The Weeden Family

Baking Christmas Cookies!

2011-12-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today was our baking day. We put together plates of goodies to deliver to family, friends and neighbors. Each year I like to do sugar cookies with the kids. We use my great grandma's old recipe (so yummy!) and her butter cream frosting recipe. It's all made from scratch and taste heavenly! The kids helped with everything... as you can see! :-) They loved every second. The helped to roll the dough, use the cookies cutters, color the frosting, frost the cookies, and sprinkle the cookies. Michael worked so hard on frosting the cookies. We had so many cookies to do and Michael stuck with it so focused the whole time. We had a blast! The girls helped as well, but mostly they worked on the M&M cookies. They loved pushing the M&M's into the cookie dough before they baked. They worked very hard to make sure there were plenty for everyone.

Getting ready to roll out the dough

Oh the love!

The kids using the cookie cutters

So excited about her first star!

So much fun with Boompa!

When my hands started to hurt, Michael took over rolling the dough and did an incredible job!

A quick break to read some stories with Boompa

Coloring the frosting

"oh, it's such hard work to push all those m&ms in the cookie dough."

Counting out the m&ms to make sure they are equal

So serious with her work. hehe

The joy!

Working on her sugar cookie

Putting sprinkles on her little duck cookie

School Bus!

2011-12-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

Daddy driving us around the block with his co-captain

Backup driver

Mid-air jump

So excited!

Sweet girl
Adam was at a wrestling tournament today and he came home for a few minutes to surprise the kids. He brought home the school bus that he takes the kids to and from the tournaments in. The kids were SO excited! We couldn't get them off the bus. Adam ended up taking us for a ride around the block. It was so cute to see them so excited.

Family Pictures 2011!

2011-12-16T09:31:00.001-08:00

Family pictures this year was fun. We went to Anthem Park. They have a huge jungle gym, big grassy area, beautiful lake, gazebo, water fun, and a cool train running through the park. It was a great place to get pictures. Of course trying to get pictures of our three small kids sitting still at a park is impossible. That's why we are so grateful to our photographer, Polly, for chasing after our kids and capturing these great pictures. We were pretty sure we would get zero usable pictures with how crazy excited the kids were, but some how she managed to get some really great ones! Our family picture was certainly tougher. The kids were never all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. However, I like these because it portrays the truth of our family: laughter, happiness, and pure chaos. haha. It's perfect! The individual shots are so cute. They show our kids personalities perfectly. Hailey is sweet and calm. Emma is a free spirit down to the core, and Michael is sometimes serious and other times and total comedian.

Love this shot. Adam and I just smiling as our kids run wild behind us.

My sweetie :-)

I love this shot. I didn't even know she was taking a picture.

Look at the joy on my boys faces. So sweet!

I could have died when I realized that I didn't' get any shots with me and Emma. Hailey was being really clingy to me and Emma to her daddy. So I took one when I got home. haha.

See what I mean.... daddy's little girl.

Look at the smile on her face. She could have stayed there all day.

Hailey loved the train!

Mommy's little girl.

This tree was so awesome!

My Angel!

Michael's serious look....

And here is the comedian. :-)

My free spirit. She got there, ripped her bow out of her hair and took off!

Such a sweet baby girl.

Baking Cookies with Mommy!

2011-12-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

(After we were done......the bigger the mess, the more fun we had!)

(Look at all that flour on the floor,.... oh dear emma)

(My baby Hailey.... loves to lick the beaters)

(My girls.... and there is Hailey's classic smile)

Michael helping mommy stir)

The joy!!!!! BEST MOMENT EVER!!!!

(There's that smile)

(Very serious about her stirring)

(Sweet Emma taking her job seriously)

(My beautiful children & little helpers)

(Michael favorite part....eating the dough)

(He likes to stir too...)

So this holiday season had been a bit of a struggle for me. But no longer! My kids want Christmas and they are going to get it! :-) You saw in previous pictures how we decorated for Christmas and how wonderful it was! Then came the cookies. We set everyone up at the table. Everyone got their own bowl and measuring spoons/cups. They were so excited to be helping! Every time they would take turns dumping the right ingredients in, then I would take a smaller amount and put it in their bowls. They were so excited and we had so much fun and made such a mess. We listened to Christmas music and danced like crazy while we stirred. We had such a great time! The Christmas Spirit is flowing wildly throughout my home. Merry Christmas!

Loving Moments w/ Great-Papa Tobler!

2011-12-10T22:12:00.001-08:00

We do dinner at my mom's house every Saturday. Hailey and Emma have developed very special relationships with their great grandpapa. I can totally understand it because I have always had a very good relationship with him. He was practically my dad growing up. I love him so much! And my girls do too.

(Emma smiling with Papa)

(kisses with papa)

(Hailey & Papa)

(Hailey telling Papa where his eye was)

(Papa kissing her elbow owie better)

(Sweet Kisses)

(Feeding Papa Cheese)

Meeting Santa!!!

2011-12-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

I must say I was surprised..... but all my children loved Santa this year! We had our ward Christmas party and they each sat on his lap, talked to him for awhile about what they wanted and then reached over for a candy canes. It was a great experience! Now.... it's time for Santa's little helpers (adam & i) to take care of the rest. :-)

(Emma hugging Santa)

(Emma getting her candycane)

(Hailey excited to be with Santa & her candycane!)

(Michael & Santa getting a candycane)

Michael the Gym Pro & Emma the Ballerina!

2011-12-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

Michael has been getting more involved with his gymnastics. He goes to one of the best! You wouldn't believe those kids there swinging from the bars, doing floor routines, the beam routines.... those kids are training for the Olympics and have many team championships wins to prove it. We're thrilled to have Michael training here. He is in the little "mighty mites" part and still doing a lot of learning, but he LOVES it! I find him practicing, what he learned in class, all week long. He has a natural talent for it and he is very strong in his core and upper body (or so his coach says). We're really proud of him. It's fun to watch him do all his tricks. We can't wait to see how far this takes him. We are leaving it up to him of course. If he wants to try a few different things then that's totally ok, and we would love that too. Whatever he wants. I know he will excel at everything.

Then there is my sweet Emma. A good friend of ours handed down some of her daughters dance and gymnastics outfits. When Emma got them she would not take them off. Still hard to get them off her. Lots of times she will wear it under her regular clothes as if she is a super hero of some kind. haha. She is quite adorable when she dances and so beautiful.

Hailey is next! We haven't found a little sport for her yet. But she is only 18 months. There's time.

Michael Not Very Happy:

2011-12-10T21:53:00.001-08:00

The other day I was getting the girls ready for the day and Michael had said he was going into the bathroom to poop. All was find for awhile until I realized he had never taken this long to poop. So I went to check on him, only to find that he had taken my eyeliner pencil and was drawing pictures all over the wall. So I gave him some cleaner and a rag and told him to get to work. He wasn't happy about it, but he got it done and I doubt he'll ever do it again. :-P

Visit with Grandma Weeden

2011-12-10T21:50:00.001-08:00

The other day I wasn't feeling well. My mother in law stopped by to check on me and the kids. She enjoyed some sweet cuddles with Hailey Rose.

Letters to Santa....

2011-12-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

I could not be more proud of my kids. Every day they give me more reason to beam with pride. Today was no different.
We decided to turn on some Christmas music, bake cookies and make cards to send to the North Pole for Santa.
The kids were doing an amazing job decorating their cards and putting lots of effort into it as they talked about what they wanted to ask Santa to bring them for Christmas.
Then we talked about the little kids in the world that don't have much if anything for Christmas. We talked about those that are hungry, and don't have warm beds to sleep in and good clothes to wear. We talked about the real meaning of Christmas and Christ's birth. They love the story of Christmas every time they hear it.
A friend of mine was surprised when I said that my kids would rather see baby Jesus at the temple lights than go to see the zoo lights... but that's my kids. They can feel the difference between the commercialized Christmas and the real meaning.
That's not to say that they don't love the magic of Santa, cause they do...
so as we're talking about the kids that don't have much for Christmas and we're making our cards, Michael says "mommy... can you write something on my card to Santa for me." and I said "of course buddy, what would you like me to write." and as he spoke tears filled my eyes. This little boy has such a huge heart and I couldn't be more proud. This is what he said
"Santa, please don't forget to go and see the kids that don't have presents this year. Even if they don't have a place to live, I know you can find them. And if you need extra presents to give them, you can take mine, but if you have extra I would like something too."

Merry Christmas!

Decorating for Christmas 2011!

