kessler krew

Welcome 2012

2012-01-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

The past 7 months...

Franklin turned 2. Moab, Bear Lake, St. George trips. I turned 31. Trevor & Kelsey got married. Avaree started 1st grade, turned 7, lost lots of teeth, chopped her hair. Weston 2nd year prek, turned 5, rides a 2 wheeler. Baylee moved out to the dorms @ BYU, elementary ed major, turned 19. Griffin is a JR, dating, working at Zupa's, turned 17. Summer. Fall. Winter. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Soccer. Gymnastics. Puppies. Horny Toads. Brady & Ligia are expecting. Lots of prayers for Jason. Drs appointments. Trial stimulator. Coping with chronic back pain. Lasik eye surgery for me. Work. Church. Family. Friends. Life. I might be forgetting something but I am going to catch up and document it all! Cheers to the New Year!

swimming

2011-08-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

our community pool finally opened this summer!! we went every possible afternoon we could. it was so convienent... just down the street, didn't cost money (other than homeowners), there was always a friend there, we knew the lifeguards, my kids could buy their own sno cones, etc. my kids LOVE the water. we'd go to swim lessons in the morning and then to the pool in the afternoon. It made for a GREAT summer!

mommy.daughter date

2011-08-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

build-a-bear, shopping, cheesecake factory, & sephora with our besties. avaree & maren scored & got in the same 1st grade class!

arts & crafts in the park

2011-08-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Av & West took an arts & crafts in the park class. We went once a week during the summer. Weston didn't want to go the first week but quickly snapped out of it and looked forward to it . Avaree is my little artist. I knew she would enjoy it. I loved all their projects. I displayed their masks for Halloween.

swim lessons

2011-08-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

My aunt has a swim school. She has taught lessons for over 30 years. I took lessons from her when I was little. I had Avaree and Weston take 2 sessions this year. They LOVED it. They love the water and improved a ton. It brought back a lot of memories. It's crazy they are learning the exact same way I did. Recognize Baylee? She has helped teach lessons for the past 3 summers. Avaree got to be in her class. Avaree's favorite stroke is the back stroke and she was swimming the length of the pool. Weston is swimming great too and had a hard time staying on the stairs when it wasn't his turn! Thanks Aunt Raylene, Keri, Natalie, and Baylee for being the best swim teachers around.

family hike

2011-08-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

this bum never came clean all the way.

beautiful utah.

so good for my kids to explore outside!

badmitten

2011-08-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

the conspiring winners

griff filled in for absent husbands

badmitten is rad.

especially with these friends.

team names, uniforms, trophies.

James' won.

i sucked. (that's okay)

love summer nights.

brothers 2

2011-08-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

clean boys in white, passing time, waiting for church to start.i couldn't resist a picture but don't let the pictures fool you... i'm pretty sure it ended in a fight. the moment was cute while it lasted and they sure smelled good with those bare legs lathered up in Baby Magic!

the pink scooter

2011-08-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

good thing our neighbor owns one of these and shares on occasion because we will never own one. my kids are way too fearless. they looked pretty cute cruisin around though.

more babies

2011-08-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

janet was in town so we got together to celebrate that her and fran both have baby girls on the way!!

the wedding

2011-08-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

waiting on the temple grounds for the newlyweds

gorgeous dress

my familia

the luncheon was at sugar house park.

when we first arrived, we were changing our clothes and we lost weston in that huge park. he saw some geese and ducks that he wondered off to find. it was scary and super hot in the middle of the day in the middle of summer!

bye bye balloon

at the reception

ice cream bar

it was a great wedding.

kelsey did a good job and was a beautiful bride.

i'm happy for my little bro.

i love these days because if there is a day that my mom might be present, it would be a day like today.

brothers

2011-08-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

my birth.day

2011-07-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

the day before i celebrated with katherine & jen. we went to lunch at paradise, shopping at nordstrom's rack, home for a bit & then back out that night for pedicures, dinner, & more shopping at Target! katherine's the gal to shop with. she has great taste.

the actual morning, i started the day out with my morning work out. we walked almost every morning of the summer! picture taken by 4 yr old caroline.

then off to brunch at Grand America for another bridal shower for kelsey.

avaree had to go pee in this picture. can you tell?

snoasis

splash park

jason arranged these flowers for me!!

they were all from our yard except for the yellow roses.

so cute.

my dear aunties gave me a yummy chocolate cake!

Jason took me out for dinner and a movie.

the next day I celebrated with my brothers and their wives. thanks for the cake, Ligia!

it was a great birthday. one of my best. deserving of 31 years.

sparklers & bubbles

2011-07-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

fun family night.

twenty-fourth @ bear lake

2011-07-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

bear lake. boating. 4 wheeling. raspberry shakes everyday & cinnamon rolls. again.

bridal shower for kelsey

2011-07-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

thanks to my aunt deanne and michelle for helping me pull this shower off!

the food was delish.

it was so good to see my aunt nada!

it had been 3 years...

she just returned from serving as a mission president in the Philippines!

Hatch side of the family.

4 of my mom's sisters.

i always love seeing these ladies!

i can only imagine what it would be like if my mom were still with us!

