Sunny Kids

I am so grateful for my sunny kids on snowy Fall days, like today.  I have never been to fond of cold weather, but as I get older I become more and more intolerant of the dirtier air, shorter days, and claustrophobia that Winter brings!  I was working in the office with the door closed this evening, and Rowen popped his head in the door and with a smile in his voice he said "Mom, when you open the door you will see a surprise."  Makaylee shouted "Mom, he has been working on it forever!"  I opened the office door to find this cute little sunny surprise on the cold tile.  It made my night!

Happy Halloween 2013!

Frightmares! Lagoon 2013

We had such a great time at Frightmares @ Lagoon this year!  Our kids ages are so much fun right now!  They are big enough that there are no nap breaks to worry about, we don't have to pack diaper bags, and they can go more than one or two hours without needing to stop for potty or snack breaks!  And yet, they are young enough that they still know how to have fun, and are not embarrassed to get excited about things.  Here are some pics of the fun day.

Antelope Island

An Irish friend of mine was casually talking about Antelope Island one day, I interrupted and said "I have never been to Antelope Island."  He said "You have lived in Utah your WHOLE life and you've never been to Antelope Island?"  That naturally got me thinking that I need to fix my Antelope Island Ignorance.  When I got home I discovered that Terrill had never been to Antelope Island either!  So on Labor day we decided to take a day trip.  It is a long drive- and there are some smelly bits, especially on the causeway... but it was truly a fun day!  The views are breathtaking, the Bison are HUGE, and the kids smiles were even bigger.  The beach is a little buggy (seriously, what are those bugs? )  Makaylee made a sport of running through them and watching them swarm up in circles around her legs (gross!)  My germ-o-phobia was in full swing, "Don't touch that mouse, you could get the bubonic plague (hey, it has made a comeback!)  "Don't put your hands in your mouth after you touched that water!", "Watch out for that Bison Pie!"  Terry had to bring me down a few times, but we all survived.  I think we may even go back again sometime soon, and this time we will bring our swim suits and see if we really float!

The Leonardo

Have you ever been to The Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City?  It is awesome!  Tons of stuff to keep adults and children entertained for hours.  We could have spent half the day there!

Making Marshmallow Shooters

Making awesome paper airplanes

Turning into Meteorologists

Cupcakes Heal all Wounds

Aleeya was sad that she couldn't participate in a big-kid activity today that her older siblings went too.  I was having kind of a blue day myself, so we picked ourselves up and headed off to the store for a little treat.  A few bites into her cupcake Aleeya sighed. . . "I feel better now. . . Mommy, if I am sad again tomorrow can I have another cupcake?!"

A Hole in My Heart

There is a hole in my heart where my blog used to be.  I gave up blogging a year ago, and it has saddened me ever since.  While I know I have probably lost all my readers due to my inactivity, and  the change in my domain name (used to be www.losandersons.blogspot.com), I am going to start blogging again for me and my little family.  I am not much of a journal keeper, so this is about all I use to document my thoughts, memories, and pictures about these short precious years.  I always think I am going to remember the funny, silly, sometimes sad things about my day to day life but seldom do. 

Watch for back posts. . . lots and lots of back posts!

"None of us will be on earth very long.  We have a number of precious years which, in the eternal perspective barely amount to the blink of an eye.... When we are young, it seems that we will live forever.  We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.  However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is.  We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly."  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Aleeya and Grandma "B"

First Day of School 2013!

Makaylee: 4th Grade

"That was the best first day of school ever!"

Rowen: 1st Grade

"My favorite part was recess, and lunch... I didn't really even have an un-favorite part!"

Aleeya: Preschool

"We made sparkly dragonflies, and I got to see Claire... but I didn't get to play with her because we were too busy."

School Clothes Fashion Show 2013

The tradition still lives!  Here are photos from the kids school clothes fashion show for 2013.  The kids love this tradition (& attention) as much as the Grandma's do.  Before they were even done changing into their last outfit they were asking "When do we get to do this again, Mom?" 

Meet the Ladies. . .

I know it's a little weird, and totally out of character. . . But we adopted 4 Hens!
Back story. . .  I've always been a bird kind of girl- mostly because I am allergic to every animal with fur!  Rowen recently had allergy testing done with the same results!  The kids have been begging for an animal, and we thought a pet might help ease the moving transition.  And, since I am kind of tired of ER visits for Rowens asthma, fur was definately out of the picture.  What choices are left really, besides scales and feathers?  Scales are out because I have always found fish and reptiles totally creepy!  So, if you are going to buy a bird, why not buy a bird that gives back, right?  We are expecting to get about 20 fresh, antibiotic & hormone free eggs a week from these lovely birdies!  The best part is that the kids love them like pets! 

So, we took the kiddos to my friends barn, and they each got to choose (and chase down) their very own chicken.  (And of course they got to name them whatever they wanted.)

Getting their food and water ready!
Chickens in a box (now the hard part. . . how do you get them from the box to the pen?!)

 It is a lot harder than it looks to grab them!

Meet: Princess  (Aleeya's Hen)

Meet: Lilly (Makaylee's Hen)

Meet: Scratch (My Hen- that Terry get's to take care of :)

 Meet: Carson (Rowens Hen, but DO NOT TELL HIM IT'S NOT A BOY!)

How cute is that? They are so sweet, they let you hold them and they eat right out of the kids hands! 

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We've Finally Moved!

It took a lot of time and a lot of work, but we are finally moved into our new home!

Hooray!

We miss our friends. . . but we absolutely love our new home, neighborhood, and neighbors!

After a long, hard, and hot July moving day, Terry told me that if I ever plan on moving again, it will have to be without him! :)

The kids are settling in and meeting new friends, and I am keeping busy with organizing and decorating (the latter happens to be one of my fave hobbies.)  I'll post more pics after things are decorated sufficiently.

Happy Birthday Rowen!

Rowen is 5 years old!

He chose to have a Spiderman Party and we had a few of his friends over for some pizza, games, cake, and tons of fun! It was his first "Friend Party" and he was not disappointed!

 

1 Month Left!

 

The Sheet Rock is in!