2011-11-30T08:21:00.001-08:00

Adam got the Christmas tree out about a week ago. I still wasn't feeling up to decorating for Christmas, but Michael was begging me after school on Tuesday so I got the boxes down and the kids and I turned on Christmas music on my great grandparents old Hi-Fi (it plays old records for those of you who don't know what a hi-fi is). We danced and sang as we put up the decorations. It was so much fun! We had a great time! I pretty much let them take charge. I unwrapped everything and gave them some direction, but the three of them decorated everything. As you can see in the pictures ALL the decorations for the tree ended up on one spot on the bottom of the tree. haha. So cute! If they couldn't get the hook to hang they would just lay it on a branch. It was so funny. They were SO proud of themselves. It was adorable! Then they found some Christmas ribbon of mine and they HAD to use it. I tried to convince them it was for presents, but they preferred to wrap up our staircase like a present. haha. Lets just say that my house looks like it was decorated by 3 little kids and I LOVE it! It may not be Martha steward style, but it's perfect to me! :-) Adam loved it! The kids were so excited when he walked through the door. They love to find ways to surprise daddy. Daddy thought it was perfect too! :-)

My little ham. That smile... you can't help but giggle.

Hailey trying to fit into a box. haha

My 3 perfect kids! I'm so blessed!!!

Look at that tree! They worked so hard on that one section. haha

Sisters being silly

Sisters

Oh the love! :-)

My happy girl!

Emma decorating the tree (one spot only. haha)

Michael decorating the tree (same spot. haha)

Handsome boy!

Look at that cute pose

Hailey was glued to the Disney tree

Daddy Time!

2011-11-30T08:07:00.001-08:00

These are just a few photos I caught of the kids with daddy. Hailey and Adam were feeding each other popcorn (she is so in love with her daddy) and Michael and Adam like to play the hunting game on the Wii together. Michael is actually a really excellent shot! You wouldn't believe his aim and steady hand. Quite impressive.

School Pictures!

2011-11-30T07:38:00.001-08:00

I was so excited for my kids to have their first school pictures. The backgrounds were beautiful and I was just so excited! Then I got to school to pick the kids up and was told that they both struggled while taking pictures and that they weren't able to get any good ones. Then they asked if I would help get their pictures. So we went back to where everything was set up and it ended up taking like 2 hours to get the pictures and they kept messing up their hair. It was not their best day. The photographer was great and even offered to get a couple shots of Hailey. Hailey was not dressed for pictures, nor had I done her hair, but they still turned out great. We got a few pictures that I really liked. Here they are: Next up.... family pictures! :-)

Michael's 1st Primary Program...

2011-10-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

I wish I had thought to get a picture of Michael in his suit today, but I forgot. Michael had his first primary program today at church. The program was awesome! All those little kids up there saying their little parts and singing beautiful songs in unison... it's my favorite Sunday of the whole year! This Sunday was SOOO much better than all the rest! This Sunday Michael got to do his first part in the program! We were nervous that he wouldn't get up there because he is so shy, but he did! Then we were nervous he wouldn't say his part because he is so shy, but he did that too!!! I was SO beyond proud of him! His part was "Noah, because he saved the animals from the flood." It was so beautiful! I was just giddy with excitement and he was so proud of himself. Just glowing ear to ear.

Helping Mommy....

2011-10-31T00:05:00.001-07:00

My kids love to help with chores. When I am cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, or dusting... they come running. They just love to help! Adam captured this cute picture while I was trying to vacuum... I say trying, because attempting to vacuum with three little kids all trying to hold onto the handle and push forward and backup all together... ya... not so easy. haha. Of course I do nothing by praise them and tell them how much they are helping me and then I just go back over the spots when they aren't looking. haha. Oh the things moms do. :-) Motherhood is so fantastic! Wouldn't trade it for the world!

Huge Apples!

2011-10-31T00:00:00.001-07:00

So we got these amazingly wonderful apples. They are HUGE! I keep a basket of fruit on the table for the kids to get to easily and they love the apples! I usually cut the apples into slices but for whatever reason the kids prefer to eat these ones whole. Hailey is so adorable with them. I mean seriously... look at the effort she puts into those smiles. Just lights up ear to ear. You can't help but smile when she looks at you like that. I just light up when she smiles at me. I knew everyone else would enjoy these pictures and help to light up their days.

Pumpkin Carving!

2011-10-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

Michael and Hailey picked out pumpkins at the pumpkin farm. Emma was not interested in getting one. She had her cherry lemonade and was happy. haha. While the girls were sleeping Michael and I got started on the pumpkin carving. We printed off some stencils from the computer that Michael liked. Michael held on the paper while I traced. Then we worked together scooping out the insides (which Michael thought was totally disgusting) and then I carved out the pictures. They turned out really well. One is a goofy face and the other is a moon with stars. We're excited to light them up for Halloween.

Pumpkin Farm!

2011-10-30T23:43:00.001-07:00

As a tradition we started going to a fun pumpkin farm with the kids every year. It's fairly close to our house and we have a blast at the slide, bounce house, petting zoo, riding the train, eating yummy food, playing in the pumpkin patch, pony rides, etc. We had such a great time! I can't wait to go again next year. :-)

(They are so beautiful!)

(Petting the pig "chewy")

(Checking out the baby chicks)

(Hailey & Boompa watching the goats walk up to their perch)

(Michael feeding the horse)

(Emma feeding the horse)

(Hailey giving the horse a hug... the horse adored her! He kept nuzzling her neck and neighing at her. So cute!)

(Walking up to go down the slide)

(Mommy, Emma & Hailey getting ready to ride the train)

(Michael at the front of the train)

(Michael in mid-air... I thought this was a cool picture. Just wish he was turned around looking at me)

Jumpstreet!

2011-10-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

We started this new system at home where the kids get to earn "good choice pebbles". I went to the store and got some plastic vases and let the kids pick out bags of pebbles. Whenever they make a good choice, help someone, do something nice or thoughtful, etc. then they get to put a pebble in their vase. When the vase fills up they get to pick a reward. Michael filled up his vase first and he decided to go to jumpstreet and he wanted to take his sisters so we could all go and have fun together as a family. His sisters weren't far behind and ended up filling up their vases before we left for jumpstreet. We had such a great time jumping in the bouncehouses and on the trampolines. It was even better because Adam and I got to go with them! haha. We had just as much fun jumping and going down the slides as they did. We can't wait to fill up those vases and go again!

Halloween Costumes of 2011!

2011-10-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

This year Michael is going to be spider-man, Emma is the most adorable pirate that ever lived, and Hailey is a stunning fairy. The kids have gotten some serious candy. These pictures were taken at Adam's work. They did a fun Halloween party type thing for the employees kids. All the desks and offices had candy to hand out and they decorated the whole place. It was really neat. The kids had a blast and because they were the most adorable kids in the whole place they got extra handfuls of candy. haha.
Adam and I dressed up for a Halloween party at our friends house the other night. We got a babysitter (thanks mom!) and we went out for a fun night! We weren't sure if we were going to go so we didn't' go get costumes. We were able to throw these together with stuff we had at home. Adam made the most awesome Mr. Clean with his bald head. I did the army girl thing. :-) HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :-)

Michael's girlfriend....

2011-10-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

Michael has fallen in love for the first time. His beautiful girlfriend is Kyli. He met her at school. She is a year or 2 older than him and in the class next door to his. Sometimes they are on the playground at the same time and they are often found holding hands walking around. She gets to school before he does and she waits at her classroom door for him to get there. As soon as they see each other they give immediate hugs and sometimes even a kiss on the cheek. It's so adorable. They are smitten with one another.
Last week I took the kids to school and Kyli's teacher told me that it was Kyli's last week because she was moving. Both Michael and Kyli were very sad to say goodbye. I got some pictures of them for him to remember her by and look back on his first girlfriend. Michael also got her a little teddy bear holding a rose, wrapped it up and got her a card that said how much he would miss her and how much he loved her. It was so sweet and she was so happy to get it.

Michael's 4th Birthday!!!

2011-10-30T23:10:00.001-07:00

My baby boy is not a baby anymore! He's not even a toddler... he is a big boy! He is so grown up! I admit that I wanted him to have a pirate birthday party. I had this great idea to do a treasure hunt with pirate hats and treasure maps, but my little boy got his way and we did a spiderman party. He is a bit obsessed with spiderman right now. It was a great party! We had family and friends, lots of fun, and delicious cake and cupcakes (that my good friend made... she is so talented!!!) I also have to admit that I totally failed with pictures. I was enjoying the party so much that I totally forgot to take pictures until the party was nearly over. It was an awesome day anyways and Michael had a blast (which is the whole point).

(Michael blowing out his candles)

(Michael's best friend Wilson and his little brother Bret)

(Michael's buddies Sawyer and Hudson)

(Tyler, Carson & Makalya)

(Emma & Bret... she loves him... hehe)

(Michael enjoying his cupcake... silly smile)

Sprinkler Fun!

2011-10-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

The other day I turned on the sprinklers in the back to water the grass and when I went to turn them off a few minutes later I found my girls having some water fun! I had to capture it in a few photos.

