It'S a ZoO aRouNd HerE!!

Momma bear speaking... sometimes I seriously feel like one. But I guess that's just the beginning of the tour of our zoo.

First off we have our genuine, one and only Cami-leon Spider Monkey. She climbs on, up, and around everything. I am constantly trying to keep her safe and sound on the ground. At the same time she has this calm and gentile nature that makes you just fall in love with her and calms the home. She's sincerely beautiful inside and out.





Second is our unforgetable and adorable Snuggly Bunny Alex-ator. This strong willed, cuddly, gentleman of mine knows how to bring out all sorts of emotions when caring for him. :) He knows how to put up a fight, make you laugh until you cry, and touch your heart by his sincere affection. Life wouldn't be the same without this little man of mine.

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Lastly but not least, here is my Baby Bear Carson cub. He is constantly smiling, he'll let you know when he's hungry, and is very playful. And now that he's getting teeth, he has quite the bite! This crazy, cute cub makes the little things in life exciting.

Life has been a zoo, and I've been trying to keep up with it. I thank God for these perfect little, 'animals' of mine. :) (P.S. We got to go on a quick trip to the Portland zoo last weekend... so we really did get to enjoy seeing quite a few real, wild animals recently.)

(A poem from Momma Bear... this was given to me through email... I'd like to share it with you.)

I Want To Be A Bear

In my next life I want to be a bear.

If you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months.

I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid.

I could deal with that, too.

If you're a bear, you give birth to your children (who only weigh half a pound) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute cuddly cubs.

I could definitely deal with that.

If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too.

I could deal with that.

If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat. He KNOWS not to get between you and the food.

Yup... Gonna be a bear.

HFD!

Cami: "I love it when my daddy will wrestle and play with me!"
Alex: "I love it when daddy wrestles and plays with me too!"
Cami: "You know what's another thing I like about daddy? When he gives me hugs."
Alex: "I like it when daddy comes home."
Carson: "Woosheee Gaga! Dadadadada!" Translation: "I like it when daddy changes my diaper... it makes momma soooooo happy!"

Happy Father's Day Babes.... they just think the world of you.

Birthday Bash!

My neice Alizabeth Tate, (she goes by Tate), just had her 6th B-Day! I was asked to help take pictures of the event as the parents helped party. :) Of course!

Cami, Tate, and Kate making a pyramid on top of Jeremy and my brother Ezra. Smiling on the way up and.....

.......on the way down. :)


Now here's a cute couple... McKenzie May (the birthday girl's little sister) is always at Grandpa's side. He'll do just about anything for his grandkids...

........even chug down pool water. Dad you're such a fun Grandpa!

Now how could I NOT take a picture of this cute little girl, just chilln' by the side of the pool with her adorable messy pigtails. You're a cute one little Brookie!

We should have tried to add another little one on top!

Once Alex saw the spiderman stuff.... he never parted from them.

Cute smile EZ. :)

You can count on mom jumping in the pool with all the grandkids! I should have gotten a pic with everyone at the slide, because she was there catching every single one of them for a good hour!

ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The SurFer BabEs!!

Tate, we love you and sure hope you had a fun birthday!! Thanks for inviting us all!

Each Day Is a New Adventure!

Life is full of unexpected moments, sometimes fun and sometimes trialsome. But as for these last few days I can gratefully say, IT's Been a Blast! Over the weekend we all drove to Seattle to do, well... alot of things actually. First we met up with Grandma Ellie and Aunt Launa to spend the weekend together. We went to Pike's Market Saturday morning and enjoyed all the excitement that goes on there. There's too much to describe, but it is definitely a recommended stop for anyone that is a Saturday's Market lover. :) But the kids sure enjoyed the 'Kid's Zone' that was featured there.

1. First, Grandma Ellie helping the kids plant their own seeds in a cup. ;)

2. Then we let the kids make their own pig snouts. Carson (pic at top of blog) is demonstrating how cute it looks. I was impressed he didn't try ripping it off. He just sat there and smiled! :)

3. After that Launa and Jeremy took the kids to make their very first ZUCHINNI CARS! I had to go feed Carson, and Gail came with me as my buddy (Thanks for coming with me Gail). Apparently there was a race and Alex's car won! Way to go Bud!

At the end of the street we all got a pic of everyone by the waterfront.