Kerr side

my assistant party planner

Kelsey and her mom.

Less than 3 weeks and Kels is officially part of the fam!!

frankie's 2nd birthday

2011-07-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

The big 2 called for a big celebration! We barbecued with family. Ate homemade potato salad and chocolate cupcakes. Watched Frankie blow out candles, eat cake, and open presents. I planned the bbq in the late afternoon so that he could get an early nap in but it didn't work out that way. He never fell asleep so he was tired for the party and ended up going down before everyone left. He still looked amazing in his hat and 2 year old shirt (fyi... 6 months later he pulled the yarn stitching out of the 2)! Franklin is such a joy! He is a little calmer than his siblings and I'm grateful for that. We'll see what the terrible two's bring us but so far there is nothing terrible about my boy! We love you Franklin Allan!! Happy Birthday!

draper days rodeo

2011-07-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

simon, jackie, katherine & jim

it was simon's first rodeo!
jason was a trooper (not the best seating for a bad back).

fourth @ bear lake

2011-07-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Jason's parents have a condo in Bear Lake so we went for the 4th of July weekend. We tented it in the yard. Barbecued. Exercised. Played in the sandbox. Spent 2 days boating. Caught fish. Watched movies. Made birthday cards for Uncle Brandon. Ate raspberry shakes everyday. Cinnamon rolls. Went to town with Susan. Laughed really hard. Shopped boutiques. Baylee got hit on by a creeper. Laughed really hard some more. Picture overload again. Went home with tired kids. Happy Fourth of July.

final day

2011-06-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

Our last day we hit town for some souvenir shopping. Bought awesome matching tie dye sweatshirts. Did one last hike. It was a great, refreshing trip! So comfortable, so fun. I'll never forget it. Love my hot mama hiker friends!

moab- day 2

2011-06-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Day 2. Bought water shoes. Hiking, hiking, hiking. Picture overload. Perfect weather. Tom guide. Katherine's cell phone lost in the water. What happens in Moab stays in Moab.

delicate arches

2011-06-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

katherine, jen, and i

Jen has a condo in Moab and invited Kat and I along for a last minute, much needed girls trip! Jen has 5 kids including 2 yr old twins, Katherine has 4 kids, and I have 5 or 3 (something like that). It's rare for us all to be able to get away. We hiked and hiked and hiked and talked and laughed and ate and hiked for 2 days. It was my first time hiking in Moab. It was amazing. I need to go back with Jason. He'd love it. Our first hike it poured down rain on us. We felt like kids again playing in the rain!

summer time is here

2011-06-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

james and weston are best friends! weston is a whole year older but these two love each other!

this baby horse bit weston's shirt and played tug a war with him. it was kind of scary. weston was still brave enough to pet him while holding his shirt back.

milking a cow

friends. popsicles. parks. sno asis. animal farm. splash parks. cowabunga bay. swimming. sunshine. busy. fun. tired. my favorite time of year.

2 wheeler

2011-06-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

i don't think she could have been more ready... we were all out doing yard work and uncle wes was over so he took off avaree's training wheels for us and away she went! i literally looked over and she was riding her bike! she is loving it and now asks to ride her bike daily.

she also lost her other front tooth, finally! it was loose for months and she was constantly wiggling it so i was glad to see that tooth go. she accidentally dropped it in the grass. the tooth fairy still came just a couple days late... that tooth fairy can be forgetful.

sports class/ toe injury

2011-06-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

this was our third and final sports class at the little gym. weston has loved it! he has quickly figured out, "that preschool is boring and hockey is fun." uh oh, i have a feeling school is going to be harder for him than avaree. he asked daily if it was "wednesday, hockey day?" weston is not shy at all but he was being kind of shy on graduation which surprised his teachers! for graduation all the parents come in and line up to watch as each child shows off their skills and the parents clap and cheer. well frankie made a run for the "stage" and as i was chasing after him i stubbed my toe on the leg of a little balance beam and it dropped me in front of everyone! the whole audience, oohed and aahed for me. it was awful not from the embarrassment but the pain. i really think i fractured my toe. it's been weeks and i'm still in pain. i could hardly walk the first week after. what a sad way to start summer! the day it happened we came home, i put franklin down for a nap and put on a movie since i couldn't do anything else. we watched a newer version of "where the red fern grows" and weston bawled his eyes out over the dogs dying. he was so sad, it made me cry. i wish i had it on tape for jason to see. he could not even catch his breath in between sobs. he is such a tender boy when it comes to animals! i love you west.

blue nightmares

2011-06-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

the team chose the name blue nightmares. it was a cold season. i think we are going to try fall this year and see if it is warmer. it is so much more enjoyable when you aren't freezing! i don't think the team won a game but they improved a lot and that is what it is about, right?! her coach had a lot of patience and held practice weekly- rain, wind or shine. avaree has become a good little player. she is fast and aggressive when she wants to be. goalie is her favorite position. the only game i missed (because i was at baylee's softball banquet) she scored 4 goals!! her only 4 goals might i add! i'm still bummed i missed it! weston can't wait until he can start. i am not sure if i want to commit to being a competitive soccer mom though?? it's intense. i guess i'll wait and see if it's something they really want to do but for now we are having fun!