Michael:

2011-10-13T00:15:00.001-07:00

Michael is .... interesting. haha. He is a very special little man. He loves school and has made friends really quickly. He is a total Casanova! He has girlfriends all over this town. I would say the most serious one is at school. Kyli. She is 4 or 5 years old. She waits at her classroom door every school day for Michael to get to school. She loves him to pieces. As soon as they see each other they run into each others arms and hug until I pull them apart. haha. Then the routine plays itself out again when I go to pick him up to go home. They are adorable together and call each other boyfriend and girlfriend.
Michael is a big helper. He loves to play the Wii's big game hunter with his daddy. He also loves to help daddy to yard work (as portrayed in the photos). He is constantly getting into mischief with his sisters. Mostly Emma. They are always sneaking off quietly and I have to go figure out what they are doing that they shouldn't be. Pulling all the blankets, towels and sheets out of the linen closet, or ripping open bags of sand in the shed (boy was that a mess!) or dropping fun things into the toilet to see if it will sink or float. haha.
My little boy is about to turn 4 and I just can't believe he is growing up so fast! He is doing amazing at school! He use to be so shy and although he still has his moments, he is making a lot of friends and has become the leader of the playground. He is also picking up everything he is taught so quickly. He is doing incredible with math (thank goodness he got his daddy's math skills!) and his letters and words. He is so smart! I always knew it, but seeing his school work in comparison to the other kids in his class at the same age or a year older... I'm continually impressed!
I love him so so much! He is my oldest but he will always be my baby boy. He still takes the time to cuddle with me and when I'm not feeling well he gives me kisses on my cheek and asks if he can get me anything. He has the kindest heart in the world! He can have a little devil in him, but that's what keeps it interesting. haha.
He has gotten really into this show "Fresh Beat Band". He has developed a love for hip hop and dancing. Watching him is adorable! We got some video that can not be beat. I love watching him come out of his shell!

Emma:

2011-10-13T00:03:00.001-07:00

Emma is our Diva Princess! She is my little actress and drama queen. She loves to play dress-up, go to school, help mommy, get into mischief with her brother, play make-believe. She just loves life! She loves her daddy to pieces. She runs into his arms when he comes home from work everyday so excited! When she meets new people she says "hi, I'm emma" and then she proceeds to introduce her whole family. So cute. She is a social butterfly! She loves to talk on the phone and put on her most fluffy princess outfit, grab her little purse and pretend keys and head out with her shopping cart, or her baby stroller. She is just truly adorable to pieces. She is a joy to have in our lives.

Hailey:

2011-10-12T23:51:00.001-07:00

Hailey is getting so big. She is adorable. I know I've said it before, but she is truly the happiest baby in the world. She LOVES to be photographed. She is constantly posing and finding new things to do and then pointing at the camera. When she is hungry she makes this sound with her tongue that makes me laugh so hard every time. She loves to read! She is constantly bringing people books to read to her. She also loves to dance. She has such a special relationship with everyone in her life. I couldn't have asked for a better baby. She is our last child and we couldn't have finished off our family with a better child. She is such a special spirit! Love her to pieces!! Look at that smile with those little gaped teeth! So adorable! You can't help but smile when you see the effort she puts into her smile.

Reading with Uncle

Dressing up as a dragon and growling at everyone

Hiding in a bucket

Playing T-ball

Cuddling with 'Boompa'

Reading with Grandma

First Good Weather Picnic!

2011-10-12T23:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had that wonderful first day where the weather was fantastic! It was sunny but had that cool breeze. It was just amazing! I couldn't pass it up. We laid the blanket onto the grass, made a tray of finger-food lunch, brought out the bubble machine, soccer ball, t-ball, etc. It was wonderful! We spent our entire day out there playing together and it was the most wonderful fall kick-off backyard picnic ever!

Camp Catch-a-trout

2011-07-24T13:50:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back we were watching a show called "Arizona Highways". It shows different places in Arizona that are neat to visit that might be off the beaten path and not known about. So Adam found this place called Camp Catch-a-trout up near Payson. It's a beautiful grassy area surrounded by pine trees and in the middle is a pond type thing stuffed with fish. The place is great. They provide you with poles, bait, buckets and nets. It's nearly impossible not to catch a fish so it's perfect for little kids just learning to fish. They get results and they love it! The place even cleans the fish and puts it on ice for you. The prices are resonable and totally worth it for the memories made. Our kids had such a great time running around and they each got a turn to go fishing (even little Hailey Rose). When we actually caught a fish Michael was thrilled, Hailey was intrigued and Emma was totally disgusted. haha. Typical girly girl that one. :-)

Emma running around having a great time!

Hailey showing Boompa the birdies

Daddy teaching Emma to fish

Michael trying to catch butterflies

Michael fishing while daddy baits the other hook

Michael feeling the "slimy fishy"

Hailey walking around enjoying some water

Emma getting ready to scoop up some fish with her net

Hailey guarding the fishy in the bucket

The sisters taking a walk together

Michael and daddy holding hands....I just thought that was so sweet I had to capture the moment

Michael has the fish in the net!!!

Hailey trying her hand at fishing

Michael hanging out lookin cute

<---I thought Michael was so funny when he made a wish. Clearly he was hungry. lol (if you can't understand what he said he said "I wished for a chicken nugget) haha

2011-07-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

Michael was asked to give a talk in Primary on Sunday about Temples. I was so excited when I saw the little paper they sent home with him letting us know. I have always longed for the day when I would stand up there with my child and help him or her give a talk in church. It was such a special moment. Michael helped us prepare his talk and find all the pictures. He helped with everything and I was so proud of him! We practiced each day so he would not be nervous but as the day got closer he got more and more nervous and we talked about that a lot so it was a good learning experience. When Sunday came we went to church a little early and went into the primary room while no one was there so he could practice giving the talk into the microphone before the room was filled with kids and teachers. Adam recorded it and he did such a great job! When the moment came for him to give the talk with everyone in the room he froze a little. He was pretty nervous and as I was encouraging him to start the talk and repeat after me he turned to me and in the microphone said "mom....why are you doing this to me?" haha!!!! I wanted to laugh so hard. He ended up having me do most of the speaking while he held the pictures up and agreed with me and said some of it. I heard later that most kids his age don't say anything once they get up there to the microphone so he said more than most. I was glad I had the foresight to have him give the talk and record it before he got overwhelmed with everyone in the room. So here is the recorded version of Michael's very first talk in primary on temples: Adam and I are so proud!!! :-)

I couldn't get the video uploaded to the blog because it was too long but here is a link to youtube: you might have to copy and paste it but it's worth it! So cute!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSX8qP3vTVw

Trip to the Phoenix Children's Museum:

2011-07-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

My mom has a friend that works at the phoenix children's museum and she gave us some tickets so we could go anytime we wanted. My mom had a day off work so we packed the kids up and headed down for a day of fun. We had such a great time! I love that place! The kids couldn't decide what they loved more! I'm thinking the large hanging noodles won though. haha. Can't blame them, I had a ton of fun in there too. :-)

Hailey -AKA- "Little Fish"

2011-07-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hailey has thought that she could swim from the first moment she met the water. She literally jumps in as soon as she sees the water. She LOVES to fall in and go under. She just assumes someone will always be there to save her. If you try to hold her she is the one trying to arch backwards to get her head under the water. She is just crazy about it. I have nick-named her "little fish" cause she of her love for the water and her oblivion to the dangers of it. From the first moment she knew to hold her breath under water and kick her little feet. Some people are born to be in the water....she is one of them. :-) She is normally in a swim suit but I was getting ready to take her home while the other kids swam because she was not feeling well. She had other ideas and jumped right in so we just stripped her down and let her swim with daddy for a little bit.

Sweet Family Moments...

2011-07-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sometime we just have those sweet family moments that make you say "grab a camera!" So here are some of those moments:

Look at those smiles.....

Michael & Daddy playing the piano

Michael & Mommy sleeping

<---Emma feeding her baby sister.

Hailey's First Birthday!

2011-07-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hailey is ONE!!! She is such a joy in our lives. We had originally wanted another boy but Adam and I can both agree that this little girl is probably the most enjoyable little girl in the world. She has such incredible intelligence for her age as well as witt, charm, joy.....she is such a comedian. We would not trade her for the world! We love her to pieces! Her siblings agree 100%. Michael and Emma are constantly giving her kisses and hugs and playing with her. The 3 of them are best friends. We just did a small BBQ for immediate family for her birthday. Yummy food! Hailey dug into the cupcakes. She is just so cute!!! Hailey got wonderful gifts! Beautiful outfit, books, swing, blocks, etc. We had a great time! Thank you for everyone who came and for all the great gifts! The kids played in the backyard with water fun and squirt guns. Nice thing about having so many kids so close together in age. Just having the three of them together and you've got a party! haha

Michael's First Pet!

