaki's for a fun BBQ.

Aleah, Sioni, Jade, Cam, & Cayden

Our Family in Red, White, & Blue

Aubrey and me at the Fireworks.

Aaron, the boys, & James watching the fireworks.

Silly Sioni - Happy 4th!

Camping/hiking*****

2009-07-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have so many pictures! so, I'm just going to post as many as I can today because I'm going to have lots more tomorrow.

Aleah, Jade, & Cam hiking in the Uinta Mountains.
Mommy & Charlie showing our muscles by a beautiful lake (Clay heading off in the background).

Cam & Aaron fishing on their camping trip over 4th of July weekend.

Jade & Clay under a sign that says "Elevation: 11,000 feet".

Aleah staying covered up so the misquitos don't eat her alive.

*June Pics**

2009-07-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

My cute kids and even cuter husband...

...on Father's Day.
Charlie's Birthday Party - Trains everywhere - so fun.

The Percy Pinata - yeah, I made it :).

The Thomas cake - made that too - I'm no Sharee Wright (her cakes are awesome), but I could give Betty Crocker a run for her money.

Happy Birthday, my big 3 year old! I love you.

++++Charlie's B-day++++

2009-06-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

June 19, 2009

Charlie turned 3!

We had lunch at the park. This is the boys waiting in line...and doing Spider-Man poses.

This is Charlie beyond excited about opening his present from Grandma Gaudin. He was just as excited about the Batman bag and card as he was about the toy.

Grandma sent him a Batman computer - he loves it.

My college roommate get-together....Heather, me, Cliff, Jen, Kathy, & Andrea in front.

So fun.

Charlie at his 3 year Well Child Check - although he is holding up the 3 staples Dr. Hollingsworth took out of his head from an incident a week earlier.

*Last Day of School*******

2009-06-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

So, the last day of school was June 9th, but we've been busy with summer stuff.

Aleah's last day of 3rd grade - Cam's last day 1st grade.

And their last day at Bonneville Elementary. They will be going to Emerson next year. Aleah got into the ELP program and it is way closer to our house.

Our big soon-to-be 2nd grader!

Aleah always gets weepy on the last day of school.

Ice-cream to celebrate the end of school and the start of summer.

*****Silly Boys & Grandma's Visit*

2009-06-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Cam has lost both of his top teeth now, so he speaks with a lisp; it is so cute.

Charlie saw that I took a picture of Cam in this pose and insisted on having one too.

Aaron's mom came to visit! We had a great time. This is her, Aaron, and our friend James at a stone garden called Gilgal.

This is Aaron spinning his mom at the park until she got sick - she had just done the same thing to him.

Mom, Charlie, & I went to Temple Square and saw the Joseph Smith Movie and then visited "Big Jesus"; that's what my kids call it.

++++++++++ Wheels ++++++++++++

2009-06-10T16:13:00.001-07:00

I've been so behind on this blog - sorry. I downloaded 116 pictures from my camera, so I'll have enough for quite a few more blogs :).

This is from Mother's Day. I always get a garden. This year Aaron built me another box, so we were able to plant a whole lot more. It's only been a month, but we have had so much rain; my plants are huge.
Cam has been fighting us taking off his training wheels for years - really. Finally, we told him there was no choice, at 7 it was time to be a big boy. This is him right before his 20-something crash. There was a lot of tears, kicking the bike tires, screaming; but then I sent Aaron away and it got much better :). I promised Cam he could have whatever treat he wanted and stay up as late as he wanted that night...and a miracle happened...he rode his bike.

We decided to head to the park to celebrate Cam's success, but since neither Char nor I have a bike, it was the stroller and Rollerblades for us.

Isn't this just the most attractive picture you've ever seen? But I figured no one else was going to take a picture of me, so I'd do it myself.

My 3 crazy kids; I mean my 2 silly children and their too-cool Dad.

++++++++++Random Pics++++++++++++++

2009-05-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't downloaded my Mother's Day pictures yet, so I thought I'd blog about some random pictures I've had e-mailed to me.

Cameron had a school project where they drew a Flat Stanley (a character in a book) and then had to mail him as far away as he could. The person they sent Flat Stanley to was then suppose to take pictures of doing something with him and write a letter about the adventure and send it back to Mrs. Jone's 1st grade class. Well, it's not for sure yet, but I'm pretty sure Cam won. Cam sent his to Italy. This is Hayden taking a picture with Flat Stanley in front of the Leaning Tower of Piza.
Hayden/Traci sent a very cute e-mail about Flat Stanley's adventures in Italy. Cam was so excited to turn it in today.

This is a picture of Aaron's 5th grade class. Can you spot him? He's front row, just right of the center boy. What was that photographer thinking? Who puts the biggest kid in the class in the front row? The poor kid behind him only has 1/2 a head to identify him.

My mom sent me this one just a few weeks ago; she found it in some files she was going through - how cute is my Charlie-man? I just can't believe he is going to be 3 in a month.

This is my Dad and Mom at Christmas. I just love this picture; it makes me giggle every time I see it. The caption she sent with it was something like, "Kids, I've been mugged by Santa!"

*Race 4 the Cure**

2009-05-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I keep getting all of these e-mails from by BFF Traci telling me about the problems they are having in Italy....Um, from where I'm sitting it doesn't look that bad. That would be Traci, dead center, standing in front of and actually touching TOBY KEITH! You know whenever I'm having too bad of a day, I try to count my blessing, and right up there on top was meeting Karl Malone - and that makes me happy and I just smile to myself for quite a while. I'm pretty sure it would be the same if I got to be this close to Toby Keith. So, buck up there Cowgirl, when life gives you Toby Keith, your ride the high for at least 2 months :).
This is our 7th year doing Race 4 the Cure in honor of Aaron's Mom Debbie who had - and survived - Breast Cancer 23 years ago. We decided to make our own shirts this year.

Cam insisted on a superhero theme - as alway.

This was just such a cute picture of Aaron, Cam, & Char.

Over 3 miles and Aleah and Cam didn't complain once - that's a first. Charlie did great too - maybe he will actually walk it next year.

We love you, Mom/Grandma!

HE DID IT!!!****

2009-05-05T10:25:00.001-07:00

Aaron got his MBA (Master's in Business Administration). We are so proud of him!

Some of Aaron's Fan group!

Doesn't he look smart!...not really, he kept talking in a British accent and saying things like, "I'm Harry Potter." and "Would you like some tea and crumpets?" The man can get a degree, but you can't make him act like an adult :).

Aaron walking out with about 400 other graduates. The ceremony was held at the E center and it was packed floor to ceiling with family and friends.

I know this is a hard picture to see, but I thought it was so cute. Just as I was taking a picture, Cam raised up his hand to wave at his dad; you can see right over the top of his middle finger that his dad is waving back.

My camera doesn't take far away pictures very well, but this is Aaron crossing over the stage to get his diploma. I was waiting for security to jump him and say, "I'm sorry but you've been misinformed. You can't have a degree and you still have 12 years of school left." But something even more dramatic happened...they gave him the degree! He's done! Can you believe that? He has worked so hard and sacrificed so much. I couldn't be more proud of my husband. I love you, Aaron!