grandma's birthday

2011-06-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

my sweet grandma turned 81. she lost her husband last month at the age of 97. she happily cared for him for many years in his old age. she is always thinking of others and has an amazing legacy... over 50 grandkids and 40 great grand kids! we celebrated her by having a picnic and parade. the great grand kids showered her with homemade gifts and flowers. it was a beautiful day.

p.s. keri- you need to get more cupcakes for our next outing! i am craving them especially after seeing these pictures!

dance festival

2011-06-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

avaree's school puts on a dance festival at the end of the year. it was cute. i'm sad to see kindergarten come to an end. the other night i was putting her to bed and telling her about all the exciting things she is doing the last week of school and her eyes filled up with tears and she said, "but i'm going to miss mrs. mccartney!" it was so sweet and sincere. i know exactly how she felt because i feel the same way! we've had such a positive year with a great teacher and class!! i'm keeping my fingers crossed that we have the same experience next year.

baylee the graduate

2011-06-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

the gold chords represented high honor roll. my mom would be proud. i know we couldn't be prouder. it feels good to be to this point. we celebrated with a barbeque. we've been so blessed to have baylee in our family! bay, bay i hope you know how much you are loved. thanks for being you!

softball star

2011-06-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

baylee had a great softball season even though every game but 2 was cold!

some of the highlights include~

being team captian, being awarded academic all state (only 9 girls in the state were awarded this and your gpa had to be at least a 3.9), starting centerfield, batting 2nd as a lefty, running the bases super fast (she is super fast), throwing girls out at home, stealing a home run, making a double play in a play off game to put her team into overtime, and mostly playing with some of her best friends! baylee is going to room at byu with the tall pretty blonde, allyse. i am going to miss these games and these girls. i can't believe it's all coming to an end! i might have some free time next year?? wishful thinking...

seven years

2011-05-31T21:27:00.000-07:00

"She will always be with you if you remember what she taught you." Land Before Time

My mother and my grandparents have been the most influential people in my life by far. I hold their teachings, examples, and memories dear. I miss them. Lately I've missed my Mom the most during the happy times. I loved sharing everyday life with her and there are so many things I wish I could share with her now. I know she is there and aware of us. I just really miss her and think of her always! Thank goodness for the plan of salvation.

memorial day tradition

2011-05-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

my mom passed away on memorial day seven years ago. since then we have made it a tradition to go burley, idaho as a family to view cemetary where she was buried. this year was a quick trip. all of my siblings came! jake and angela just moved back from nebraska (angela just graduated from dental school, go ang!). we stayed a night at the fairfield inn, kids swam, adults stayed up late playing rummikub, we had lunch with my cousins' family (thanks lana!), and visited the cemetary. it was cold. the wind was bitter. i still love being there. i love remembering her. i love telling my children about her. whenever we hear the song, "somewhere over the rainbow" we think of her. we listened to that song a lot the summer after she passed and we listen to it every year on our trip to burley. on our way home it was very fitting that we saw a lot of rainbows...

suncrest pool grand opening

2011-05-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

we've lived in suncrest for seven years and we are finally getting our pool! yay! the grand opening was a big, freezing cold party! we can't wait to spend the warm summer days at the pool just down the street from us...

seminary graduation

2011-05-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

baylee spoke at her seminary graduation in front of hundreds. the theme was moving forward with faith. she is a great example to many of this. her talk was perfect... powerful, mature, spiritual, & uplifting. i've had a lot of proud moments over the years, but this one is at the top of the list. (reminder~ ask baylee to write my future talks). she ended her talk with a quote by President Monson,"fear not, be of good cheer, for the future is as bright as your faith!"

the kids and i

2011-05-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

my weekend with the kids consisted of cleaning house, finding fossils at the dinosaur museum, dinner at a friends (thanks fran!), picnic at wheeler farm with a bouncy slide bonus, smoothies, a late night watching a movie in my bed, church, & family dinner! i love these kids with all my heart even though i'm exhausted by days end.

date night

2011-05-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

jason and i try to have a weekly date night, usually dinner and a movie. we are spoiled to have the best babysitters in the world! i missed my hot date this weekend. he is in lake mead with the boys. i'm glad he is having fun in the sun. i've had a fun weekend with the kids but i really do miss you, jas!! i love that you are always my hot date! (sorry for the cheese)

mother's day

2011-05-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

griffin spoke in church on mother's day (last minute).

unfortunately, jason and i already had our getaway planned and we weren't back in time to hear it. i was really, really sad to miss it. i heard from several that he was their favorite speaker. he spoke on 3 qualities that my mom taught him. the first being love. he shared a story about one easter, he fell asleep watching a movie and i took him down to his bed. when he woke up in the morning, we thought he had pooped the bed. he was covered in brown stuff. my mom loved him so much she was willing to smell the sheets only to find out that it was chocolate. i had laid him down on easter candy that had melted and smeared everywhere. we had a good laugh. my mom had a lot of patience and love for her children. the second being example. he shared the story of my mom going to church even though she had sores on her feet from a reaction to chemo and couldn't wear shoes. she always stood up for what she believed and taught us the importance of keeping the commandments. the third being positive attitude. he told about the time when he and baylee came home from school and my mom had shaved her head (due to losing her hair from treatment). he remembers being a little horrified when they saw her and she just laughed at their reaction. i know that losing her hair wasn't an easy thing for her but she always had a positive attitude. always.