2011-07-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Michael did a great job with potty training. He learned how to go "pee-pee" pretty quickly but he had trouble making it to the potty on time when he needed to go "poo-poo". He was always just a little late and would get skid marks in his underwear and then the rest in the potty. So we told him that when he consistently made it to the potty with no accidents that he could go pick out his very first fishy. We thought it would be a good first pet. Easy to take care of and not much clean up. Seemed to be perfect for learning responsibility for a 3 year old. He picked out the bowl, the rocks, the little tree, and the fish. He picked a beautiful beta fish. Stunning blue. He was so excited! He went with daddy and got everything and then we all put it together as a family. Michael had done a wonderful job with remembering to feed his fishy twice a day and cleaning his bowl once a week. He is so cute about it too. He named him "Chemical Fishy".....we're not sure why. haha. He even reads him a bed time story. We're looking forward to the day when we can have a puppy but for not we're enjoy fishy as a new edition to our family. :-)

Father & Son campout!

2011-05-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Our church does a father and son campout each year. This year they went up to a place called clear creek camp ground. They had such a blast! They had so much fun setting up the tent, chasing grasshoppers, eating around the campfire, hiking, and exploring the caves! They had such a great time! Michael came back so energized we could hardly contain him. He is already asking when he can go back again.

Kids cute moments

2011-05-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hailey enjoying one of her favorite treats!

The sprinklers came on for the trees and Hailey crawled right into the mud to play.

Emma & daddy dressed for church

Everyone sitting on the counter "helping" mom make dinner. Which usually is not very helpful but they think so....thats what matters. :-) Moms out there----you know what I mean. haha

Michael ready to play!

Emma just being her cute self

Hailey being praised cause she just too her first steps! Hailey has walked for Adam and walked for me a couple times but the one person that she will walk for EVERY single time is her Grandpa Weeden. Those to have a special bond. :-)

Michael and Emma outside painting....a favorite pass time

Adam has known Kaylee for years. When I met her I just loved her right away. She is awesome and we had her over for dinner one night. My kids just loved her to pieces but Michael fell IN love with her. He has asked me pretty much every day since when his girlfriend kaylee can come back and play dinosaurs haha :-) Awe..young love. haha

Emma decided that dipping her head into the water table was great fun.haha

Daddy & Hailey having a sweet moment.

The kids each decorated their own pot and picked out their own flowers. Then we all planted them together. Sadly Hailey's got knocked over and cracked so we have to make her a new one.

Eating a muffin on the carpet....oh what fun for mom. lol

Easter Party 2011

2011-05-02T11:46:00.001-07:00

Every year we go over to my Cousins house for an easter party and kind of a family reunion. This year we got lucky cause my aunts, uncles and cousins from out of state came in for Emma's birthday party and the easter party. It truly felt like a family reunion. It was awesome. We did games, easter egg hunts, good food and good people.

Emma cuddled up with all her girl cousins.

Hailey snuck into the corner to try and crack open some eggs....

Hailey and Uncle playing on the grass

Emma enjoying her girl time with cousins.

Emma & Cousin Bridgett 'shopping'

Michael sneaking into the candy....caught red handed! "What? I wasn't doing anything. honest"

Hailey checking out what the easter bunny brought her.

Emma making music with her straw.

Emma's 2nd Birthday Party!

2011-05-02T11:45:00.001-07:00

Emma birthday party was wonderful! The weather was just right! We did the bounce house, the pool, the water table, etc. The cake was made by my good friend Myra. It was amazingly yummy and looked beautiful! We got so lucky because so many family members from California and even as far as Seattle made the trip out here for her birthday. We had such a wonderful time! Emma was beside herself with joy and had to blow out her birthday candles over and over again day after day! haha. Thanks to everyone that came and for all the presents! Your personal thank you cards are in the mail. :-) Emma had a blast signing them all.

The Birthday Girl!

Cousin Ryan taking a running splash into the pool. :-)

Emma & Boompa playing with Balloons

Uncle Brandon enjoying some cake-sorry i forgot to get you your own crown. :-P

Uncle Devon, Uncle Brandon, Aunt Khristie & Cousin Ashley

Good friends Michelle, Brett and Lea

Cousin Mimi & Michael playing around

Grandma & Hailey

Grandma & Grandpa Weeden

Aunt Lisa and Cousin Mark

Adam guarding the loot! :-)

Michael & Mommy

Cousin Ashley riding the sit and spin!

Birthday girl with her beautiful crown!

Good friend Kaylee!

Bathing Beauty

Blowing out the birthday candles with friends, brother, and cousins help

Beautiful Tangled birthday cake made by a Great friend Myra

Decoration for the party. The centerpiece is wild flowers, with pots and pans and paint brushes, surrounded by a crown. If you've seen the movie you understand my decorating. :)

Cruise!!!!

2011-05-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Adam surprised me with a cruise trip! Neither of us had ever been on one but we had both always wanted to go! We had such a great time! I loved being rocked to sleep every night by the waves. They had so much to do on the ship! We went to comedy shows, Broadway shows, casino (I have to admit I played a couple penny slots...and of course lost everything. lol). We went dancing, played mini golf on the top deck of the ship. We worked out at the gym everyday followed by some time in the steam room. It was really relaxing and so fantastic! We stayed up late and slept in! We never get to do that with 3 little ones, so it was quite a treat. For dinner you are assigned a table. Since each table seats 6 and there were only 2 of us we were sat with 4 lovely ladies. They were probably the 4 funniest ladies I had ever met! They were so much fun and we looked forward to dinner every evening so we could see them and talk about what we did that day. They had us balled over laughing every night. We also had the same waiter each evening. We all became good buddies. Each night our waiters would dance and it was just so funny. We had a great time! I hope we get to do it again soon!

Thats our ship!!!

This is Manny- our waiter

Our 4 ladies!

Adam lookin so handsome in Mexico!

That's me--don't i look relaxed! haha

Our first day on the ship!

Trip to California!

2011-05-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Kids ready for the trip!

Michael ready for a pillow fight at the hotel!

Hailey loving the fishes in the pond at the library

Michael got to touch a fish!!!

Emma taking it all in with Boompa

Boompa & Hailey enjoying the dolphin splash pad @ the library

Oh Emma....water baby.

Michael showing Hailey the floor to ceiling fish tank at the library

Hailey was born for the beach!

Michael building his sand turtles

Adam had to go to Virginia Beach for Wrestling Nationals a few weeks back. The kids would miss him terribly so I decided to plan a trip of our own to take their minds off of it. My mom had a day off work so we left Friday for California! We stayed in a hotel close to the Ocean. We did trips to the worlds most awesome Library (in my opinion :-) and the beach! We had such a fantastic time! We got to visit my grandma in Chino as well, but I forgot to take my camera in. My mom got some on hers so I'm hoping to get those updated to my computer soon. I think it's amazing that my kids not only get to see their great grandma but also their Great-great grandma! She is not in the best of health but she still enjoyed visiting with the kids. Its always great when my mom can come cause my grandma and her are just the best of friends. When they get together it's like nothing had changed. So anyways...I'll get those photos up ASAP. But for now...here are the pictures from library and the beach!

Visit with Pratt Family!

2011-05-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Autumn

Ellie & Emma (already best buds)

Uncle Scott & Aunt Niki

My Uncle Scott lives in California and I have not seen him in many many years. Probably 10 years. We lost touch with each other awhile ago and then thanks to facebook we found each other! My uncle was planning to come out here with his beautiful, sweet and wonderful wife Niki and their two adorable girls Ellie and Autumn. They were staying with friends in Mesa so they could go see the baseball training out that way. I was so excited to have them over for Sunday dinner. It was a wonderful time! I love them all so much and can't wait until we can see them again! Being close with family is wonderful and I will make sure to never lose contact with them again. :-)

Christmas Morning!

2011-02-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful this year. Christmas Eve was spent at my mom's house. We celebrated my grandpa's birthday enjoying delicious food and dessert. We opened presents and had a wonderful time! When we got home we got the kids ready for bed. Michael and Emma has helped me make Santa cookies early in the day and we got those ready with a big glass of milk as well as some carrots for the reindeer. Michael insisted that the reindeer needed to be fed too. We also wrote Santa a little note thanking him for the presents and telling him that we hoped he enjoyed the cookies and to have a safe flight. Michael told me what to write and then he signed it himself. Emma made a little signature on the bottom as well. We read the kids the story of Christ's birth to remind them the real meaning of Christmas and then sent them to bed. Adam and I had a BLAST being Santa's helpers the rest of the night. We both agreed that it was more fun preparing for our children's Christmas morning than it was back when we were kids waiting for Christmas morning to come.

In the morning we had Orange Rolls, turkey bacon and hot chocolate (our breakfast tradition). Then we went to open presents. Santa had left each of the kids a special present and filled their stockings. They got way more presents than they probably should have (haha) but Santa left Michael his first bike, Emma her first Barbie doll and Hailey some baby toys and touch and feel books. Hailey was mostly just excited with the boxes and wrapping paper. :-)

Christmas evening we spend with my in-laws. We again enjoyed a wonderful meal and dessert and opening presents with wonderful company.

Our Christmas all around was fantastic! :-)

Michael started primary!!!