*Random pictures*********

2009-04-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

The other team didn't show up for Ali's first Soccer Game, so the girls played the parents. I'm in the gray sweatshirt on the right; Aleah is protecting the goal to the left. The parents put up a good fight, but the 9 year-olds beat us by one.

Some fun pictures I took of the boys playing at the school play ground.

Action photo.

Aaron's 34th b-day. He doesn't like cake, so I make him a desert pizza. The strawberries spell out "Happy 34 Aaron" - how crafty is that?

Clay took this picture for us. Aaron got an iPhone and Cadbury mini eggs for his birthday (Thank you, Easter Bunny). We love you, Dad/Husband!

I'm a bad mom!

2009-04-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not a bad mom, but one with a twisted since of humor. Charlie's hair has been getting really long. Aaron kept telling me to cut it or he would give him a Mohawk. So, after a few weeks of this, Char and I were the first 2 up on a Saturday and I did what Aaron said he would do. Then I spiked it all up and sent him to wake up his dad. Aaron's first words were, "What have you done to our child!?"

Charlie has such a sweet face that all the adults that saw him said, "Oh, he's so cute!" and all the kids at Ali & Cam's school or at the gym kid's club would stare and say, "Cool!" and then pull on their mom/dad's arms to point him out.

I finally did shave it down last Saturday because Aaron said he just couldn't go to church on Easter Sunday looking like that, but I think we were all kind of sad to see it go. He has just so much darn personality!

Cam's school program

2009-04-11T22:43:00.001-07:00

Cameron had his 1st grade program this week. His class made their own tie-die t-shirts for the performance.

Daddy with Cam after he was all done singing.

Cam with his cowboy hat singing "Happy Trails to You."

Cam in the middle singing "You are my Sunshine".

Cam's Anagram poem. It says "C - child, A - active, M - man, E - eater, R - reader, O - original, N - nice"

Cam's self-portrait holding a book he wrote.

*The Northrups****

2009-04-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

Before our Bestest Friends in the Whole World moved to Italy for 4 years, we had 1 final outing - bowling. (Hayden, Traci, & Steve above)
Traci and I knew each other in high-school, but we didn't become best-friends until the year after we graduated. She married a military man and keeps leaving me to live in other countries, but she always comes back to Utah.

Steve and Aaron quickly realized they were brothers separated at birth and have been the best of friends since before Traci and Steve married. We are always teasing them that they share a brain. Aaron tends to mope around, especially on the weekends, when Steve is away for work. I try to help him make new friends, but he just says stuff like, "I don't need new friends. Steve will be back in a few years."

Aleah and Hayden have grown up together. Aleah was very upset to have him leave. She has no one to play DS with now.

Charlie loved bowling and didn't even care that it took 10 minutes for his ball to slowly roll to the end and only knock down 2 pins.

More Cam!

2009-04-05T15:37:00.001-07:00

We have a 7 year old! - crazy.

For his Birthday Breakfast, Cam chose waffles - with a candle on top, of course.

He's such a handsome little man.

That afternoon, Aaron, Clay, & Steve took Hayden and the girls to a car show.

Both the old and new Kitts from Knight Rider were there. The Dads were very excited; the kids had no idea of what they were excited about.

*****************Happy B-day Cam!

2009-04-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of pictures of Cam for my next few posts. He just seems to be having the most stuff going on. Here are some from his fabulous "Knight's Birthday Party". We had 15 children come and it was craziness - but way fun.

Cam giving his pinata one final smack.

All the "knights". They decorated thier own shields.

Some of the "princesses" at the party.

The dragon pinata Aleah and I made. It didn't look much like a dragon, but the kids were impressed.

The Dragon Cake. This was so fun to make and turned out much better than I expected.

The Pinewood Derby

2009-03-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

I'm one of the Cub Scout Den Leaders. We only have a few boys so we had our kids and friends make Derby Cars too, so that the race would be more fun.

You can see Aleah in the pink shirt anxiously waiting for the race to begin.
Cheering on the Cars.

Everyone that participated got a certificate and ribbon. Aleah got one for "Most Religious Car". For some reason she decided to paint the Star of David all over her car.

Charlie and I got "Best Paint Job" - it was hot pink with purple and yellow Polk-a-dots. (Cam and Aaron would have been racing too, but they had a wrestling meet.)

We bought donuts for the Derby - Charlie had never had one before. After his first bite, he looked at me like, "I can't believe you've been holdin' out on me, Mom! Where has this fried goodness been all my life?"

...and we have a winner!

2009-03-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

Cam got his first pin and first medal today! He worked hard to earn 3rd place at the Bountiful Tournament. We are so proud.

Cam's Coaches giving him the pre-match pep talk.

He worked really hard in all his matches and made it to the 2ND round even in the ones he lost.

Here is Cam pinning his 2ND opponent. I think Aaron & Clay were more excited than he was.

Cam is the winner!

Cam with Head Coach, Bill, after he got his medal.

Aaron promised Cam McDonald's if he medalled so that was the first thing Cam wanted to do when we left. Wow, just like his father - motivated by food.

Wrestling Season is here

2009-03-12T09:55:00.001-07:00

I really didn't want to go so long in between posts, but I had no pictures downloaded to go with words; & I figure no one wants to just read me rambling on without a few pictures to look at.
Anyway, this is Aaron and I and two of the Elders he served with on his mission in California (and their wives that they met while on their missions in California - as you can tell, I'm the odd-man-out). Aaron was so happy to see them and chat up the old days. It was a lot of fun.

Cameron joined the Mountain Top Wrestling Club this year. And wrestling has been the center of our world for the last month. He has practice on Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday; and then there are meets every Friday & Saturday...this will be our existence until the end of April.

You would think my little Cam would get tired of it (I know I am), but he loves every second he can be in his unitard (okay, it's really a singlet or maybe they call it something else). He does not like Wednesdays when there is no wrestling. At least someday, when he's a teenager, Aaron and I can prove our love by reminding him of the countless hours we spent in the car, at practice and at meets. It must be love because I wouldn't do it for a stranger.

Well, Cam has only won 1 match so far this year, but he doesn't seem to mind. He would like a trophy, but over all the kid is just happy to be there. That's an amazing thing for this kid; usually winning is everything - never play Shoots & Ladders with him; every time you get ahead, there is a lot of unpleasantness.

In this picture you can see Cam's 2 "coaches" (Daddy & Uncle Clay) are yelling advice. He does try to listen. They are both learning a lot of patience and the fact that the sport is not about them, but about Cam. Daddy was having a hard time remembering that what he believes Cam's Best is and what Cam believes his Best is, is definitely 2 different things. But Daddy wouldn't miss being beside him at every match and Cam loves having him there. Sometimes I think Aaron gets the itch to be out there on the mat - Aaron has always been all about Football, so I've been pleasantly surprised at what a love he's developed for this sport.