4. Then we loaded the van with everyone and drove to Tacoma to watch my sister compete in the pole vault at State. (Thanks to everyone that came to support her!) She won! She won at 11' 9''. Her personal record is 12'5'', and we are just so proud of her! It's the second year in a row that she's won state. Way to go Jess!! (This is a pic of us just a week before. Yes... she is much taller than I... she likes to call me 'Shorty'. ;O])

5. When that was all said and done, we got a bite to eat at Chili's and headed off to the movie theatre. There we got to enjoy our very first 3-D movie! We went to the movie 'UP'. If I could rate that movie, I would rate it 'E' for Everyone!! I just loved it. It's one of my favorite animated movies now. After the show, Gail and Launa took a family pic of us with our stylish 3-D glasses. :)

6. After that Gail and Launa took the 2 older kids for the rest of the night! (Thank you so much guys!!!) Then Jeremy and I got to spend some time celebrating our 7th year anniversary. It seems like it's gone so fast, sometimes too fast. But through it all, all I have to say is... he was the BEST decision I have ever made. I love you Jeremy!

7. After spending just alittle more time with Gail and Launa, we finally headed home on Sunday. It was a blast being with them! Love you guys!

8. Then on Monday evening we went and celebrated my sister-in-law's 29th Bday! She requested the Red Robin's famous Mud Pie for her birthday cake. Great choice Haley!

9. On Tuesday we had some cousin time! Josh and Amy, Jeremy's brother, came down for a visit. Their two little girls are adorable and with such fun characters! Thanks for hanging with us guys! Amy calls Kayli's little ponytails her 'antennas'. :) To have Kayli and Dakota around was such a treat!

All in all this weekend was full, and full of fun. Life happens so fast, which makes capturing these moments priceless.

Is it Summer Yet?

YOU BET!!

The weather is warm and the water is inviting. This last weekend we spent some time at my parents house swimming, eating, and hanging out. :) Below are some pics... I'm alittle frustrated with myself I must admit. I never bring the camera out in time... we had alot of family there and I missed many perfect picture moments with cousins and other family members. That's what I get for swimming so much myself. :)

Jeremy was taking Alex, lily pad and all, and tossing him in the air as high as he could. I wasn't sure if Alex would like it, but he didn't want Jeremy to stop.


Cami, very briefly, stopped for me to smile. Let me tell you, she was on the go! Swimming, running, playing, swimming... she hardly took time to eat. When it was time to go home she was really hungry.


He's sitting up! I had to document this milestone of his. Carson loves to water as most kids do, but he was more fascinated with the reflections the water made then the water itself.

This is my goodlooking brother Zack and his dog Cash. While hanging by the pool Cash decided, (or maybe it was Zack), to take a dip and try out the water thing.

Not bad, eh Cash? :)

By the end of the day, it was just my kids, Jeremy, Kori (Zack's wife), her 2 kids, and Dad that were relaxing the water. Swimming is unquestionable fun, but having family around makes it even better.

You Can Camp Anywhere

Friday night I had a girl's night out in celebration of one of my friend's birthday. (Thanks Ash for having a birthday, that was alot of fun! :O]) So Jeremy decided to have a father-kid campout in the backyard. They had a blast... so I heard. :) There's a fire pit in the back, so they roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, told stories, stayed up late and had a really good time. It was so cute to see them all in the tent the next day, I had to take pictures. In the morning Jeremy started up another fire and made them pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Who knows if they will remember these things, but I hope they always remember how much their daddy loves them.

To All Those Mothers Out There

"Your success as a family... our success as a nation... depends not on what happens inside the White House, but on what happens inside YOUR HOUSE." - Barbara Bush

"...yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." - Alma 56:47-48

"Mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island." - Elder Holland

"It's no wonder that Satan has declared war on motherhood. He knows that those who rock the cradle can rock his earthly empire. And he knows that without righteous mothers loving and leading the next generation, the kingdom of God will fail. When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of women's most sacred role." - Sheri L. Dew

I read these quotes today that our Relief Society put together for us. I was touched, empowered, and uplifted to take on the role I have as a mother. It's not easy, but down right worth it... especially when it means taking care of one of these cute, little hoolagens. :)

Hot Hubby of the Month****

I know it's Mother's Day and all but I just had to nominate my husband for Hot Hubby of the Month! Over Mother's Day weekend he has been lavishing me with sweet service, gifts, affection, and fun activities. I must be a good mom, huh! (LOL... j'k). On Friday night he surprised me with a fun date night. He bought me the movie "Princess Bride"... which I hadn't seen all the way through yet, (surprising, I know). AND brought home tons of movie goodies and made me the MOST delicious chocolate dipped strawberries I have ever had. He sure made it a fun night. :)

Then on Saturday we went over to my parents house and celebrated Mother's Day with my mom. Jeremy and the guys helped make the day quite enjoyable for the wives. But this blog wouldn't be complete without me saying how much I love my mother.