2011-02-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

Michael has been in nursery since he was about 12 months old. He started early because Adam and I were primary teachers and he was becoming a distraction to all the little girls that we taught. They wanted to be little mommies. :-) At the beginning of January he got to go into primary for the first time as a sunbeam! :-) He was very excited and just so adorable! He put on his little suit that his Boompa got for him and sat down at the table to eat a cookie before we left for church. He thought the pictures on the comics section of the paper were cool so he sat there reading the paper and eating his cookie in his suit. He looked like a little man about to go to the office. He does wonderful in primary! He helps hold things up for singing time and he participates in class saying prayers and answering questions. He is a little shy but is adjusting well and seems to be coming out of his shell little by little. We are so proud of our little sunbeam! :-)

Hailey & Sibling Love...

2011-02-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hailey has been growing like a weed. Michael amd Emma just adore her. They are constantly trying to teach her new things. They never want to go outside in the backyard to play without their sister. Emma loves to help get her dressed and change her diaper. She also loves to pretend to brush her hair and do her makeup with makeup brushes. They are total sisters. Hailey just lights up when Emma comes near her and loves to giggle with her. She is the same way with Michael. Michael loves to play animals with her and read books to her that he has memeorized from me reading to him. He always is desperate to get her to walk. He tries to carry her around and get her to move her feet so that she can run around with them. His hard work is starting to pay off. haha. Hailey is side stepping on the couch and standing up on her own and she is not even 9 months yet! She wants to run and play with them just as much as they do. I love watching the sibling love that they have for each other. It's awesome. :-)

Art Work

2011-02-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

The kids and I have such fun when we do arts and crafts. Michael recently learned how much fun it was to take different paper designs, cut them out and glue them on to make another pictures. Kinda of like a scrap book. He has been having a blast making all sorts of fun pictures. Emma is just learning the love of drawing and coloring in the last few months and has been enjoying helping her brother and creating her own ideas.

Cub Scouts

2011-02-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Recently I was given a new calling. I was asked to be a den leader in the cub scouts for the 8 year old wolves. I was unsure about it at first. My brother and I are 8 years apart and my son is only 3 years old, so I really had no experience with the scouting program at all. I decided to give it a shot though. I have been at it for a month or two now and I love every second of it! Working with those little guys is so much fun! We have great activities and we are teaching them such amazing skills and life lessons that will help to mold them into wonderful young men. This is probably the best calling I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. :-) Plus, now I will have great experience in helping Michael when he gets to the cub scout age.

Hiking

2011-02-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

We are very blessed to have a beautiful mountain with hiking trails very close to our home. Lately we have been taking the kids everyone morning we have to go hiking up the mountain. They are getting better and better at going down the steep hills and climbing up the mountain. We have a great time hiking together as a family and enjoying this beautiful earth God created for us.

Family Pictures 2010

2010-12-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

We finally got our family pictures done for 2010. It was quite an interesting afternoon. We got some great action shots but getting the kids to actually settle down enough to talk photo's was very difficult. In the end Adam and I just kind of threw our hands up in the air, laughed, and said "well....at least they will show what a circus our life is...and just how much fun we have living it." We had probably 80 shots but here is a little snap of what the day was like. We were also really excited because we took some shots up next to a mountain and a coyote came down really close to us. Michael was so excited! He was off searching for the coyote with daddy half the time. ha ha.

Hailey Growing.....

2010-11-19T14:10:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe Hailey is already 5 1/2 months old. In some cases in feels like she was just born and in others....well I just can't imagine my world without her. She is very high maintenance. She wants to be held all the time. Not just held but she needs to be up and walking around. She talks constantly and is going to eat us out of house and home before she turns one. haha But she is just a joy!!! She smiles so much and just loves to be around people. She is doing a scoot/crawl. She can get around just fine though. If you put her on the floor across the room from one of her siblings she will make her way over to them and try to play with their toys. She just looks up and them and smiles her biggest smile. She is so precious and we all love her so much! :-)

She just loves to talk! She loves to eat!

Beware on the roads!!!!

2010-11-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

My dad came to visit from California for Michael's 3rd birthday and brought him a ford F-150 truck! Emma sits in the passenger seat and controls the radio while Michael drives them up and down the street. It's pretty cute. He is getting better at stearing without help now but before we thought we might have to pay for a few repairs on the cars up and down the streets. ha ha

Hail Storm!

2010-11-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago we had a huge hail storm in Arizona. In Phoenix that is very rare so we were pretty excited! They started out like little normal hail size balls and then all of sudden huge golf balls started to fall. It broke car windows, dented cars. It was insane! My kids kids were really excited!!! As was I! I LOVE storms! :-) We got some video....

Playing with Grandpa :-)

2010-11-19T09:32:00.001-08:00

The kids had such a great time running around their grandparents house with daddy, uncle and Grandpa Weeden. It seems to have become a tradition every time we are over there. :-) Fun fun!!!

Michael 3rd Birthday!

2010-11-19T09:22:00.000-08:00

I can not believe that my little boy is 3 years old!!! He is getting so big! :-) He had an awesome 'how to train your dragon' birthday party. We had help from lots of people and we enjoyed all the wonderful company we had to celebrate with us! Here are a few pictures from his big day! :-)

Michael & friend Wilson playing with Dinosaur Moutain!

Michael opening his dinosaurs puppets!

Uncle Brandon being.....uncle brandon. :-P

Michael and his friends getting an early taste of the cake! sneaky... :-P

Emma riding on Uncles shoulders

Michael blowing out his candles! Congrats big boy!!! :-)

Fun outside! :-)

My mom drew a picture of Michael's favorite dragon!

My good friend Myra made his dragon cake and it turned out so wonderful!!!

Michael's 1st Fishing Trip!

2010-11-19T09:19:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago Adam took Michael to Cabela's and Michael picked out his very first fishing pole! Adam found a great park close to our house that stocks the lake with fish every week. So last Wednesday Adam took the day off work and he, Michael and Grandpa Weeden went to the lake and taught Michael to fish. They didn't catch anything but Michael still had a great time hanging out with the boys, chasing ducks and learning how to push the worm on the hook. :-) Such great memories!

Pumpkin Farm!

2010-11-19T09:14:00.001-08:00

My mom found this great little pumpkin farm near our house. It was so much fun! The kids loved it! They had tons of different farm animals that the kids got to feed and touch, a huge bounce house, tractor rides, pumpkin patches, and more! We had a great time and plan to make it a fall tradition. The kids also picked out their pumpkin and we took it home and carved it but I forgot to take a picture of that. :-P

Michael's day at the zoo!

2010-11-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

We try to take trips to the zoo once a week. The kids love it there! It's gotten a bit difficult with three little kids. Michael is pretty good about staying with me and Hailey is strapped to me in the little backpack so she doesn't have a choice (haha) but Emma is a free spirit and tends to do her own thing and beat to her own drum. The more I call for her to stop when she takes off running, the faster she runs and more she laughs. The last time we went to the zoo she took off and almost ran right into the little lake after a duck. Luckily the construction workers were there cause trying to run with a backpack baby strapped on, pushing a stroller, and holding Michael's hand dragging him along ....well it wasn't pretty. The construction workers saw what was happening, dropped their tools and caught her before she ran in the water. I've been scared to death to go back ever since. haha :-)

Emma .....

2010-08-21T21:53:00.001-07:00

Emma has been learning to feed herself with a spoon. Grandma Weeden had the idea to take her outside, lock her in the chair and have at it! She had a great time getting messy and getting some practice in. We also were able to capture Emma dancing to her favorite cartoon 'Backyardgans'. She gets so excited!!! You will have to forgive the mess on the floor around her as she dances. Her big brother decided that moment was a great time to dump his basket of toys on the floor. :-) Life with 3 under 3! It's an adventure and I'm loving every minute of it!

Hailey's Blessing Day!

2010-08-21T21:44:00.001-07:00

Hailey's blessing day was so beautiful! She looked like an angel dressed all in white. The words of the blessing were precious and spoken so beautifully by Adam. We were so grateful to all those that were able to attend this beautiful day with us. Many traveled from far away to be there and we were so happy and grateful! All the help was greatly appreciated as well! Thank you! Enjoy the pictures from Hailey's big day!

Hailey Rose Weeden

Our attempt at a family photo! haha

Mom, Dad & Baby Hailey

Hailey with Uncle Brandon

Hailey with Grandma Weeden

Hailey with 'Boompa' Tobler

What an angel!

Mommy & Emma

Papa Pratt & Emma

Uncle Brandon & Emma

Maren & Hailey

Janet, Lorin & Hailey

Grandma Weeden, Adam & Hailey

Fishing Trip!

2010-08-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Adam, Paul and Brandon went up to Lee's Ferry to get some fly fishing in. They caught some beautiful fish, enjoyed the scenery and had some great father/sons time! A trip to remember!!! Here are some pictures:

Sibling Love!