i'm grateful for the memories we have of her and her example of motherhood. being a mom is not easy (speaking from experience) but it was for her. when i came home from park city, i was showered with homemade gifts and notes from the children in my life. i feel so blessed. i'm working on being a more patient mother. thanks to griffin for his sincere talk that helped so many others get a glimpse of the kind of my mother my mom was. Happy belated Mother's day to you!

eleven years

2011-05-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

jason and i had a fabulous weekend celebrating our 11 year wedding anniversary. one advantage to getting married on may 6th is it is during park city's off season so we got an amazing rate at the st. regis hotel in deer valley. the hotel was spectacular. you have to take a tram ride to get there. the furnishings and details were exquisite. they even had a t.v. in the bathroom mirror! it was surprisingly warm enough to lay by the pool one day. it was crazy to be out swimming while looking at the view of snowy mountains. it felt like we were the only ones at the hotel. we dined like rock stars- butchers chop house, ruth chris, and delicious room service! we got manis & pedis, went to the movies, shopped, napped, & talked. the two of us together can talk! it was fun reflecting on the past 11 years- good and bad. it's been eventful and i'm excited to see what the future has in store for us. i love you jas! i can't imagine my life without you! it was a happy anniversary!

the kindy 500

2011-05-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

jason helped avaree make this awesome car for a school project.

they whipped it together in no time.

another one of jason's many talents.

tulip festival

2011-05-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

ice cream in one hand, rolly polly in the other.

btw, how do you spell rolly polly, rolie polie, roly poly??

this was my first time. i was determined to go since we have passes and i love tulips. it beat my expectations! it felt so good to be outside and the homemade doughnuts were amazing! i'm still craving them, so is avaree. does any one know where you can get them now? or is that a once a year thing? they were so, so, so good. plus we were in really good company. we love the cottrell's. oh and of course, the tulips were beautiful!

senior softball night

2011-05-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

it is so fun to be able to honor baylee. she has deserved all of her success! she is motivated, a hard worker, and a team player. i'm so proud to be her sister and to be associated with her amazing friends and their parents. allyse and jess are her besties and they are simply the best!

BIG news!

2011-05-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

trevor and kelsey are engaged!!

we had a lot of celebrating to do... the engagement, kelsey's birthday, brady & ligia's 3rd anniversary, and jason & i's 11th anniversary! we are estactic about the big news and the summer wedding! kelsey has been worth the wait.

more pics by avaree

2011-04-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

frankie is a good model. i think these pictures were taken the only week he has felt well for the past couple of months. this poor boy is always sick! i don't know what to do. i am hoping some warm weather will make a difference but we are still waiting for that too...

ridgeline run

2011-04-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

avaree did a run at school for a fundraiser.

the kindergarteners were supposed to run 20 minutes.

avaree ran the whole time!

i was so proud of her.

her little legs were sore the next day.

i happily pledged $20.00.

franklin the lady bug

2011-04-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

avaree took it upon herself to dress frankie up and then take pictures of him.

he didn't seem to mind.

av's field trip

2011-04-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

i had the oppurtunity to go with avaree on her school field trip. we went to the barn and saw a bunch of baby animals, including a baby cow that was born that morning! i love avaree's kindergarten class! i'm sad to see it come to an end. it's been such a great experience for her. i wish her teacher and classmates could follow her through all her school years. avaree had to write a little report about her favorite part of the field trip and she drew a picture of us holding hands that said, "i love being with my mom." it made my heart melt. i love being with you too, av!!

easter weekend

2011-04-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

easter for us = hop, prom, coloring eggs, an easter egg hunt (indoors), finding baskets, candy, juicy sweat suit from trevor, eating creamed eggs, church, family pictures, & a quiet family dinner with just the 7 of us with way too many leftovers (we are used to cooking for an army), and dessert with the Kessler's. I take great comfort in knowing that Christ was resurrected, he lives and that we too can live again with our loved ones! In Weston's words, "your mom died but we'll live with her one day after we die."

happy easter to all!

spring break part 3

2011-04-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

weston's spring break was the week after everyone else's. so the boys and i hit the aquarium one afternoon. weston and frankie's favorites right now are the shark, penguins, & crocodiles. boys are so fun! notice how wet weston's shirt is from petting the sting rays?

spring break part 2

2011-04-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

it's rare for all of us to have time off together, especially with baylee's sports schedules. so, we decided last minute to take advantage of it and rent an rv with our destination being somewhere warm! we entertained thoughts of the beach but decided that vegas was place.