Everybody loves a camera!

2009-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

We went with some friends to the University of Utah Gymnastics meet against Michigan. Utah kicked butt! I wasn't sure how my kids would do with watching 2 hours of girls jumping around, but they loved it. These picture were taken in the stands at wierd angles, so we all have bad double chins - nice.

Mommy & Charlieman

Steve & Traci

Aleah & Hayden

Aaron

Cameron

Valentine's Fun

2009-02-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

We had a Valentine's Dance at church. This is Aaron with the Bishop and First Counselor.

...And here I am with the kids - they had a great time and made me some yummy Valentine treats.

We had a family party on 2/15 to celebrated all the February b-days. My niece Cassi turned 5, my nephew Garrett turned 2, my B-I-L Ron turned 33, and my little brother Clay turned 30. Carisa made the best Brazilian food. I was in charge of 4 b-day cakes, good thing Ali wanted to decorate them all.

30 is a big deal, so I tried to do something special for Clay. I went through thousands of pictures and found all that I could with Jadey and started scrap booking like crazy. Since I only started on this big idea about 3 days before the party, I didn't get finished. But I did make it to 2007. So, I just have to get it up-to-date and find a binder.

This is James, Charlie, Cassi, & Cam after Aleah got a hold of them and decided it was dress-up time. I still have no idea what they were suppose to be (other than Char as Batman), but they were being good, so I didn't try to stop them or get too upset that Cam was in a Pocahontas top and silky bloomers.

January is over?...and we are half way done with February?

2009-02-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

Cam lost his first tooth! He was so happy. He got $5 whole dollars from the tooth fairy.

Aleah's 3rd grade program was a few weeks ago. It was all on space and the astronaut program.

She had her own part little speech to memorize and lots and lots of songs. She did great.

Aaron was able to get out of work to be there. You might notice that Ali's glasses look different. She broke hers, so she had to use my old pair until I could take hers to Lens Crafters. Amazingly enough we have almost the exact same prescription.

This was Charlie whining the whole way through the program because I wouldn't stop taking pictures and hold him - Daddy wasn't good enough. Usually Daddy is acceptable, but when Charlie figured out I was using the camera for someone other than him, he got very angry and insisted on being with me. Good thing, as a mom, I know how to hold a kid and do stuff with my other hand. I think he is spoiled, but I didn't have time to explain that to him in the middle of Aleah's program.

He's so great!

2009-02-07T21:35:00.001-08:00

This is not the best picture because it is on my husband's cell phone, but that is me with KARL MALONE!!!!!!!!!

Background - Okay, picture me as a Junior in high school. The summer Olympics have started and I see the most beautiful man in existence in a number 11 jersey playing for the Dream Team. I was in-love, ahhhhh :). I found out his name was Karl Malone and he played for the Utah Jazz. Fast forward a few months to see my locker covered in Karl Malone pictures and a signed autograph my best-friend Joy got me. You also had to see me in my 2 Karl Malone T-shirts that were worn once a week and my Jazz boxer shorts worn every night to bed - obsession, maybe.

Okay fast forward again 16 years later to today (2/7/09). Aaron and I load up the kids and head to 24-hour Fitness to workout. When we are dropping the kids off in the Kid's Club, the attendant says, "You'll have to tell me how Karl Malone looks; I heard he's working out here." I NEARLY PEED MY PANTS! I'm pretty sure my heart stopped. I went downstairs and, of course, spotted him right away - he's the biggest black man there...and he's KARL MALONE; hard to miss. I'm sure his 'stocking sensers' went up right away because I had perma-grin on my face and was having the hardest time not staring; I probably looked like a total idiot. After about 10 minutes of me trying to do abs (I kept forgetting my count and what I was suppose to be doing) Aaron said, "You'd better at least go shake his hand or you will regret it." I knew he was right, but I felt so dumb, so I started doing the buzzard circle. I kept using machines that were a little bit closer to him until I was within a few feet away. He kept looking over at me, so I'm sure he knew what was up. I finally said, "I will never forgive myself if I don't at least shake your hand." He was so nice. He shook my hand and then this is how the conversation went - now that I look back on it I realize, it is official, I'm an idiot.

Karl - "What are you giggling about?"

Me - "I was obsessed with you in High school."

Karl - "But not now, huh?"

Me - "Oh, no, I still think you are wonderful."

All of sudden Aaron is beside me (stealing me thunder). I guess my brain functioned enough to introduce him as my husband. Aaron shook Karl's hand and then said, "She's been in love with you since before we got married. Do you mind taking a picture with her?" Oh, I knew my husband was wonderful; he went back out to the car and got his cell phone after we found out Karl was there.

Well, after 2 hours of "working out", I think Aaron thought he was going to have to take the children home and come back for me. But, I was able to get a final glimpse of Karl and pull myself away from the gym. But I have been smiling and giggling to myself the rest of the day and telling anyone I could think of my story. I called my mom and all my friends from high school right away and then pulled up pictures of Karl in his glory days to show my kids who he was. Aaron is a bit tired of it all, but to the rest of you I say, "There are 2 morals to this story."

1 - Dreams do come true; even if you have to wait 16 years.

2 - Working out on the weekend is worth the sacrifice!

Is January really almost over?!

2009-01-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my life seems very eventful and crazy day in and day out, but I find that I have no pictures to go with all that craziness, so I'm going to post some pictures of Rubie - the Hamster. When I downloaded my last set of pictures to the computer, I found that Aleah had gotten hold of the camera and had taken about 35 pictures of her wonderful pet. Of course, Rubie was not a very cooperative model and most of the pictures were very blurry or of her backside.

Rubie has been with us since Halloween and has proven to be a very tough hamster. Aleah has made Elvis, Chinese New Year, & Mummy costumes for Rubie - it is very sad & funny at the same time. Rubie has survived Charlie throwing her off the bed twice, Cameron playing soccer with her (while she was in her ball & he kicked her across the room), and jumping from her cage multiple times (she has learned how to twist off the top and jumps from a 3 feet window ledge.). Yes, Rubie has made our home a much more interesting one.

Aleah & Aaron on New Years Eve.

I've already failed one of my New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-20T09:49:00.001-08:00

Well, I said I was going to post every week and I find that I'm 2 weeks behind. I'll try to be better :).
The kids went out and made 'specialized' snowmen. Aleah made an Elvis Snowman for me; complete with pulled-up lip, black hair, and guitar. It was very creative.

Cam said his was a Spider-man Snowman - of course, everything he does is either Spider-man on Transformer themed.

Hand-free headsets have to be the best invention ever. My mom bought me one. It's completely fabulous. I can talk to people for hours and still do dishes, laundry, or whatever. Aaron is sick of it already.

