Last night Josh and I were hanging out with the kids when Matty came out with the most adorable shirt. Cody got some fabric paint for his birthday and Matty found it. This was the masterpiece that she came up with. The one on the left is me and the one on the right is Josh. If you look closely Josh has a black goatee, and I am dressed like spongebob. I'm not sure where she gets her sense of fashion when it comes to dressing her creations...maybe that's what Josh and I really look like to a five year old...where smokin' hot!!!

Ward Campout

When we arrived at the campout there was another ward there and our porta-john was in their camping area, so Josh, Steve and a guy from the other ward moved it to our site. Josh was overseeing the move and he took his job seriously!!!
There was this old stump that Kayla climbed on and I had to take a picture! I think it turned out so adorable.
Matty climbed on the same stump for a picture. On the way down she got stuck and said "mom hurry and take a picture". I thought it was hilarious that she saw the humor and wanted a picture of it!
Michelle took a picture of Josh and me and I thought it looked pretty good especially for a camping picture (you know with the hair tied up and makeup worn off)
It was chilly at night so Josh and the girls snuggled up around the fire and made s'mores. I'm not sure what had more chocolate the girls tummies or their faces.

Kayla and Kyra had so much fun together on the campout! Their favorite things to do were play in the rocks and play with Bella.
These two are so cute together. There is only an 18 month age difference between these two. Matty looks so much older than Tatum (and bigger too)!
Gavin and Collin had so much fun together playing on a rope swing they found. It was over what looked like an old stream that had dried up. They kept busy for hours on it!
Cody and Connor just hung out and played guitar while we were there. There may have been a game of capture the flag at night when all of the girls from the ward got there.


This log was the perfect for a pic of all of the kids. In order from the top we have Gavin, Collin, Kayla, Kyra, Matty (and Bella), and Tatum.

Welcome Home Baby Bella!!!

As you can see Josh finally said yes (or atleast he didn't say NO) to me getting a dog and I found baby Bella. She is a precious little Morkie (Maltese and Yorkie). Last night was her first night away from her mommy and she did fantastic. She is going to the bathroom outside already, and hasn't had any accidents...yet!

We didn't tell the kids that we were getting her (who am I kidding Josh didn't even know until I called to tell him her name). I waited for Josh to come home so we could suprise the kids together. It was so fun to see there faces, it was like Christmas morning for them. They all wanted to hold her and love on her. She is so sweet and patient that she let them.

She will be WELL loved between all the kids and me (I think Josh too)!

It's Ladies Night...BUNCO!

The girls (well most of them) got together at my house for BUNCO! It is something that I look forward to each month. We eat, talk, and laugh! It is pretty much the funniest night of the month. I have some of the best girlfriends in the world, and they all have lots of hilarious stories.
Thanks girls!!!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Saturday we were able to go to the ballpark and spend time with family in a suite which was so much fun! While we were waiting for everyone to get there I took some pictures of me and the boys together, a picture with grandma, and a picture with Josh and his dad (I was such a camera hog that night!). As soon as everyone else started coming and the game began my battery died . I was so happy for the pics I got, but wish I had more!

What Vacation???

Josh and I were super busy this past weekend decorating our dining room for the new furniture. Did I mention that Josh was on vacation (some vacation huh)?!! Thanks sweetie.


I also took pictures of some of the other projects we've completed over the past few months. I absolutely love to work with wood and Josh is slowly coming around. He is always a good sport with my "Brilliant" ideas. Our next projects will be the kitchen and den...yeah!!!

Here are the pics of the dining room and my new furniture. I absolutely love it! Josh became the master of angles this past weekend so I no longer have to do all of the cutting...sorry ladies he's mine!!!This is our formal living room. I should have taken a close up, but if you look carefully you can see the details in the mantel, I made the whole thing by myself. It was a proud moment!This is Kayla and Matty's room. I love pink and brown together so this room was so fun for me! I don't do well when Josh leaves town so this was my project when he left on a three day trip. Needless to say he doesn't travel much, it costs too much money:)
Last but not least here is our master suite where we painted and did the molding (which was so stinkin' hard)!

First Day of School

Gavin trying to avoid getting his picture taken!