highlights from our trip include-
jason's driving skills especially through crazy wind, watching tangled, staying at mandalay bay, swimming, sunshine, sunburns, taking too many pictures, eating buffets, people watching, weston asking a girl in a wedding dress "if she was a princess", meeting up with vegas friends, meeting baby sully, cheeburger cheeburger, zions national park, jason's navigating, staying in small town hatch, utah, playing war, franklin pooping six times a day, and best of all... enjoying family time! it was an adventure to remember!

spring break part 1

2011-04-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

the zoo with the cantarero's.

since we were being such "good moms" and read the sign about being quiet before entering to see the giraffes, they offered to let just us feed the giraffes. my kids loved it.

franklin being silly.
check out all those boys' perfect teeth.

franklin was giggling out loud for the whole carousel ride! it was a great parenting moment.

we spoke too soon about being "good moms" because we ended the day losing weston!

weston is a natural wanderer. he likes to be independent and will not hold my hand, ever! he is really hard to take places. we let the kids play at the playground (which by the way is a horrible playground to watch your kids. it is long and skinny with outlets at both ends)! everytime i am there someone loses a child. unfortunately, this time it was me! it was crowded and i knew i had to keep my eye on weston. it all happened so fast. i searched the playground up and down and he was no where in sight! my heart was pounding and i knew he was missing. on my way to get help, i saw him walking with the zoo security. i've never been so happy to see my child! i just hugged him and cried. i didn't want to ever let him go. i could see the fear on his tear streaked face. they found him at the entrance gate. later he told me that he was going out to the parking lot to see if my car was still there. it was a scary moment, i never want to relive. i'm hoping he learned his lesson but he still likes to wander.

bay's bball banquet

2011-04-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

megan, baylee, maddie, markelle, mikail, and whitney

talented girls.

still sick

2011-04-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

franklin is still sick. i took him to the drs. on monday and got an antibiotic for his ear infection. i gave it to him faithfully but he still was not feeling better, so we went back to the drs. on saturday. this time his right ear had healed but his left ear had a bad infection. they cleaned some gunk out of his ear and gave us a stronger antibiotic. i hope this one works! he has been a trooper but the past couple of days have been rough. he's been waking up in the middle of the night with ear curdling screams. no amount of cuddling can seem to calm him down. last night watching sesame street in the middle of the night did the trick.

weston stayed home from preschool with a cough all week too. it was actually fun spending time together with nothing too pressing on the agenda. jason had leftover doughnuts from a work meeting. i told weston he could have one but they all looked so good, he had to try a bite of them all.

we had a couple nice days of weather this past week. all of our snow had melted but we are covered again. i am hoping we have a healthier week ahead of us and the snow melts again, fast!

grace kessler

2011-03-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

meet my new niece~ gracie.

oh, how we (already) love her so!

props to her mom who birthed her at home, all natural.

2011-03-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

frankie has bronchiolitis, an ear infection, and a viral rash.

poor guy.

yw's broadcast

2011-03-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

i had the oppurtunity to go with baylee (one last time) to the young women's general broadcast for our church.

the talks were focused on being honest, true, benevolent and virtuous.

the highlight of the night ended up being at dinner afterwards when we got "lectured" from another yw's group for saving a table at cafe rio! apparently, "we didn't hear the same talks they did."

the whole thing was pretty comical especially when you are with baylee.

driving

2011-03-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

griffin got his drivers license today.

he also got asked out on his first date.

it was a big day for him.

life

2011-03-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

we attended a funeral this past weekend as a family.

jason's cousin, paul canova, was only 28.

sadly, he struggled with depression and took his own life.

jason lived next to paul for 3 years as little boys

and has good memories of him.

he left behind many siblings and family members

saddened by his death.

later that day, i went to a baby shower for my friend tiffany.

tiffany married one of my best guy friends from high school.

katie did too.

they are both expecting girls!

life is a precious thing.

i'm so {lucky}

2011-03-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

another tooth lost

2011-03-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

avaree lost her front tooth.

she was so brave.

it's been loose for months.

jason finally just tugged and tugged until it came out.

she looks and sounds different to me.

i'm holding back tears because she is growing up.

she couldn't be more excited about it!

st. george trip.

2011-03-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

avaree & ruby

me, jackie, & baby rosa

lookin good (he has lost 40 lbs)!

griffin is cute

and so is nelly in the corner of this picture!

i didn't get any pictures of her.

simon'

the doc gave jason the okay to swim and jacquzzi, so we packed our swimsuits, shorts, and sandals and headed to st. george. the weather was perfect. our first night we stayed in a hotel. franklin missed his bed and cried almost all night. it was rough. the next day we met up with our friends, the cantarero's, to stay in their vacation home for the rest of the weekend. franklin did better having his own closet to sleep in. my kids were in heaven playing outside non stop~ swimming, riding scooters, playing at the park, making sand castles, eating popsicles, chasing lizards, buring a dead bird, going on walks and on a (mild) hike. at the top of the hike was the most beautiful sand i've ever seen. if you dug a foot down there was water. it was amazing. there was a steep hill of sand that we raced going up. i took third. avaree face planted in the sand on her way down. the last day we were there, we went to the historic jacob hamlin home. jacob was a local pioneer who made peace with the indians. avaree let everyone know that she was part indian. our family needed this get away. it was low key. we had a great time with great company! thanks cantarero's! xoxo

st. george here we come...