My 33rd birthday was completely wonderful. The kids bought me paperclips and a battery tester - yes, that is what I asked for. I can never find a paperclip when I need one and we have batteries all over the house that I'm not sure if they are good or bad, so I wanted a tester to check them before I tossed them. Aaron also got me an ice-cream cake from Dairy Queen, bought Cafe Rio for dinner and made me Shirley Temples. I love birthdays!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We let Cam and Aleah stay up till Midnight, but they fell asleep. I woke them up a few minutes before 12 to have kisses and go to bed. Aleah woke-up enough to take this picture of Aaron and I. She kept saying "EWWW" the whole time - someday she's appreciate that her parents still like each other enough to kiss :).

More Christmas Pictures

2009-01-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

We had a huge snow storm Christmas Night. You can barely see Aaron out there shoveling - um, yeah, he's in shorts - and we've had snow every other day since. The kids are loving it; I'm freezing.

We had our Akes Family Christmas Party on the 27th of Dec. My sister got me a Barbie Head. Long story, but the short version is that for about 3 years in my childhood, I would just look through the Sears and JCPenny Catalogs and dream of a Barbie Head. With 8 kids and little money, I had some fabulously inventive and fun Christmas gifts, but no Barbie Head. I can't believe she remembered that.

I made Cris a "Sisters" block. It's hard to see in this picture, but I made some for my friends and Mom-in-law. They were way fun and easy - got the idea from wonderful Jessie - and they sell at craft places for $15 & $20 - I should go into business :).

One of our Akes Family Traditions is Graham Cracker Houses. This year both my kids decided that houses were "So not cool". Cam made a Spidermobile.

Aleah didn't think she needed the Graham crackers at all. Aunt Cris had just shown her how to Knit and she was so excited that her artwork was a ball of yarn (the heap of chocolates in the left-hand corner of the plate), a partially knitted scarf (the read and green M&Ms in rows across the middle), and Knitting needles (the white frosting line across the M&Ms). She definitely gets points for creativeness. Oh, I was going to make a house with Charman, but we ended up "helping" the others and just eating way too much candy.

Oh, Christmas!

2008-12-30T19:31:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve with the kids in their new PJs that grandma sent. They put out Brownies and Eggnog for Santa. Al & Cam wrote letters to Santa and Char colored a picture.

Aleah's favorite things were the desk from Aaron & I (I repainted it - cute, huh? :)) and the sewing machine Santa brought.

Of course, Cam's favorite things were his transformers - he figured them out very quickly. You can see Charlieman in the background on his new rocking horse.

Charlie loved everything he got, but the trains were his favorite. He got a Little People train set too.

Aaron and Clay both got new Skull Candy headphones, so did I (teal and silver :)). We spent all day updating our iPods with the new DefLeppard & AC/DC CDs I got and $75 worth of iTunes music Clay got (from gift cards). We were all very excited to hit the gym this week with our new gear.

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Snow fall

2008-12-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

When we went to Sundance a few weeks ago they were making snow and it was melting because it was in the 50s.

A week later it was a winter wonderland - except that we had a lot of projects to do that day and trying to move trucks and load things when it is a blizzard is not fun.

Of course the kids didn't mind at all. Cameron spent over 3 hours just playing outside. He didn't want to come back inside, but I was sure his little nose and fingers were about to fall off.

Aleah loved the snow until she got hit in the head by her brother's snowball. It was time for hot chocolate and marshmallows and some alone time then.

An now we have even more snow - at least if finally feels like Christmas is here.

Christmas time :)

2008-12-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

The kids could not wait to put up the tree and the ornaments. They did most of it all by themselves - and we only broke one :).

Charlie is obsessed with Batman. He already had Batman sunglasses, but when our neighbor gave him a cape; that clinched it. He wears them nonstop and says things like ,"I Batman!...fear me!" and then flies around because he doesn't understand that it's superman that flies not Batman. I guess if it has a cape it should fly :).

Aculis had it's annual Christmas party at Sundance. It was so fun. Clay kept the kids overnight.

We let Charlie put the Angel on top of the tree this year. He was so proud of himself.

Aleah tested for her Orange Belt last week. We find out on Wednesday if she passed, but I'm almost positive that she did - she's great at Karate.

2008-12-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

I totally have bloggers guilt. I can't believe I haven't posted in over a month. I've been so crazy busy - as I know most of you are this holiday season. But I've put some pictures on and I have some more to put on later. I hope everyone is doing well and no one and gone completely insane with all the shopping and family - try to slow down and enjoy the season. Aleah Giving her first Oral Report at School - It was on Parrots and she did a great job!

Jadey was here for Thanksgiving! Aleah spent every moment Uncle Clay allowed with her.

Charlie man had his first set of stitches - 8 to be exact. Cam was chasing him around the house and he tripped and bashed his head into the coffee table - I am not one of those 'pull-it-together-in-a-time-of-crisis' moms and I nearly had a nervous breakdown. Good thing Aaron was there. Charlie only cried for a few seconds; then he saw me freaking out and stopped immediately, put both hands on my face and said, "Okay, Mommy? Okay?" He didn't cry the whole rest of the time - with the needles or anything - amazing.

Uncle Clay took Jadey and Ali ice-skating - he is a brave man. They had so much fun.

Cam - this boy has me swinging on both ends of the emotion line within minutes. He was being a complete naughty boy, flying his superman into his brother's head, so we took it away and put him in time out. Within minutes he had come out and said, "Look, Mom!" He had built a new superman out of legos - it had a cape and everything. I was so amazed. He has such a talent when it comes to seeing things in his head and being able to build them out of legos.

Random Stuff

2008-11-11T09:56:00.001-08:00

Aaron helping Charlie do a 'slam dunk' at Aleah's soccer game.

Once Cam saw Charlie doing it, of course he wanted a turn.

Ali is the one in blue sleeves at the far left. This was her last game of the Fall - she will miss soccer, but we are excited to have our Saturdays back.

Well, our lives have been very scrambled the last few months. Me working every night has been hard on everyone. Thank goodness I only have a week left and then I will only help out 'when needed' at the gym. Aaron's life has been chaos as well. He lost his job over a month ago, but started a new/old one yesterday. He is back at Aculis and very excited to be there. As soon as they found out he was looking for work, they called and wanted him back; but it took a while for all the details to go through. Aaron was so tired of being Mr. Mom and was ready to be at an office again - and just when he was getting good at dishes and laundry too :(. At least his football is done for the season and school will be done in 4 weeks - wow, we might actually have a normal schedule again.

Halloween

2008-11-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

Pic 1: Gothic Girl - I tried to get Ali to smile and she explained that "Gothic Girls don't smile; they have attitude." - I know 9 year-old girls that have attitude also.

Pic 2: Werewolf Boy - Cam loved the fake teeth and painting his toenails/fingernails black the best - I thought he was more cute than scary, but he didn't appreciate me telling him that.

Pic 3: Monkey Man - Char has wanted to wear his costume for weeks, so when I told him the night before Halloween that as soon as he woke up tomorrow, he could wear it; we had no problem putting him to bed.

Pic 4: Witchy Women - my kid's said, "But you're a witch every year mom!" Well, that is mostly true; I change it up every once in a while, but it is the costume I love most; and, at least I'm not lame and don't dress up at all...Aaron.