2010-08-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

Everyday is such a blessing with our three little ones. Michael has taken on the big brother roll and loves it! He has his moments but for the most part he loves to play with his sisters and protect them. When I put Hailey down to sleep Michael is right there tucking a blanket in around her saying "snug as a bug in a rug." In the morning if he wakes up first, he refuses to touch his toys until Emma can get up and play with him. Emma is loving it! She loves to have Michael chase her and she adores Hailey! She could sit and watch her all day. Hailey smiles the most when her brother and sister are talking to her. She just lights up! The love that they have for each other is truly special. We are so blessed!

Bird Nest!

2010-08-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

During our last monsoon a branch on the tree in our backyard started to fall down. Early today we went out to look at it. I spotted a birds nest! I lifted Michael up to see it and to our surprise we saw two little baby birds looking back at us. Michael was in pure heaven!

Kids Projects

2010-08-19T15:57:00.001-07:00

We have been having lots of fun days. My mom-in-law gave me a great book called "101 things to do to keep your kids busy." It's been so great. The kids and I do one thing each day and we have been having a blast! I try to capture some random pictures when I can:

Michael found a cricket and was loving chasing me around the house with it.

Fun in the sun!

Indoor sandbox made of dried oatmeal. Easy clean up and lots of fun!

Pudding with food coloring makes for great art projects and yummy finger food!

Our home made obstacle course. We made it a lot more elaborate as the day went on. By the time we were done the course ran through the entire downstairs!

Hailey as she grows.....

2010-08-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hailey is growing like a weed! She had a rough start with the jaundice but now that she is clear of that she seems to be making up for lost time. She does new things every day that bring us lots of smiles! Lately she seems to be smiling and giving us coo's constantly! She is a true blessing to our growing family. :-)

Hailey with Papa Pratt

Hailey with Great-Grandma Dean

Hailey trying out the Bumbo chair

Hailey sleeping on daddy

Hailey and mommy---featuring Michael's feet :-)

Bath time!

Such an angel!

Michael just adores his sister!!

Our first day home!

2010-06-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

I was blessed enough to get released from the hospital with Hailey just 24 hours after giving birth. I was anxious to get home and get back to my other kids and my normal routine! We have been VERY blessed by our families help and the Relief Society sisters bringing in meals for us. Being at home has been wonderful. The adjustment has been fairly easy so far. I'm sure once Hailey is awake more during the day it will get a little more stressful but so far so good! Michael is a wonderful big brother and loves to help me in anyway he can. Emma has started being a big helper too. Both love and adore their little sister! We still manage to have tons of fun play time together and Adam has been able to come home from work earlier so that he can help me and do individual play time with the kids. Thank you to everyone for all the help!!! You have all made this process much easier than I expected. Espeically to my husband for being so wonderful and supportive through everything! :-)

(Mommy & Hailey leaving the hospital)

Hailey's first ride in the car seat

We have to put her in through the truck cause we have the other two in the front! What will we do when number 4 arrives!!! haha

Arriving at home!

Hailey & Daddy

Daddy already in love :-)

Michael holding Hailey's hand

Michael showing Hailey his little dinosaurs

Michael holding Hailey

He LOVES his new little sister....until she starts stealing his toys. haha

She is so adorable!

He could hold her all day long.

Hailey Rose Weeden

2010-06-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

I had been in the early stages of labor for a couple of days. I got to the second stage (the much more painful stage) at about 4pm on June 1st. I did my best to get through until the kids went to bed. It was made more difficult because my sweet adorable little boy thinks he has the "magical hugs" to make mommy's pain go away. So every time a contraction hit and I went over in pain, Michael would run over and hug me and say "owie all gone momma!" and no matter if that contraction was over or not I put on a smiley face and gave him a huge thank you hug. My wonderful mother in law come over after the kids went to bed and we headed to the hospital around 11pm. At this point I was in a pretty good amount of pain but was trying to breathe through it best I could. I've learned from past pregnancies that I don't dilate easily on my own. So when the Dr at my appointment early that day said I was at a 2cm I wasn't surprised. But after an entire afternoon and evening in pretty bad pain I figured I had made some serious progress! However, when I got to the hospital and they checked me they said I was a 2 1/2cm. I about died! Are you kidding me!!! My contractions are every one minute and it HURTS! That is when we discovered the reason I was in such horrible pain was because little miss Hailey was turned the wrong way and I was having back labor. Sadly, Hailey decided to send me into labor ONE day before my 39th week was to start. That means that the hospital can not admit me until my water has broken or I am at a 4cm and in active labor. So they told me I had to get up and walk around to try and improve my dilation before they would admit me.

Adam was starving so I sent him to get himself some food. The contractions were bad and they were close together but I was breathing through them pretty well and figured I could survive without him for a little bit. As I got up out of bed and stood up straight I thought the pain was going to kill me. That back labor is AWFUL! I tried to pace the floor of my room but every contraction that hit sent me bent over the counter. They got a ton more intense very quickly. Adam got back to the room and saw a totally different person. I was crying the pain was so awful. I did my best to make it through the hour they wanted me to wait but eventually Adam couldn't stand seeing me in so much pain and he went for the nurse to check me early. Luckily I had finally arrived at a 4cm. The nurse said she could clearly see I was in active labor and would have lied about my dilation just to get me admitted. :-)

I thought I was home free when they put the epidural in... I assure you that during back labor an epidural was a MUST HAVE in the moment. However, lucky me.... my epidural only numbed the right side of my body and even the right side wasn't all that numb. I still could've gotten up and walked no problem. So the contractions were still painful. Not as painful, but still enough that I had to breathe through each one. My wonderful nurse, Bailey, came back to check on me after a few hours cause I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure and pain in my upper thigh. As she walked over to the monitors she said that the baby had finally flipped to the right position. Yeah! And then my water broke! haha. So she checked my dilation and we figured out what that pain in the upper thigh and lower bottom was... I needed to push! The baby was practically falling out. She had to walk me through slow deep breaths so I wouldn't push while they got everything set up. The doctor barely arrived in time. I did one practice push with the nurse and then one more push and there she was! Our beautiful little girl! At 5:22am: 7 pounds 20 inches long and PERFECT! I couldn't believe how much she looked just like Emma. Luckily, she has a ton more hair than Emma had. Maybe all those bows I made for Emma will actually have good use this time around! :-)

The after math of everything went perfectly. She passed all her tests with perfect scores. As did I! As visitors came we all struggled with finding a name for her. We had it narrowed down to Alyssa, Kaitlynn or Mackenzie. As I spent more time with her I just knew none of those were right. I have always felt very strongly about my kids names and knew they were right when we picked them out. The one name I got that feeling for was 'Hailey'. The problem was my niece is named 'Haley'. My beautiful sister in law beat me to the punch. So I started talking to my sister in law about my feelings and asked what she thought and she was SO wonderful and said that if that was her name then I HAD to name her that or I would regret it. Plus we don't see each other very often (live in different states). So we decided I would spell it differently. We finally picked the name and finalized it on the birth certificate about half hour before I went home.

All the visitors were wonderful and I thank you for all the support and help! My mom and Adam's mom were huge helps in watching our kids for us while we were at the hospital. It was so reassuring to know that Michael and Emma were in good hands. It was also the most amazing experience to watch Michael and Emma be introduced to their new baby sister. Both of them just adore her! Michael has already taken on the big brother protector role and it's precious! Even though I know they will all have their sibling issues as they grow up together (especially being so close in age)... I also know that they love each other and they will always be there for each other. If Adam and I were ever gone those three beautiful children would have each other. That touches my heart in so many ways and I feel so blessed and privileged to have the opportunity to raise them and teach them and most of all to love each and every one of them.

Adam cutting the cord

She cried n cried for the first hour. We had no idea she had a poopy diaper right after she was born.

Mommy & Hailey Rose

Nurse Bailey--she is so awesome!

Daddy changing the very first poopy diaper--poor daddy :-P

Grandma Tobler & Hailey

Grandma Weeden & Hailey

Grandpa Weeden & Hailey

Michael meeting Hailey

Emma meeting Hailey

Look at that smile!

Great Aunt Janelle meeting Hailey

Great Grandpa Tobler meeting Hailey

Uncle Brandon home for a visit!

2010-06-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Uncle Brandon came home for a weekend visit from college (BYUI). If you know my kids, you know how much they LOVE uncle Brandon! So when he comes home for a visit they get so excited! This time was no different. It was even more fun because the pool was warm enough to swim in! Michael would jump in to Brandon or Adam from the side of the pool, or one of them would throw Michael into the air on his noodle. Michael even swam the length of the pool on his noodle! Not sure how I felt about that... proud of scared to death! He didn't even ask. He just got in the pool, grabbed his noodle, and off he went! :-P That kid has no fear! Emma of course was sweet as can be. She just loves her uncle and all his attention.

(Michael being throw in the air by daddy)

(Daddy & Michael tickling Uncle Brandon)

(Uncle Brandon & Emma)

(Uncle Brandon, his friend Heather & Emma)

(Uncle teaching Emma to swim!)