2011-03-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

cabin fever =

2011-03-07T16:15:00.001-08:00

avaree creating, weston watching movies, & me needing to get out!

the other day avaree found some fabric scraps and took it upon herself to make some "baby" clothes for Gracie, her future cousin. i was amazed. they were darling. they are all 2 sided. she used staples and pins to keep them together and did it all in 30 minutes with no help or inspiration from me! she even stapled together a skirt for herself that she begged me to let her wear to school! she is so creative. the future parents loved them!

weston watching "despicable me" for probably the hundredth time.

on friday afternoon, i put the boys matching t rex shirts on and took them to the dinosaur museum while avaree was in school. we had a blast, just the 3 of us! weston likes dinosaurs right now.

and it is snowing today!

i think we are going to go to st. george this weekend if the doc okays it tomorrow.

70 degree weather sure sounds nice.

little gym grads

2011-03-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

avaree took a gymnastics class.

weston took a sports class.

it's helped us get through the winter.

i'm am going to sign weston up again.

avaree is going to do spring soccer.

ooh, hurry spring!!

joshua radin

2011-03-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

baylee went to joshua radin's concert this week

(straight from softball practice)

and she got to meet him and the band!

he called her "darlin".

his music is a favorite at our house.

he is on my playlist right now.

bay the baller

2011-03-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

baylee is an amazing defender.

she hustles and is super fast!

this was on senior night.

trevor attended for me because it was during jason's surgery.

i was sad to miss it.

the seniors and their tall parents

we got our picture taken with big budha at the state game.

the lone peak knights had an excellent season!

they were fun to watch and very talented-

region champs,

lost 1 game by a basket all season,

dominated most teams,

ranked 1st or 2nd in state all season,

3 of the starters are playing college ball!

they were the team to beat.

sadly, they lost their first game in the state tournament by 4 pts

to a team they had beaten twice previously in the season.

it was a huge upset and heart break for these girls!

there season was a success.

life long friends and good memories were made.

i am so proud of baylee and

her ability to compete at this level.

she worked so hard to get to where she is at.

softball has already begun.

she has games next week in the snow?

and for an exciting announcement...

baylee got into BYU!!

i love that girl.

lazy weekend.

2011-03-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

this picture pretty much sums up our weekend.

i did however, let av & wes have a sleep over with each other.
sleep is a must at our house and it is really hard to do when your best buddy is in your room!

they surprisingly went to sleep good but woke up way too early. i'm still undecided about when the next one will be.

post op update

2011-02-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

we headed to logan yesterday for jason's post op.

it went well, i guess.

the x rays look good.

he has some fluid in his incision

that they are hoping his body will absorb.

i'm supposed to watch it closely to make sure it doesn't get worse.

we have to go back in 2 weeks for another check up.

only time will tell~

it's hard to know because of all the surgical pain.

the cold weather is bad news though!

we are going to have to move to a warmer climate one day.

we are still taking it as easy as possible.

probably for another 6 weeks.

thanks to jason's sister,viv, for helping with my kids on her day off!

the not so {glamorous} celebration

2011-02-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

avaree wrote jason's name with ribbon all on her own.

it was darling.

i don't know how she comes up with this stuff.

we celebrated in bed, where jason is the most comfortable.

a friend brought us a yummy dinner.

we ate delicious chocolate cake with pudding frosting.

jason got some new clothes, shoes, and a gossip magazine.

avaree gave him a happy bday pin & a whole bunch of homemade {heartfelt} goods.

weston gave him a toy he had earned.

we are still hoping for the best gift of all~

a healthy jason!

happy birthday jason

2011-02-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

jason is 33 today and recovering from back surgery #3.
it's not the first time he has spent his birthday laid up from a surgery.
he had his acl replaced a couple of days before his 25th birthday,
little did we know that there would be many more surgeries to come in a short time.

this man needs to take care of himself,

he is still young!

i just came across these pictures on my phone.
i had forgotten about them.

they are classic jason.

for a while there, date nights for us consisted of dinner out and then grocery shopping.

that's how exciting our life is.

(it's a lot funner and quicker to grocery shop with him and not 3 kids!)

we walked into walmart and his job was to get the cart.

i turned around to look for him and i could not see him anywhere.

i couldn't figure out how i could lose him already.

how hard was he to find? a big bald guy in a striped sweater.

little did i know, he was right in front of me.

i'm used to looking up for him, never down.

when i finally saw him, i could not stop laughing!

he looked so funny in that cart and i did not expect it!

he took the role seriously too and we got all our shopping done.

it was weird being taller than him for once

but we were totally legit.

we couldn't get in trouble because he really does need one for his bad back!

i think the shopping was much more enjoyable for him that evening. he made it enjoyable for me too!

jason is one of a kind with a great sense of humor.

he makes me smile everyday.

i found this taped to my garage door yesterday as i left for church.