Pic 5: Trick-o-treat - Aleah was great about helping Charlie get to the door; I have hardly any pics of Cam trick-o-treating because he was usually 2 doors ahead of us. I ended up taking his candy bucket so that he would have to run back to me after each house to deposit his loot.

Pumpkins

2008-10-29T11:17:00.001-07:00

This pictures downloaded backwards for some reason, so the first ones are the finished pumpkins and the last are of them cleaning them out - weird. Anyway, the kids (this includes Aaron) were very excited about pumpkin carving this year. Aaron's SpongeBob SquarePants turned out amazing. Aleah got a little frustrated with her skull at first, but it was very spooky when she had finished. Cam really wanted a Spider-man, but since that was $5.00 to download, he had to go with a free spider instead - but he worked hard on it still the same - mom had to come to the rescue at the end when he got frustrated with carving and just started poking random holes all over the pumpkin, but he was very proud of it in the end. Charlie was dying to help at the beginning, so we let him stick his hands in the guts a few times and that cured his desire to touch the pumpkins. And when we lit them up and stuck them outside - they scared the pants off him. Now, Char will be quietly playing somewhere in the house when, suddenly, I will hear screaming and his little feet running as quickly as he can toward where I am. Then he will start yelling in a panicked voice, "Scareee Punkin, Mom, Scareee Punkin!"

Witches Everywhere!!!

2008-10-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Pic 1: Charlie not happy about being dressed-up like a withc, Pic 2: Ali after her hair was done, Pic 3: Ali & her friends after their hair & nails were done, Pic 4: On their hayride with the witch; Pic 5: Dancing with the witch after the costume parade

Aleah's birthday party was so much fun. We spent 4 hours at Gardner Village and the girls would have stayed longer if I hadn't promised their parents I'd have them home around 7 p.m. Aleah chose 3 of her friends to have their Witchy make-overs done at the day spa. They then had a hayride with the witch and she told them scary stories. We continued on to the

petting zoo and pink hot chocolate. After that it was time for a picnic, presents, & cake. Finally, there was a costume parade and then the girls danced for over an hour with the witch and lots of other kids that were there. We all had so much fun.

Rexburg

2008-10-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Picture 1: My sister Sharee and I at Gardner Village, Pic 2: Clay & Aaron at Big Jud's with their Head-sized hamburgers, Pic 3: Aaron and I "makin'-out" in front of Harmony 310 where I lived in college.

The last few weeks have been crazy. I flew my sister Sharee to Salt Lake for her Birthday. I wish I had more pictures of her, but her stay got cut short when her children got sick and she had to rush back home. Children=horses in Sharee's world; kids=Bowdie & Patton (her sons), but all are treated = in Sharee's home; well, actually I think the children are treated better, but the rest of the family try to love the kids enough to make-up the difference :). Anyway, we had a great time while she was here and visited a lot of craft places because that is something else Sharee is really into and good at. We also went to Rexburg while she was here. Our brother Ken's oldest daughter, Cora, was getting baptized, so we loaded up the van and headed out. It snowed...at the beginning of October...it snowed...it was freezing...oh, how it brought back the college days memories. Rexburg is where Aaron and I went to Rick's College; where we met; and where we spent the beginning of our marriage. The first year I was there, it snowed in August and it didn't stop until the end of April. The people that live there really love snowmobiling. Aaron and I had to take everyone to Big Jud's where he had his picture on the wall more than once for eating the pound size burger, fries, & shake all by himself more than once. Our children were very impressed. We also took a short tour of the campus and some pictures at the apartments that we lived in. It was also fun to hang out with our family and eat lots of food.

Aleah is 9!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-16T08:10:00.001-07:00

(Picture 1: Aleah being the most fabulous Goalie ever, Pic 2: Aleah & her side of the haunted castle, Pic 3: All the kids decorating the castle and Charlie 'supervising')

I can't believe I haven't posted in over 3 weeks - what a slacker! We have been so crazy busy. But it was Aleah's 9th birthday yesterday and I had to tell everyone how wonderful she is. She's such a big help around the house and does most things I ask her without complaint. Her aunt Sharee was here last week and bought her a hamster for her b-day. She loves it & named it Ruby; besides the one time she tried to give it a leash out of yarn, she she is a very good pet parent. She is in Karate & Soccer. She is so good at Karate that she now has to spar with the teacher because she beats up the other students to badly. She is the full-time goalie in soccer. She chose that all herself even though I wish she'd switch it up once in a while. But she is the only one that is not afraid to dive head-first into a bunch of kicking cleats to grab the ball. She's made some amazing saves that Aaron swears is ESPN worthy. And when I went to parent/teacher conferences on Monday, her teacher couldn't say enough wonderful things about her. She's in the advanced class again, and her teacher said, "She just knows so much; we start talking about a new subject and she already knows everything." I guess that comes from reading encyclopedias since she was 4 and everything else she can get her hands on.

Anyway, for her party we are taking her and a few friends to Gardner Village to dress & play with the witches; I can't wait to post pictures of those.

Time moving too fast

2008-09-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

(Picture of Charlie & his Barf - yes, it's name is Barf because it looks like it's neck threw-up and people have said it is a rat, elephant, dog, rabbit, or something else - Barf has to go everywhere with us and it is a very sad time when we lose it or if it needs washed.)

Well, I feel like I shouldn't blink or my kids might be 30 when I open my eyes again. Aleah being in the 3rd grade is hard work - I didn't realize what level she would be up too already. Her math takes me much longer to check and her spelling :( - some of the words I have to look up to see what they mean.

Cameron being in the 1st grade is just exhausting. He hates homework and it takes us over an hour just to get spelling words written and reading done - but I do have to say he has come a long ways in the last year. He's reading a lot of words now and he's doing rather well at math.

Charlie being two isn't as bad as with the other kids but he misses them so much during the day. He gets upset every morning when Dad takes Cam & Ali in the car and he has to stay with mom. This morning he ran outside with me and kept say, "I go too, Mom. I go too!"

I volunteer at the school for lunch recess duty - that's interesting. Cam loves that I'm there and comes to give me hugs & kisses in between running around with his friends. Aleah will come to say hi, but then is off and will pretend like I don't exist - I tried to give her a hug yesterday, and she said, "Please don't embarrass me, Mom."

I want them all to freeze at age 4 where they can do most things by themselves, but still think Mom & Dad are the greatest people on earth and we are all-knowing, all-powerful, & all-important.

I am now married to a triathlete!

2008-09-15T07:38:00.001-07:00

Pic 1: Aaron is to the far left, cheesin' for the camera at the start of his mile long swim, Pic 2: heading out on the bike for 15.2 miles, Pic 3: Leaving for his 4.2 mile run, Pic 4: crossing the finish line with Cam & Ali behind him, Pic 5: HE DID IT!

I am so proud of my husband! I think he's still amazed at himself for doing it. He's extremely sore today and walking like he was hit by a truck, but I haven't heard him say, "never again will I do that" yet, so I'm guessing it was a good experience.