Father/Son campout!

2010-06-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Recently our ward had their annual father/son campout. Adam was so excited that Michael was finally old enough to go! I got the boys all packed up and when Adam got home from work they headed out. Michael was so excited all day he could hardly control himself! He kept talking about all the great things they were going to see and do! Michael got to help put the tent up and was beyond excited that he got to sleep on an air mattress next to daddy all night. They popped popcorn over the fire and had a great time! I know both daddy and Michael are looking forward to next years trip! :-)

Emma & Daddy

2010-06-09T11:53:00.001-07:00

Emma has become a complete daddy's girl lately. When he walks into the room her face lights up like the 4th of July! When I say "daddy's home!" she goes running to the door and into his arms before he can even put his stuff down. It's the most precious thing in the world and I love to see it! When Adam lays down on the floor she loves to run at him as fast as she can and pounce on him. They wrestle around and play together. He chases her around the house and she giggles so loud and happily. It's truly the cutest thing in the world! The other day he was feeding her dinner and she was so proud that she was in her daddy's arms. I had to capture a few quick photos.

Sunday Dinners

2010-05-15T12:50:00.001-07:00

Every Sunday we have dinner with my wonderful in-laws! It gives me a nice break from cooking dinner and gives us all a chance to get together and spend time with one another. This past week I remembered to take the camera to capture some fun times with the grandparents! :-)

Daddy being a tickle monster to Emma

Daddy doing puzzles with Michael

Daddy playing with the kiddo's

Grandpa and Emma hanging out

Grandma playing peek-a-boo with Michael

Emma rolling around with Grandma

Emma enjoying an ice cream sandwich!

Cute Kids....

2010-05-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

I take random pictures when the kids are being adorable or when something funny happens. The other day we were playing out front waiting for daddy to get home (the kids favorite time of the day!--mine too! But who wouldn't want that handsome man coming home to you! :-)) There was a can of mountain dew that I was drinking (I know I'm horrible but I don't do it often and I was going on VERY little sleep so I needed a little something to keep me moving.) Michael was so excited and put up his little fingers and said "Momma, please just a little sip." So I gave in because he's so darn cute and said "Just a little sip." He nursed that sip forever! haha. As much as his Grandpa Weeden loves mountain dew I knew that this picture would make him smile. :-)

Emma is a true girly girl but she also LOVES to be outside and play in the dirt. She just sits her little booty down and starts covering her arms and legs in dirt. She gets the biggest smile on her face when she is discovered. :-)

We had a lot of left over balloons from Emma's birthday party. Michael had the smart idea to put them all in the little corner between the couches and jump in them. He has been having a blast every since! He even dragged daddy into the corner and they buried themselves in balloons. :-)

(Michael sucking down a very long 'sip' of mountain dew)

(Emma playing in the dirt and covering her legs)

(Michael in his balloon pit)

(Daddy & Michael in the balloon pit)

Zoo Day!

2010-05-06T13:26:00.001-07:00

Adam has been taking a evening class for his MBA (which he is almost done with! Yeah honey!) on Wednesdays. Since the class is down by his work there is no use in him coming home and driving back down so he just works really late and goes straight to class. The kids and I decided that he needed to take a long lunch last week, so we called him to meet us at the zoo for an hour or so. The kids were SO excited when Daddy walked up. We didn't have a ton of time so we let Michael lead the way. We make trips to the zoo often, so he knew what he wanted to show his daddy. We headed straight for the komodo dragon! After that Michael wanted to show daddy Emma's favorite spot, so we went into the monkey walk. Emma thinks it is beyond hilarious when the little spider monkeys are running around on the ropes. Sadly there weren't many monkeys out that day. Right across from the monkey walk is the big water cave. I totally forgot about it so I didn't bring swimsuits or towels but that didn't stop our kids! haha. We stripped Michael down to his shorts and just let Emma go for it. Adam kicked off his shoes and rolled up his pants and had a blast playing with the kids. I got to sit my pregnant self down in the shade, take pictures and just enjoy watching my wonderful family have so much fun! :-)

(Daddy & Michael looking at the ducks and turtles)

(Daddy walking Emma through the water cave for the first time!)

(Michael loving every second of the water fun!)

(Emma loving it as the water splashes up on her)

(He is so cute!)

(Emma exploring the water...it was really funny when the water shot up in her face. She loved it.)

(I have such a great looking family! I could take pictures of them all day!)

(Daddy helping Michael and Emma explore the "pretend" lizard at the komodo dragon exhibit)

Emma's 1st Birthday!

2010-05-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time at Emma's 1st birthday party! We had a house full of family and friends! We filled the front room with tons and tons of balloons and the kids had a blast!!! Luckily Emma woke up from her nap first so she really got to enjoy them before her big brother came through like a tornado! haha. She ran through them back and forth giggling and laughing. She was in heaven! She was in such a great mood all day showing off for everyone and being as cute as can be! It's hard to believe our little angel is already a year old & yet it's hard to imagine life before she was a part of it. She is such a joy! She is also a TOTAL girl! I swear, I don't know where she gets it. I'm not much of a girly girl but she is!!! Without being taught she loves to carry around purses. She was always trying to lug my big purse around so we finally got her a little one of her own and she loves to put her play cell phone and keys inside and carry it around with her. At her birthday party she was digging into the presents faster than I could open them and she would pull out all the clothes and carry them around close to her chest as if they were her prize possessions. It was adorable!!! She also already loves to talk on the phone. She puts it up to her ear and says "hello! hello!" Sometimes if no one is there she'll just dial numbers until she gets the operator saying its a wrong number. She thinks they are talking to her and she loves it! haha. We are having such fun watching her grow. Her brother picks on her... as any big brother will do, but they love each other so much. You should see the smiles on each others faces when they wake up in the morning and see each other. They always give hugs and kisses 'night night' before bed. Whenever she falls down he is right there trying to pick her up or taking me over to her and telling me "momma, emma up." So cute! We couldn't feel more blessed!

(BIRTHDAY GIRL & HER PURPLE BALLOON!)

(I'd like to say that the kids were there playing with the balloons with my mom, grandpa, and uncle but truly I think they were just being big kids and tossing the balloons back and forth between each other. haha!)

(Grandpa Weeden & Michael)

(Checking out her presents)

(Emma's very own mini birthday cake!)

(Emma trying her first finger full of birthday frosting.)

(Getting ready to blow out the candles!)

(Emma blowing out the birthday candle with big brothers help!)

(Beautiful birthday cake done by my friend Myra!--Thank you!--)

(Emma sucking on a lime....she is so my daughter! Some people make sour faces, but not us! We love um!)

(Michael playing outside with his buddy Lincoln)

(Some birthday pizza! She ate about 2 slices all by herself. The girl can eat!)

(Emma being adorable as always!)

(Uncle Devon giving Emma her first taste of the famous Cherry-limeade! Of course she loved it! She is my daughter after all! :-)

(Michael playing with Great-Papa Tobler)

(Michael catching balloons from Grandma Weeden)

(Michael & Papa Pratt sticking balloons on the wall)

(Mommy & Birthday Girl!)

(Tinkerbell theme)

(Crawling through the balloons!)

(Emma scouting out her presents)

Easter 2010!

2010-05-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Every Easter we go over to my great aunt and uncles house and celebrate with family. Its a great get together where we can visit with great food, company, lots of kids, and an Easter egg hunt! This year was even better because my aunt and uncle from California were able to make the trip out with their amazing two little kids. Michael and their son Ryan are about 2 years apart in age and get along great. We had a blast! Here are a few pictures:

(Michael collecting as many balls from the yard as possible!)

(Cousin Ryan showing off his loot after the egg hunt!)

(Uncle Brandon, Aunt Khristie & Cousin Ashley during the hunt!)

(Daddy opening candy DURING the egg hunt because Michael couldn't stand to wait! HAHA! He hasn't quite got the right idea yet.)

(Michael finding an egg in the bush)

(Michael finding an egg in the rocks)

(More eggs!)

(Emma getting help from brother and Uncle Devon on the tricycle)

(Daddy and Michael playing catch)

(Uncle Devon & Emma)

(Michael trying to play ball with the big kids!)

(Emma sitting at the table and ready to eat!)

("Boompa" & Emma clapping! Check out those dirty feet! Thank goodness she finally figured out how to walk with shoes!)

(Emma joining in the ball fun!)

Miracle Baby!

2010-05-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

A few days before Emma's first birthday we experienced what I would only describe as a miracle. We have a china cabinet filled with my grandparents china. In the bottom part of it I store some of the kids favorite books for when we have story time downstairs. Emma knows how to open the bottom part because she loves to pull her books out and look at them or bring them to me when she wants to read.