Matty and daddy at meet the teacher in front of the kindergarten playground.
Last night Matty said family prayers and they were hilarious. First she "blessed" that nobody would interrupt [the teacher], then she asked that she would be able to share. After she finished praying she was thrilled to tell me that she learned those rules at school. It was so adorable.
Inside Matty's classroom. Thank goodness she is not embarrassed of getting her picture taken in front of others (unlike her siblings)!!!
Kayla was so excited for the first day of school. I finally got a smile out of her for this picture, all of the other snapshots she looked very nervous.
Kayla loves to be with her friends, and they love to whisper so I can't hear what they are saying.

Here are some of our kid's friends who they attend school with. They are all great kids!

Yeah...Boo...The first day of School!!!

Can you even believe school has started already. This year has been happy and sad at the same time. Cody started high school and Matty started kindergarten this year. It is so crazy having the house to myself, I keep hearing noises (I know I am completely chicken) and have to turn the music up really loud! I am sure that I will adjust soon.

The only pic I was able to get of Gavin was him "on the run". But he had a long day and did not want his picture taken.

Utah

A Forever Family

Last week my brother and his family went through the Manti Temple and were sealed! We were able to go to Utah for this special occasion. We went through a session then witnessed the sealing. It was one of the most special times of my life!!!

After the temple some of the family went to JB's to enjoy a late night dinner. Two great grandma's were there along with Grandma and Grandpa M., Lisa, Justin, Mistie, Kaylee, Cody, Gavin, Kayla, Matty, Mason, Tanner, Wade, Tessa, Laura, and me! We were all so tired but we still had a great time!

When we got to Richfield the girls (Katie, Matty, Kayla, and Ashton) had a "Hannah Montana" movie party in their pj's.






Cedar City was so much fun! We spent the days talking and the nights playing games with everyone. The boys skateboarded most of the day away and the girls stayed at grandpa and grandma's house to play with their tiny doggies. We were so sad when it was time to leave, but we will be back sometime soon (we hope)!

Last friday Josh and I stayed at a resort in Phoenix for the night (thanks mom and dad and Lori for watching the kids)! We stayed out late and came back to the room and just hung out. About midnight we decided we were hungry so we ordered a pizza. Sitting there eating pizza in the middle of the night reminded us of the "good ole' days" when we had date nights at home (because we couldn't afford a sitter). It was so fun. We slept in the next morning, had a breakfast at the pool, swam, and read a good book. We left the pool in the early afternoon, went to the bookstore, then enjoyed a great lunch at Black Angus. It was just what we needed after a long work week!!!

My brother and his family are all going to the temple to be sealed together next month. We are so excited we can hardly wait!!!Last week I was able to make a dress for my niece. Anyone who knows me knows that I do not sew much, but I had so much fun making her dress. I didn't have a pattern for most of it, so I was pretty excited for how cute it turned out. But don't look too hard, it is the first dress that I have ever made!!! When Josh was gone a few of the girls got together and we had a swim day at Michelles house. Leila and I are not in the picture but we were definately there having a great time!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY and WELCOME HOME

Yeah...Josh came home last night! He has been on a business trip since Sunday, and we missed him so much. The kids wanted to do something special for him so they made a banner then stood in the driveway until he arrived. Josh was so happy with the greeting and to see his family again. We love you and are so happy that you are home.

We have had such a busy week with Josh being out of town. Yesterday we had friends over for each of the kids. Kayla, Matty, and Becca watched Alvin and the Chipmunks and the boys played video games. It is hilarious watching them play "Rock Band". Notice Gavin on the side trying to keep up with the lyrics. Cody and Hayden love playing "Skate" as much as they can.


Today we went to the dentist and eye doctors for Cody and Matty. Cody wouldn't want me to post a picture of him getting his teeth fixed, or his new contacts, so I didn't even bring the camera. Matty on the other hand LOVES the camera so I got some cute pics of her with her new glasses. Kayla did not want her picture taken in her new glasses because she's "EMBARRASSED

Another FABULOUS 4th in the valley of the sun!!! We were unable to go out of town this year, so we made the best out of staying home. Josh took off a couple of extra days to play with the family. We spent all day Thursday at Amazing Jakes, where the kids had a BLAST! On Friday we went to breakfast at Village Inn and spent the rest of the day at grandma and grandpa's house having a barbeque and just hanging out.