(even with his lack of mobility)

i love you, j!

thanks for being you.

happy birthday!!

caught up

2011-02-20T20:27:00.000-08:00

i'm actually caught up on blogging!

i think i've been playing catch up for a year.

2010 was not my favorite year.

i think that was why i was so slow at documenting it,

but i'm so glad i did.

it's amazing how you can go through a slump,

and life goes on and you continue to learn and grow and become better.

i'm thankful for this online journal of mine.

i had fun looking through my old posts at the hospital one night.

i can't get over how much my kids are growing right before my eyes.

sometimes it takes pictures to notice because i am with them day in and day out.

i truly cherish these moments from the past,

and the opportunity i have to raise them (even on the hard days).

i'm still praying for jason's health to improve so he can enjoy this journey with me!

wind, wind go away

2011-02-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

i've been homebound this week-
literally in sweats all day, every day,
and it's been windy.
i thought our house was going to blow away.

in fact part of it did.

i also continue to be "blown away"

by all the christ like people willing to serve our family!

franklin's latest is he escapes to my bathroom every chance he gets to play in the water.

i caught him this morning combing his hair.

as for an update on jason-

he is doing good.
back surgery is a slow recovery & i'm trying to remind him of that.

he gets anxious to work & be productive.

we have our post op on tuesday the 22nd,

and then we will go from there, slowly.

love

2011-02-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

our family sure has felt the love from many this past week.

in sacrament meeting on sunday, the person giving the opening prayer prayed for jason.

weston said out loud in the middle of the prayer, "he is talking about daddy!"

i was a little embarrassed because it was loud but it was so cute!

the dinners, surprise treats on our doorstep, carpooling, playdates, & prayers have not gone unnoticed. thank you.

happy love day to you!

home sweet home

2011-02-12T19:24:00.000-08:00

today we are all home together as a family again and it feels good.

we are hopeful.

jason's health has been a real humbling trial in our live.

(that i wouldn't wish on anyone)

it has forced us to have a change of lifestyle, simplify,

& reminds us to focus on what is most important.

i know the lord is mindful of each of us.

i've seen his hand in my life many times this past year.

it's too bad that sometimes it takes trials,

for us to really recognize it.

right now i am offering a prayer of thanks &

a continued prayer for jason's health.

i know that as we strive to do what is right,

we will be blessed.

it's a miracle!

2011-02-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

when they wheeled jason away we thought the surgery was going to be up to 8 hours with double incisions, hip bone cut out, cadaver bone put in, removal of old hardware, new hardware put in, exploration of his insides, extensive, extensive stuff to be done. very tough recovery. the nurse said she would call me every 2 hours for an update. my aunt deanne & michelle came to be with me (i'm so grateful). we went and got breakfast, walked around the hospital, and talked as we anxiously awaited the first 2 hour update. my phone rang and i was shocked when the nurse said, "surgery is closed up." i then anxiously awaited the surgeon to hear what he had to say. he said, that surprisingly his back had fused! there was bone there, even though the xrays and ct scan didn't show it. it's not a lot of bone but it is enough and it is strong. there was no need to do all that was planned! so they ended up removing the hardware that they could, cutting out some scare tissue, and cutting some bone out that was pinching on the nerves in his spinal canal... in hopes that this will give him some pain relief. our week hospital stay is now only 3 days, no icu, and a way quicker recovery. it's a miracle! prayers, fasting, and priesthood blessings do work! i have no doubt. thanks to all those who prayed and fasted on our behalf.

those are jason's x rays before the surgery

(with a lamp shade behind them)

no wonder he is in pain all the time.

this picture was taken right before they wheeled him away.

we were both super nervous.

jason really had a fear that he would not wake.

he even had the nurses crying.

when jason woke the first thing he said was, "is karlin okay?" and he made the nurses call me. he had been dreaming that i was the one experiencing the pain. he was so worried that he has had to put me through this. he was super emotional. he just kept asking, "are you okay?" it was really sweet and sincere.

this is the hardware they removed from his body.
he still has 5 of the green ones in him that they didn't want to remove because the bone had grown around them.

my cousins' wife's sister lives in logan in this beautiful home!
she graciously let me come and go to eat, sleep, & shower at her home as i needed.
i'm so grateful & i LOVE her kitchen.

WARNING- explicit picture below.

remember this?
this picture was from Jason's back fusion in 2008.
i jinxed myself when i said...
"OUCH! and I've got to change his bandage. Some of this stuff I'm not sure I signed up for but I'd do it again if I had to."

here i go again!!
it's easier this time around though...
been there, done that, & it is so much better than expected.
family, friends and faith are such a blessing in our lives.
thank you, thank you!

we are on our way home tomorrow.

back surgery

2011-02-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

We are in Logan, Utah right now. 2 hours away from home. Jason is having another back surgery tomorrow morning. We found out in August that his fusion in 2008 didn't work so they are redoing it. Replacing old hardware, removing cages, removing a growth on his spinal canal, replacing bone (that had disinegrated), going in through the back, the front, and back again. Six hours in surgery, a week long hospital stay. Scared, nervous?? Yes, very much so!