I was cleaning the kitchen while Michael and Emma were in the other room playing and doing puzzles. I walked in to check on them and as I entered the room I had a slow motion moment that made my heart stop and yet it happened too fast for me to react. Michael later told me he was trying to get to the candy dish and had tried to climb onto the cabinet (I didn't see that part). All I saw was the china cabinet doors flung up as the glass shelf fell forward and all of my china falling out. Emma was sitting directly under the doors reading her books. The china crashed down and shattered. The way it was falling it SHOULD had fallen and shattered directly on top of her head. Instead I watched as it fell and shattered all around her in almost a perfect circle. Not one piece of china fell on her and she had not one scratch on her. I broke down in tears as I realized that we had just experienced a true miracle and that my baby girl was kept safe. After I got the kids safely away and cleaned it all up the 3 of us said a prayer to thank our heavenly father for keeping them safe.

Funny Michael stories....

2010-03-26T20:31:00.001-07:00

I have three stories to share that I just couldn't keep to myself.

1st)
A couple days ago Michael had woken up from his nap in a rather cranky mood so I thought I would sit with him and we could eat some lunch and watch something on TV until he was awake enough to go run around outside like usual. The movie Eragon was on the Disney channel. I thought "Michael LOVES dragons. What's cooler than a dragon movie." I had forgotten about the scary guy in the movie. When it got to the part in the beginning where the scary guy comes in (and truly that guy scares the crap out of me too) I turned it off realizing it was probably too scary with a little boy with a big imagination. Sadly, Michael had seen too much and that night about an hour after he had gone to bed he woke up with a nightmare crying about there being "bad guys." I was SO proud of Michael when the first thing he asked of us was to say a prayer. Often when Michael is having a hard day or when I am having a tough day we get down on our knees and we say a prayer to help us feel better. I was so happy to see that he had learned to do that when he was scared. A few minutes after we put him back to bed he started crying again and Adam went in to check on him. I was doing laundry and cleaning up and thought Adam was downstairs. When I went down I realized he wasn't down there. It had been a good hour since we put Michael down so I wasn't sure where Adam was. Little did I know that in Michael's CRIB lay daddy and Michael snuggled up together. Poor Adam was scrunched like a ball and every time he tried to get out, thinking Michael was sleeping, Michael would wake up and push his daddy's head back onto the pillow and told him to go to sleep. :-) So precious!

2nd)
Another moment when you realize that you are teaching your kids good things and that they really do watch EVERYTHING...... Often times if I've had a rough day with the kids or something like that Adam will surprise me with flowers. He always tells Michael that he got mommy flowers cause she wasn't feeling well. So this past weekend my mom was having a really hard day and she came over to my house to play with the kids cause what better cure for a bad day then playing with the grand babies. :-) I told Michael when my mom was on the way over that grandma was having a hard day and we had to treat her extra special. So do you know what my sweet little boy did...... he pulled a flower off the bush out front of our house and then went to the grass and pulled up the purple and yellow weed flowers in the front yard. He put them all together and showed me. I told him they were beautiful and thanked him for bringing me flowers and he pulled them away and said "no! for Boompa!" (he calls his grandmas Boompa cause he can't say Grandma). He held onto those flowers tightly for about 15 minutes until she pulled up and then he ran to the car and gave them to her. :-)

3rd)
Friday night we had some of Adam's wrestling team over to watch the NCAA wrestling championships and have a BBQ. Michael was in heaven! He loved having so many boys to wrestle with and show off his toys. When it came time for bed Adam and I took Michael upstairs for a quick bedtime routine. Michael begged for "all the wrestlers" to come upstairs. He went and asked them nicely to please go upstairs with him. So there we were... Adam, Michael, mommy, and 4 big high school wrestlers reading Elmo story books and then we all joined in for a chorus of "home home on the range" and "ABCs". It was the funniest thing ever but Michael was beyond thrilled! :-)

Visit with Papa Pratt

2010-03-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

Recently my dad came in for a visit. He lives in California so he doesn't make it out here very often. I couldn't believe how quickly my shy kids took to him. Michael was Papa's best friend after about 5 minutes. He wouldn't go anywhere without him. Papa had to carry him everywhere, play with all his toys with him and he wouldn't even let me get him out of his car seat....had to be papa. :-) It was adorable and I loved seeing it! Emma was the same. She loved playing with papa and was constantly begging for his attention. We got some of the cutest video's of Papa teaching Emma to play soccer and her laughing hysterically! Another video was Papa chasing Michael around the backyard. The kids were in heaven! Sadly, I can't get the video's to upload but I'll share our pictures. :-) We went to Cabelas..... Michael's favorite store! It also happens to be my dad and Adam's favorite. So the boys were beyond thrilled to spend the afternoon there. :-) Most of the pictures are from there. Enjoy! I know we did!

Papa and Emma

Michael strangling a turkey he found---so serious! haha
Daddy showing Michael the owl

Michael showing Papa the animals

Emma thinking the dead Zebra was beyond funny! haha

Daddy and Emma with the animals

Papa and Michael being "serious"

Papa and Michael walking into the store

Playin' around......

2010-03-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

We have been having lots of fun playing at home lately. The kids have such a great time playing on the stairs together. They love to set up animals and knock them off. Michael loves to jump off the stairs and in my attempt to teach Emma to crawl DOWN the stairs she thought it would also be fun to fling herself from the top......yes, i nearly had a heart attack! But the smile on her face and the laughter coming from that little body was priceless.

Michael's new favorite activity is pulling weeds. A couple weeks ago we were all in the backyard helping daddy pull weeds and Michael couldn't get enough. Now poor Adam sits out there with him and pulls weeds even when he would rather just use the weed killer. It's cute watching the two of them together though. Michael will even get a bowl and fill it up with the weeds he has pulled throughout the day so he can show his daddy when he gets home from work. Adam makes a big deal about what a big helper Michael is and the little guy just glows from head to toe to have his daddy proud of him. :-) So cute!

Michael loves to have "art time" during the day. We color in our books, or draw pictures, etc. We were in our backyard and there were some leaves that had fallen off the tree. Michael collected them and I was trying to think what we could do with them. So we got some crayons and paper and I showed him how to make some art out of it. He added his own spirals and lines all over to decorate it and decided to give it to daddy. :-)

Emma is always trying to get into trouble. She LOVES water. We have to keep the bathroom doors closed cause she knows how to lift the lid off the toilet and have blast splashing around in the toilet. She tries to climb in the dishwasher to play with the left over water in the bottom and when it rains the little roller coaster in the backyard will sometimes get a puddle of water. The other morning she was out walking around and decided to crawl through the puddle and splash around for awhile. So cute! :-)

(Playin' on the stairs)

(Pulling weeds)

(Caught playing in the water)

(Leaf art project for daddy)

(Peek-a-boo!)

Zoo Day!

2010-03-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back my mom mentioned that she always heard about us going to the zoo but she wanted to see it! So she took a Friday morning off work (since I would never attempt the zoo on a Saturday---too crowded). We had a blast! Michael fed the giraffe (one of his favorite things to do). We rode the carousel and looked at as many animals as we could fit in the morning. He was quite fascinated with the zebras this time around. Emma was happy to ride in the stroller and eat her sucker. She is so cute. She loves to see the animals but I think her favorite part is seeing how excited her brother gets by them. They love to see each other happy. Michael would run over to her and make sure she could see the animal and she was just happily look at her brother and feed off his excitement. You can't beat having two kids that love each other so much. It's adorable! :-)

Hangin' from the tree

2010-01-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

In our backyard we have a beautiful tree and Michael has recently realized that he can not only store his football and basketball up in the branches but he can also hang from the trees. We did it OVER AND OVER again but it was so cute seeing how happy he was about it as he held on and then let go and landed on his feet.

Trip to the snow!

2010-01-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

We were supposed to drive up to the white mountains for Adam's annual wrestling tournament but my grandpa was in the hospital and really sick so we wanted to stay close to home. The kids wanted to see the snow so badly though that we decided to take a little day trip up to Flagstaff. My mom, the kids and I left Friday morning and hung out in the snow for a few hours and had some lunch then we drove back home. It was a great trip! The kids were easy to handle cause they were in our new mini van with a DVD player! They were in heaven and no trouble at all. :-) Emma was ok with the snow at first but when she realized how cold it was she was not a fan any longer..... she is so her fathers daughter. haha! Michael however takes after me and LOVED every second! We had to drag him away. He threw snow balls, made snow men, snow angels, and ate every bit of snow he could get his hands on! His lips were so blue when we left! It was a great time though and I can't wait to do it again! We were SO grateful to have the cute hats that Grandma Weeden made for the kids. They worked perfectly and kept the kids nice and warm as well as very cute! Thanks Grandma Weeden!! :-)

(Playin' in the log cabin)

(Building a snowman with 'Boompa')

(Adding the arms to the snowman)

(Hugging his sister in the wagon)

(Just chillin')

(Emma and Boompa)

(So happy! Right before she realized snow is cold!)

(Michael stuffing his face with snow)

(Mommy joining in the snow eating fun)

(He is so adorable!)