What a crazy life I have

2008-09-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Pic 1: Aleah next to her "Lady Potato Head" that she entered into the fair, Pic 2: Cam next to his "Pirate Potato Head" that he entered into the fair, Pic 3: Cam, Charlie, & I on a helicopter ride,

Pic 4: Aaron trying a FRIED Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich and FRIED oreos - yes, he had a stomach ache all night.

Sorry that I haven't posted in so long. After the kids started school, our crazy schedule started. I started working nights (M-F, 4 - 8 p.m.) at the gym daycare to cover for a friend that went to Greece for 12 weeks. Aaron has school or coaches Football 4 nights a week, and Aleah has Soccer or Karate 2 nights a week. So, there has been a lot of juggling and a lot of help from Jessie & Clay to watch the kids and get them where they need to be at night. The day time isn't much better. I watch 3 kids 2 days a week; I HAVE to fit in exercise 6 days a week; Housework and errands have to be done in the morning because I have to pick up Cam at 1 p.m. and then get his homework done & dinner made before we go back to school and pick up Aleah at 3 p.m. It's a good thing Charlie is such an amazing kid and just goes along with whatever I have planned for the day. Now I'm suppose to fit volunteering for my kid's classes into the week as well; am I a mom or a super-freak that knows how to squeeze 36 hours out of a 24 hour day? Probably, I'm a little of both. I guess I will just have to get done what I can and expect those around me to understand that "I can't do it all" - even if they believe I should...Aaron. Well, I have no more time for blogging - I am on to dishs, laundry, groceries, & maybe I will even get the floors swept today. Have a wonderful Day!

First day of School

2008-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Aleah started the 3rd grade & Cameron started 1st. I can't believe how big they are. Both were very excited about starting school again and seem to like their teachers so far. For a few weeks before school started, I was very sad that summer was ending because we have had such a fun time and have done so much. Then, after about 10 minutes after dropping them off at school and realizing how quiet my house was, I was so happy to hear myself think. And then after about 2 hours when I realized how much I had accomplished without 4 children constantly underfoot, I couldn't believe I had been dreading school starting again.

This week has been fabulous. I didn't realize how much our house had suffered from our
constantly being other places. Basically, I only did enough around the house for us to survive - dishes & laundry. I'm not saying my house is spotless now, but at least I won't fear people cringing when they come through my door. And you can now see the floors on my kid's bedrooms.

I the down side, Charlie is very lonely. At the beginning of each day, he is very excited to play in Cam's room with all the trains without the worry of being screamed at or kicked out by is big brother. But within a few hours, he is repeating over and over again, "Pick up Aleah from school? Pick up Aleah from school?" It has to be the longest 7 hours in his little life to wait until we go get Ali at 3 p.m.

Raging Waters

2008-08-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Pic 1 - Char coming down the slide into the arms of Cam. Pic 2 - Cameron doing his ever-present spider-man-pose. Pic 3 - Jade and Ali in mid-air. Pic 4 - Char & Mom.

We had so much fun at Raging Waters. I definitely think we will be getting a season pass there next year instead of Murray Pool. Murray is fun, but my kids are getting too old to enjoy it for very long. We were at Raging Waters for 9 hours straight and we could have stayed longer.

As for my boys - Aaron is still feeling some soreness in his back, but he's doing much better. He won't be doing any running anytime soon, but he is going to try to do his triathlon with walking. I think he'll do great. As for Cam, he is bouncing off the walls. I was able to keep him off his foot for almost 2 days, but now I have to threaten spankings just to keep him from running all the time. Aaron gets mad at me for not making him sit still and 'take it easy', but unless I sit on top of the boy all day long, that just isn't going to happen. I double wrap his foot and let him watch as much TV as he wants, but it's summer and he wants to be outside. School starts next Tuesday, so hopefully that will keep him busy for most of the day and it can heal a little faster.

Thanks for all your comments; I love hearing for everyone! I know most of you have kids and school starts soon, so enjoy your last few days of summer.

One of the crappiest days ever!

2008-08-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Picture 1: Charlie man decided he was an art project and colored every available space with black marker; I got what I could off, but there are still dark shadows, so he just looks like a dirty kid that has a mother that doesn't care about him. Picture 2: Cameron and his boot.

I think that if I could just skip over Monday, August 11th I would have. First thing that morning, we were at the gym and Aaron hurt his back. He came home to "sleep it off" but the pain only got worse, so we headed to the doctor. He tore muscles in his back and we aren't sure if he will be healed soon enough to do his triathlon. He couldn't do anything by himself - walk, move in bed, go to the bathroom - so I was trying to get our house out of disaster mode from the weekend and play nursemaid and mother. We did pretty well until about 6:30 p.m. when Charlie came to me to show me how 'pretty' he was. Aaron said to take pictures because after I calmed down and got the floors, walls, & child clean; I would think it was funny and would want pictures. I finished up dinner while Char was the bath. I got the kid's their food and then sent them outside with Popsicles so that I could have 2 minutes of peace while I ate my dinner and gave Aaron his - in bed of course. Well, it was not to be; within 2 minutes there was insane screaming outside. When I went to check, Aleah told me that Cam had jumped out of the back of Aaron's old pick-up and hurt his foot. Meanwhile, Cam was yelling like there should be blood everywhere and bones sticking out. I could see no swelling or bruising, so I thought a warm bath would help him relax and take some of the pain away; I thought he had just hit his foot hard and it hurt. But by 7:45 p.m., when he hadn't stopped screaming and I could tell his foot had some swelling, we decided it was time for the UrgentCare. Aaron insisted on going with me. Even though with his back pain he was not going to be a lot of help, he said Cam 'needed' him. So, we called Clay and Jessie to come get the other two because there was no way I could deal with 2 invalids and 2 others that would be little help all at the UrgentCare. Sure enough, Cam broke 3 bones on the top of his foot. They wrapped it up, put him in a boot, and said to stay off of it for a week and stay in the boot for 4 weeks. We have 2 weeks of Summer left! How am I suppose to keep this kid still? Yesterday was interesting with Aaron upstairs in our bedroom watching the Olympics and Cam downstairs watching cartoons. Both were bored out of their minds and calling for me every 5 seconds - "something to eat", "ice please", "need to go to the bathroom". I must have carried Cam up and down the stairs at least 12 times because he can have no pressure on his foot for atleast 2 days - and a 50+ eight-year-old is no easy task. I would ask that you all pray that my sanity make it through the week.

2008-08-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Picture 1: Ali, Jadey, Char, & Cam on July 24th - Pioneer Day in Utah; Picture 2: Colton & Kara on their wedding day in front of the their cake that our oldest sister Sharee made; Picture 3: Aaron & I in front of the Washington Temple after Colton's Wedding; Picture 4: The whole Akes family (or most of it) 8 kids, plus significant others and children.