Thanks to my family and friends who are helping at this time of need. Frankie is in Kaysville with my sweet Aunt Karma (my Mom's sister). Baylee, Griffin, Avaree & Weston are at home with my cousin, Lana, who just had her 7th baby a month ago!

We are so blessed. Please keep us in your prayers. I will give an update sooner than later. I'm praying that everything will go well. We need it too. We have had some rough years dealing with chronic pain.

Here goes...

epipen injection

2011-01-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

weston injected himself with franklin's epipen on accident.

it gave us both a scare.

if you look close, you can see where it was injected.

the dr thought it was going to make him hyper but it did the opposite.

he laid still for an hour afterwards.

(probably from shock and pain)

his poor thumb hurt all day.

the first thing he said when he woke up the next morning was,
"mom, my thumb doesn't hurt." then he proceeded to say...
"boobies are better than thumbs."
i wonder what was going on in that mind of his.

it makes me laugh out loud!

18 months

2011-01-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

my baby walks & talks.

franklin is growing up. even though he is still a little guy. he is in the 2% for his weight, 25% for his height & 25% for his head. his favorite things to do right now are- roam around the house on a hunt for any ball, shoot hoops most of the day, shower with daddy, cuddle with daddy, & play with anything with a lid (markers, chapstick, lotion, gatorade bottles, eye liner). he can say a lot of words but his favorite way to communicate is by letting out a scream (and it works). he frequently says ball, pease (for binky), bayee, bay, mom, dad, papa, wow, no, night night, hi, bye, meow, duck, quack, eyes, shoe, & uh oh. his favorite things to eat are bananas, dried fruit, macaroni, jelly sandwich, fruit snacks & anything sweet that he is not supposed to have. he has a mouth full of teeth, likes to dance, disappear to the big lonely basement all by himself, and loves his blankies & binkies (i can't bring myself to break him of that habit yet). franklin is a joy! i can't imagine my crazy life without him.

ctr's & nursery

2011-01-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

new year, new church class.

franklin starts nursery this month!

i love seeing their little testimonies grow in the gospel each week.

Happy New Year

2011-01-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

We are currently trying to stay warm and

looking forward to a new year!

eleven years ago...

2011-01-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

jason proposed to me on new years eve.

this year we ate dinner out as a family
(thanks to a christmas gift card). went home, put the little ones to bed and rang in the new year with bay & griff.
we played games,
listened & danced to music,
drank martinelli's,
and had a limbo contest.

i am really loving simple nights with my "krew" only these days.

keeping busy over Christmas break

2010-12-30T16:00:00.000-08:00

train rides, the mall, carousel rides, incredibles pizza, cousin gathering, movies (gullivers travels & yogi bear), boondocks, and clearing snow (go griff)!

aunts, uncles, & cousins

2010-12-27T16:44:00.000-08:00

we missed you jose and wes.

these two with unplanned matching outfits, again.

audrey's mom has good taste.

uncle jeff's new pup, sadie.

too bad we all have to go back to work and reality.

we wish you a merry christmas

2010-12-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

santa delivered.

we didn't get started until 9:30 am!

it was nice.

after opening presents, we ate traditional french toast with homemade buttery syrup-

with all of my siblings.

later in the day, i got in a little rest.

i was exhausted.

then we went to jason's mom's for christmas dinner.

christmas eve

2010-12-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

party at our house

baby easton was the perfect baby jesus this year.

i couldn't quite get all 3 in a picture.

we had lots of family in town to celebrate with this year.

our traditions include-

deli sandwiches & homemade potato salad

acting out the nativity

new pj's

setting out food for santa & his reindeer

opening 1 present

& setting out our stockings for santa to fill.

merry christmas!!

december happenings

2010-12-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

classic- i don't know which is better...

franklin screaming or santa's scowl?

he did not want to hold a screaming baby.

candy houses, christmas lights, feeding reindeer, hot chocolate, sitting by the fire, santa, parties, exhausted.

can't wait for christmas!

christmas karol

2010-12-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

today is my mom's birthday.

she was named karol because when they brought her home from the hospital, carolers came to their door.

christmas time always reminds me of her.

i always have a pit in my stomach as we celebrate-

because i miss her!

i can't help but think what it would be like if she were here.

she loved being with her children.

i'm so grateful she was born 57 years ago

and that I was lucky enough to be her daughter.

i hope to carry on the traditions she raised me with.

i'm grateful for the love of our Savior she instilled in me.

i'm also grateful for this time of year to focus on his life,

as well as hers.

girls weekend

2010-12-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

i got my christmas stuff up and then headed to mesquite for a much needed girls weekend with my besties from high school. we got pedicures, watched chick flicks, shopped, did facials, went into vegas for a night, hung out with gus, talked, laughed, and cried. sleeping was not on the agenda.

azy's husband sports an occasional mustache so fran and hill couldn't resist buying this shirt for her.

it's hard to get everyone together for a weekend at this stage in our lives but i'm so glad we did! azy stated it perfectly, "there is something so refreshing about getting together with old girlfriends that know your ins & outs." it is therapeutic! i'm grateful for each of their friendships! they have helped me become the person i am today. love you girls!