I just have to say this:

*She makes the best cinnamon rolls... you don't even need frosting for them.

*Her laugh is down right contagious, 'cause once she's laughing we all are.

*She has the most BEAUTIFUL blue eyes I've ever seen.

*When she sings I always want to start singing with her.

*She always makes time for me, no matter how darn busy she is.

I adore her, love her, and thank my Heavenly Father for this beautiful mother of mine.

(This is my mom. This was taken a few years ago... and it obviously doesn't do her blue eyes justice.)

And can I just say this too... I also have the BEST mother-in-law anyone could ask for! And not many people usually say things like that about their in-laws, but I sincerely have the best. She has been so sweet, loving, welcoming, giving, and down right inspiring since the day I met her. (I love you Gail, and I hope you know that!)

Back to my hot hubby... this morning he and Cami served me breakfast in bed, which is always enjoyable... I even got to sleep in 'til 9! They also brought presents, which included chocolate and a new camera! Jeremy says the camera is from the kids. :) All day long my kids kept showering me with love and affection. When Jeremy got home from church he made dinner. Now just to let you know, when Jeremy cooks... it's always amazing. It's not just amazing though, is gourmet and usually looks so beautiful you don't want to eat it. He doesnt' just slop whatever on the table, (like I do), he goes all out! We had homemade pizza for dinner, and it was deeeeelectable!

I love this man of mine. Thank you so much Jeremy, Cami, Alex, Carson and all those who made this weekend so special.

****P.S. The answer from the last blog is........ she's 10 yrs old. I made a fool of myself when I asked how old she was because I didn't believe her and kept demanding her to tell me what her real age was. She was such a sweetie to me and my kids.

PaSt + PreSenT + FutUre = MemOry LaNe

This last weekend I got to return to good ol' Rexburg, ID. It brought back so many memories and feelings. In Rexburg, my life changed. I.....

1. Called to order pizza for the first time by myself. (Pathetic, I know)

2. Learned how to drive a stick shift... compliments to my roommate Anna and her awesome GEO METRO!! :)

3. Found my love for running and exercising.

4. Found the love of my life! (Picture of us from a couple of years ago up above)

5. Met some of the neatest people that I will NEVER forget.

6. Had my very first job. (Outside of working for my dad)

7. Gained an enormous understanding of my Savior's love for me.

8. Learned to overcome some of my shyness and gained some self confidence.

9. Found my love for science, health, and just studying.

10. Found out that sleeping in the back of a U-Haul with my hubby for a couple of days, because our apartment wasn't quite ready, isn't so bad! :)

11. Found me... who I wanted to be and what life is really about.

It was the most important time in my life for me and I am forever grateful for it.

Now the reason I was up there this last weekend was because my little brother was blessing his first baby. William James Christian. He looks just like his dad. (And I wish SO BADLY that I could have gone to see my other nephew, Colton, that was just blessed in Missouri... time and money wouldn't allow... He's a cutie though Shelly!!! I saw the pics mom and dad took. He's a perfect mix of both Logan and Mason. Cutie!)

It was fun to watch my little brother and sweet wife take care of their first child. They are such sweet parents and are finding that having a baby is a sweet mix of adjustment and enjoyment. :)

After eating and talking to company we had a little photo shoot. Crystal knitted Williams baby blessing blanket, and did a beautiful job. And she's going to teach me how to knit when she and Tyler come down! I'm so excited because I need to be more crafty and find more outlets for myself. We had a wonderful time. (Thank you mom and dad for giving me and the kids a ride!)

Now as for the future, I've decided where my ultimate dream vacation will be someday... New Zealand! While visiting in Rexburg, I met a recent addition to Crystal's family, and they are from New Zealand. They were a pleasant family and my ears were locked to their conversations about their homeland. It sounds beautiful! Hopefully some day we'll be able to visit the place.

Just for kicks... this is one of Crystal's cousin from New Zealand... how old do you think she is?