Happy Birthday Kim!

This week I want to give a shout-out to my mother-in-law Kim, who had a birthday this past week. I think that she is a remarkable woman and would like to share a few things I love about her. First, I love her huge supply of energy. I have never met anyone who is constantly on the go like she is. Kim always has a full calendar, yet still is able to help out anyone if needed. For example, I felt comfortable calling her at 3 a.m. when I went into labor with Emmi because I knew she would help take care of my boys.

Second, she is a terrific listener. Most of my time spent over at her house is in conversation with her, and I love it. We have a lot in common and can talk for hours with no interruption. Chad always shakes his head when I am on the phone with her because he knows that it might take awhile, but what can I say? The first night Chad took me home to meet his family I remember sitting at their kitchen table and talking with Kim and (hubby Kirk) for a long time. They are both so easy to talk to, and I remember feeling a connection right away, like I had known them for years and I was coming home. I knew then that I was meant to be in their family. Kim has also been a great listener when it has come to my anxiety issues and has always been genuinely interested and sympathetic to them. This especially has meant a great deal to me.

My third thing I love about Kim is how she cooks. I have learned a lot about cooking from watching her these past few years, and she never ceases to amaze me with her delicious dinners. She has taught me how to "eye it" when it comes to measuring, (which in the past, always ended in a disaster for me) and how to substitute ingredients. One time the two of us were making apple cobbler for dessert and to save on fat, Kim didn't want to use butter. So she grabbed a fruity flavored water from the fridge to use instead. I thought she was kidding, but she wasn't and we both got a good laugh. Her cooking always ends up so good no matter the substitute, I don't know how she does it!!

Finally, her love of the gospel. You can always count on Kim to do the right thing, and to attend her church meetings even if on vacation or sicker than a dog. She became a convert to the church at a young age, and her commitment to it is very evident. She is a great example to me of how to serve in the church, no matter the calling and how to live a righteous life. Kim is a wonderful lady and I am so grateful to her for raising my sweet handsome hubby and for letting me be a part of her family. I love you Mom, and I hope you've had a great birthday!!

Picture Time

As you can see by the new header, we were able to get some pictures taken with an awesome photographer just a few weeks ago. This is our second year having Angela Lilyquist take our family pictures, so naturally I would highly recommend her if anyone out there is looking for a photographer. Her website is http://www.lilyquistphotography.com/. She took so many good pictures, I had to post just a few more of my favorites.. enjoy!!

The Big "Scip-po" Sleepover

My siblings, parents, sweet Grandma, (and my little fam of course) went down to Scipio ( or "Scip-po" as Sam says) for the weekend. We stayed in a cute remodeled farmhouse and really had quite a party! Like my sister Erin has said on her blog before, there is not that much to do down there, but it was very relaxing to just visit, play outside, sleep and eat and eat and eat! My brother in-law Rob, was generous enough to give Tanner and Keaton rides on his motorcycle. I think they are too cute in their helmets!!Keaton and Rob, just taking off. You'll notice there isn't a picture of Sam, he opted out of this one, saying it was "too scawey."The grass was pretty high when we got down there until Rob gave the mower a ride too. We were joking that if he didn't mow it, we might lose my little Peaunt out there, ha ha ha! Again, he was sweet enough to give the boys rides and again, Sam opted out.
Peanut and Sam on the swings. Thanks Grandpa B for all the pushing!!
"Damma" brought down lots of bubbles much to the kids delight. My boys are finally learning how to blow them on their own, however we did have a little incident where one of them got too close and got a mouthful. This is Sam, my sis Erin and Grandma Hess.Again, this is my niece Lauren and Sam with the bubbles. I took this picture because this crazy boy insisted on wearing his "dinosaur jacket" although it was about 4:00 in the afternoon and over 80 degrees. What a kid!!
One of my favorite things I did during the trip was play Guitar Hero, with which I have become obsessed. Since I first started playing about a month ago at my parents house, I have asked Chad if he would play with me and he kept saying no. Well, imagine my surprise when I came inside the house to find him playing with my Dad! What a turkey! I don't care, because I think he played enough this weekend to get the bug too and will hopefully let me get my own Wii in the near future- hee hee hee! My cute Dad is actually really good at this game and kicks my butt, my Mom really isn't as bad as she says she is, and we got my Grandma to try a few songs and she wasn't half bad either! Go Grams! Thanks again Erin and Rob for letting us all come down and stay, it was a great weekend!

T-Ball Game

This summer Keaton is old enough to play T-Ball, so we decided to give it a try and see if he enjoys it. So far so good, however, the poor little guy doesn't quite get the gist of the game quite yet. I recorded his first time at bat and uploaded it down below. All I can say is that he needs a lot of help out there, bless his little heart. Thank goodness he is loving the chance to play and learn and has been improving each game. Way to go Keek!!

A short trip and the zoo...

One of the reasons I have been slacking on my blog lately, is this last week I took the kids up to have a sleepover at my parent's house. I didn't have anything going on, and I needed a break from our every day routine. Lucky for us, Grandma and Grandpa "B" were happy to have us come crash for a few days. I have to admit that I really don't like being away from Chad for more than one night, but when else do I get the chance to stay up late laughing, doing a puzzle with my brother, play Guitar Hero until also very late with my sister, get a little shopping done without the kids and chat for a few hours in person with my mama? Not only did I have a good time, but my boys are literally counting down the days until they get to have a sleepover again with Damma and B.(Thanks again guys, for letting us come stay!) One of the highlights must have been the morning we spent at the zoo with my brother J, sister Abby and her two kids, Tanner and Lauren. With 5 little personalities, 3 big personalities and a big crowd to fight our way through, I think all of us were ready for a nap just after a few hours. However, it is a great place to visit (you even get used to the smell after a few hours) and we can't wait to do it again next year! Here are a few of the pictures I was able to capture...