Can you believe I haven't posted in so long? I actually forgot all about my blog for a while. I've been crazy busy with life in general. Well, the wedding went off wonderfully. Colton and Kara seem completely blissful. I enjoyed spending so much time with my family. The kids had the best time.

Charlie man Loved every moment in Oregon. The 10 hour drive there and back were not very agreeable with him, but the time there was a wonder and joy. He most loved riding Aunt Sharee's horse and torchuring Grandma Akes' dog Sassy.

Cam enjoyed getting dirty at Grandma Akes and playing with all the dogs. Grandma Akes has 3 dogs at her house and then Trisha (my friend's house that we stayed at) has a huge Rottweiler named Chopper that he became fast friends with.

Ali stayed with Aunt Sharee for Cowgirl Camp and didn't want to ever leave. However, she and her cousin Patton did get lost in the woods by Sharee's house and had the Sheriff's department and about 30 other searchers looking for them. They, however, never knew they were 'lost'; they had just decided to go over to the river to look at the car wrecks, but obviously forgot to let Sharee know where they were going. We got called out of Church to help with the search. It's a good thing because eventhough Sharee had called up and down in the same area for over an hour, when Ali heard her Dad calling, she knew she was in BIG trouble and headed straight back to the house.

Aaron did exceptionally well on the trip. Not only did he not complain much about the long drive, but he also reconciled with Sharee after 8 years of not speaking to eachother . After the trama/drama of our missing children, I guess one has to realize what is important in life and having differences with people just isn't as important as knowing who you can count on in a time of crisis. I'm sure he won't want me writing that down, but the truth is the truth. He also had fun with Trisha's husband Dave, and my brothers Ken, Clay, & Colton.

I loved every minute of it and could have stayed another week. I loved spending time with Trisha, my siblings, and my mom. I'm determined to go for a longer time next year.

Going to Oregon

2008-07-23T23:05:00.001-07:00

(Colton, Clay, & Charlie)

My baby brother, Colton, the youngest of 8 is getting married this Saturday; so, we are all piling in the van for an 8 hour drive to Milton-Freewater. I'm very much so looking forward to the visit, but Aaron would rather be doing about anything else in the world. He's avoided going to my house for 4 years now - I just take the kids and go with my sister or brother - but a wedding requires the he make the trek. He likes my brothers and is looking forward to some golf with my friend Tricia's husband, so hopefully it won't be too painful of an experience.

We are squeezing 8 people into the van - max capacity. The 5 in our family and then Clay, Jessie, & Jade. I don't think we will be too stir crazy since the kids will have DVD players and Jessie and I are planning on sleeping most of the time. I am worried about Charlieman though. With all his perfection, I have found 1 flaw - he is not a travler. The 10 minutes to the gym is hard on him, so I'm dreading 500 miles; I'm thinking Benadryl might be needed.

Friends

2008-07-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

(1: Wheeler Farm: Anna, Cami, Candace, & Kristine 2 Coco Cafe: Cami, Anna, Charity, & Candace) - I've come to realize as a mom and a wife that there aren't many peaceful moments in each day; so on the rare occasions (every 6 months or so) that I get to go out and be just a girl and a friend, I cherish the pure enjoyment I get from just being me. My friend Anna came from Seatle to SLC for a month this summer. Whenever she is here, it gives Cami & I an excuse to get the rest of our friends together (about 8 women that worked at the Apple Fitness Kid's Club together and became really close). We do a few things with all of our kids, but then try to have 1 girls-night-out with just the moms. Coco cafe had to kick us out when it closed and then we just stood in the parking lot for another hour chatting away. It is so wonderful to hear that others are going through the same stresses with their kids, husbands, lives and everything in general. And it makes you feel more human, more acceptable, less lacking than you believed before. Thank you to all the women in my life that bring a smile to my face, encouragement to my soul, and have love for my family and me.

my new thing - hiking

2008-07-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

(Sunday, 7/13/08, Millcreek; Salt Lake City, UT)

I admit it - I'm addicted. It's just so easy, fun, and something everyone can do no matter what age or ability. The kids love it because they can get dirty and see bugs; I love it because we can be active while spending time with the whole family; and Aaron loves it because...well, that's just a lie, Aaron doesn't love it, but he complains a lot less than I thought he would and he did say he was glad he went after it was all said and done. I encourage you all to pack a sack lunch (we made the kids pack their own) and just get out of town for a few hours. Fun, Fun, Fun!

We Survived!

2008-07-07T16:09:00.001-07:00

...and, dare I say it, I had a good time :). I could have done without the mosquitos and being grimy when I went to bed, but other than that it was fun. We packed everything in about 1/4 a mile to Lake Bonnie and set up camp only a few yards off the shore. We hiked in the mornings, fished and swam in the afternoon, and sat around the fire eating treats and telling stories at night.

I caught my first fish since I was about 9 with my grandpa West - I screamed like a little girl and scared Charlie half to death...not only because I was screaming and jumping up and down, but because the fish was flopping around on the ground and he didn't know what to do. And I found out lots of things about my family.

Aaron - is not as big as a sissy as I thought. He was quite a mountain man and even braved freezing cold water in his swim trunks to take a bath everyday.

Aleah - must have the sweetest smell ever because no matter how much OFF we put on her the misquitos still feasted. And she is an excellant fisher and would go out to the lake by herself for hours.

Cameron - loves to hike. He was always the one in front. He loved to explore every tree, rock and lake...and there were a lot of them. He never complained once about no TV, Computer, indoor plumbing, or taking a bath - in fact, he still didn't want to take a bath when we got home.

Charlie - still amazes me...not 1 misquito bite! How is that possible? The rest of us came home with a minimum of 10 and he didn't have 1. He also can sleep anywhere; he even slept on Uncle Clay for over 1/2 hour while he was hiking up and down trails with rocks and mud.

Clay - should have been born 200 years ago. He loved every second that we were there and I'm pretty sure he didn't want to leave. It was fun to remember stories of Wallowa (SP?) Lake and other times we had been camping as kids.

Jade - will eat anything. She never complained about the camp food and even endured the burnt toast and burnt marshmellows with a smile. She is also quite the poser. She knows her Aunt Candi loves the camera and would find different places and say, "Take a picture!"

Jessie - not only endured 4 days of camping, but 4 days with my insane family - 4 days of Akes stories, crazy kids, and being bossed around by me, "Jessie, Hold Charlie...wash dishes...help with dinner...give me chapstick." Okay, so I wasn't that mean...I did say, "Please." She was wonderful and I wouldn't have been so cheerful without her - yep, she's a keeper.

Overall, I guess it was the perfect memory I was hoping for - at least for my kids sake, and now we have to go a few more times to make all the camping gadgets Aaron bought worth it.

Pray for me!

2008-07-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

(Pictures - the first one is on Charlie's 2nd b-day party; he's such a big boy. The other is of Cam at the pool; he's so funny.)

We are going camping...no, you heard me correctly; I'm going to torture myself for 3 days for the love of my children. They have informed us that we are lacking as parents because they have not been camping yet, so Aaron decided 4th of July weekend would be a great time to rectify the situation. And, oh no, there will be no drive-up cement slabs and walk-to bathrooms and showerhouses for us; my brother Clay insists on hiking at least 1/4 mile away from all human life and packing our stuff in. I'm holding fast to the blow-up mattress though - my small form of rebellion. Okay, I have to pack now. If you see no new posts by Tuesday, you might want to contact the Park Rangers in Utah :).

I am surrounded by fish!

2008-06-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

(Random picture of Father's day)

My 4 children (I have my niece Jade for the summer so she counts as mine) would live in the water if I let them. I am willing to do 2 hours at the pool a day and that is still not enough for them. We also go to the park or library both of which have free ponds/fountains/water features for kids to play in - they just keep their swim suits on all day. Oh, to be a kid again :). I'm going to Old Navy today to find more suits for everyone - including me. I imagine that when my kids are older they will look back on summer and think it smelled like sunscreen and chlorine and remember that it looked like swimsuits and towels forever hanging on my front porch to dry......I'm enjoying every minute of it :).

Summer Fun

2008-06-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Wha Who! I figured out how to add pictures! This one is from the last day of School. I'll add one of Charlie's Birthday soon.

The last week has been crazy. We've had a lot of little projects going on. Spending time at the Library, Park, Pool, and more - it seems like we are always hopping from one thing to the next.

Charlie's 2nd b-day party was on Saturday. It had a Monkey theme and it was so fun. Everyone got him Monkey stuff - from books and blankets, to toys and towels. Which is great because he loves Monkeys.

Jadey got here yesterday and Aleah couldn't be happier. We went swimming this morning with Jessie, Clay's girl-friend. After 2 hours, the kids still wanted to stay, but I was done. They are getting tan so fast. Now we are home for a bit while Char takes a nap and I do the 13 trillion loads of laundry that are waiting me and the gazzillion dishes - then it is on to the library.

Have a fabulous day! Candace :)

It is hot!

2008-06-17T12:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I wanted summer and it is now in full force. It has been high 80s and 90s for the last 4 days and the same is forcasted for the next 10. Eventhough we have no AC in our house, the kids and I are doing okay; we spend a ton of time at the park, in the water, or in airconditioned buildings like the library or Cheap Theaters. Aaron is being a big boob. He doesn't do well in the heat. But at least the basement stays in the 60s, so he has been spending much of the last week there.

Speaking of Aaron, we had our first 'running lesson' yesterday to get started on this whole 'triathalon kick' of his. He did great! We did 1/2 lap running and 1/2 lap walking. I think we got in 10 or 12 laps before he called it quits. For a first attempt it was fabulous.

Other highlights - Aleah spoke in church on Sunday for Father's day. She had to speak in front of about 200 people. She was amazing! Here talk was on Fathers and more specifically Aaron. We didn't tell him, so he was very surprised when his little girl walked to the pulpit Sunday Morning - there where lots of tears - and they weren't all mine - Aaron is really just a big softy.

Almost everyone that will be reading this knows Cam and what an 'active' child he is. We've had a lot of behavioral issues with him since birth and he's had to be on medication to calm him down for school. Since school is out and there is no reason for him to sit still in the summer, I decided to take him off of it (except for Sundays). HE HAS DONE GREAT!!! It has been almost 2 weeks and although there are rough times here and there, for the most part I am so proud of him and how he can make good choices. This is a huge success in our lives.

Charlie is almost 2! On Thursday at 1:30 p.m. He loves monkeys, so that will be the theme of his party on Saturday.

Summer is finally Here!

2008-06-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

I don't think Utah has ever seen so much rain and cold in May and June. Finally, now that we are half way through June, it hit 89 degrees and feels like summer.

It is flag day and because I have the honor of being the Webelos Cub Scout Leader, Aleah and I got up at 6:45 to go to a Flag Raising Ceremony. We were both very tired, but the military men that spoke were very inspirational. Afterward, she and I went rollerblading around the park for an hour. Aleah is getting really good at it. We did 3 miles and she didn't fall once.

Saturday is always project time around our house, so we had a busy morning and then Cam, Aleah, & I went back to the park for some water fun. The kids and I rode bikes for a while and then got wet.

I love summer!

Family summary

2008-06-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we have our ups and downs as any family but the last few weeks have been full of sucky things. But if the saying "bad things happen in 3's" is true that we should be done for a while :).

(1) I got laid off from Moduslink. I've worked there for nearly 10 years and they've been constantly downsizing for about the last 5. I really don't know how I managed to hang on this long. But on the positive side, it happened only 4 days before the kids got out of school, so it has been wonderful not to stress out about work when I want to spend so much time going places with the kids.

(2) Aaron's sister Jessica moved to NY on Tuesday. She was one of my favorite running/rollerblading/scrapbooking/hanging out at the pool people, so this summer is going to be hard without her; but she has enrolled in nursing school in NY and will finish in 1/2 the time it would have taken her in Utah, so it is much better for her and, who knows, maybe she'll move back to Utah some day.

(3) Aaron and my best-friends just told us that the military will be moving them to Italy for 4 years. Um, the upside of this is for me is extremely small. When they were stationed in Japan for 3 years I felt like I was missing an appendage. But at least we will definantly be visiting them in Italy (Japan held no interest for us). Aaron is beyond excited about all the food there. Also, they won't be leaving until next March or May, so we have a little time to adjust to the situation.

Now for the good things in our lives -

Aaron: He is 1/2 way done with his Master's Degree! We are so proud of him. He got asked to Coach Defense for the Varsity Football team and East Highschool (the school that all 3 of the Disney Highschool Musicals are filmed; in fact, they are filming #3 right now). And he is now training for his first Triathathon (Sp?).

Aleah: She just finished the 2nd grade last week and is looking forward to a summer with her cousin Jade, swimming, and sleeping in. Soccer got done last Saturday and her team crushed everyone they played; it was a little pathetic at times. She was the goally and loved it.

Cameron: He's moving on to 1st grade! We were nervous about that for a while, but he has been working hard and is beginning to read some. He has finally found a favorite sport in Wrestling and is very good at it. He is so proud of all the medals he won.

Charlie: He turns 2 next week - crazy. He's still as happy as ever. He tries to throw a fit every once in a while, but it is a sad attempt and we usually end up laughing at him. Hopefully he won't get the hang of it anytime soon. He is very into Trains, Monkeys, and reading.

Me: Clay and I finished our 2nd marathon a month ago and so I've had to focus my energy on finding something new to accomplish. So, it has changed to sorting and organizing my house. This has made Aaron very happy.

That's it for now - have a happy day!

I have no idea what I'm doing

2008-06-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Even though I have years and years worth of computer experience; the web is still a mystery to me. I still get a little overwhelmed by Instant messaging, personal profiles (like My Space), and now blogging; heck, ebay still makes me nervous. But I figured now that I have a little extra time on my hands, I could try to keep people up-to-date on how my life is going and what the kids are doing and stuff like that...enjoy the read.