Happy Monday/New Years!

Hey Family and Friends, hope your holidays have been fabulous! We got spoiled this year, holy cow. Roger got his Xbox 360 and I-Pod and I got my camera and Roger bought me a new personal computer! And that is just us! The kids were very well taken care of and they are having fun with their new toys. Haleigh got pricness and dolly stuff, Ty and Gabe got Transformer helmets and then Star Wars legos and a train. So, we feel very blessed and totally taken care of for a very long time. I am grateful for all of our family members who do so much for us year round. We love you all and wish you a very wonderful new year. Here are just a few pics to share with you. More to come soon I am sure!

Wordless Thursday?

Ok, so I missed doing "Wordless Wednesday"... So, I'll do wordless Thursday this week. Enjoy!

DECEMBERRR!

Well, I have been absent from my blog long enough and I am here to redeem myself. (wink, wink, Jesse) I have no real excuse except for three kids, a husband, and house work that never ends.... But here I am taking a break from laundry on Monday of all days to send out some long over due pictures. It was cold enough for snow a couple of weeks ago and it hasn't gotten any warmer, so enjoy the snow pics. I am also sending a couple of just for fun pictures because I have been playing around with my "Christmas" present I got early from Roger - a Nikon 40DX. I haven't unleashed all the power it contains, but I plan to learn to soon. It will be my camera for a very long time! I took one pretty cool picture of the temple when we went to see the lights. So, enjoy the pics, I am sure there will be plenty more to come after Christmas. A friend also gave me an idea about doing just pics on Wednesday - and call it "wordless Wednesday." So, hopefully in a couple of days that will happen. Love you all. Merry week before Christmas.

Happy Halloween!

Just thought I'd send a couple pics of Halloween. The kids got loaded with candy this year! Haleigh was absolutely enthralled - it did not take her long to figure out how it worked. She is one smart cookie. She would laugh every time someone gave her candy and be right ready for the next house. She was such a trooper! The boys also had a good time - of course. We love you all and hope your Halloween was safe and spooky!!!

In Memory

8 years on October 4th 1999 my amazing sister, Mandy Leigh Martell, passed away. It seems so long ago, yet not so far into the past that her memory is gone. Her absense is felt daily, but I am so grateful for my Savior and His sacrafice who made it possible that we all have the opportunity to see her again. I love the fall, and so did Mandy. Halloween and Christmas were her very favorites. She loved Tigger and DisneyLand. She had a childlike heart and soul! Her example of faith, love and Christ-like charity will forever be felt and remembered. I am grateful for a wonderful family, extended family included. I am grateful for my husband and for the timing of our friendship and eventual marriage. His love and companionship saved me in many ways. Heavenly Father knew I would need him to help fill the void and my loss. He is my strength when I am weak. I am grateful also to Peggy, who is now my sister for life! She had a hand in bringing Roger and I together. She also was there as a friend when I needed her most. My most precious memory of Mandy in her final moments here on earth was that of singing at her bedside, holding her hand in mine with my friends Peggy and Cassidy there to help me stay strong as we sang her hymn after him quietly into the night. Mandy, I love you - you are forever in my heart. (Please forgive the fact that I have no pictures - I hope you will remember her beautiful smile and face - just picture an angel)

A smorgasboard?!

I am not even sure if I spelled that correctly, but I have a jumble of pics to put on since it has been a while that I last blogged. The first picture is of Gabe after his first week at preschool. He loves it! I am so grateful because last year he wasn't so sure about the whole mommy leaving him for 2 hours at a time thing. But, he has grown up and is doing well. He is one of two boys among 10 girls! His teacher informs me that he seems to enjoy the fact that the girls surround him. (He's a charmer!) Haleigh's newest favorite spot to sit is in the laundry basket. I put her in there to keep her out of trouble one time and she seems to have liked it enough to want more. Just yesterday she wanted to sit in the basket with her ghost bag which she likes to collect things she shouldn't have - this time it was the infant's tylenol. She also snagged my body spray and a sippy cup. She is developing quite the personality and she is a cruiser now! (which means lots of bumps and bruises in the future) Tyler found the spider webs we're hanging up for Halloween. He thought it would look nice as a wig, and I thought it would be a funny picture! Gabe liked the movie "Ratatouille" and so he wanted to bake cookies like "little chef" - the name of the main rat in the movie (if you have seen the movie you know what I am talking about). He loves to help in the kitchen, so I call him my little chef when he helps me. Kids are great, even if they bend me out of shape at times. They make me smile daily with their quirks and imaginations! May you all smile today at something quirky!!! Lots of love.

Goooo Cougars!

Yes, it is that time of year again for our family! The sweet smells of the stadium food and the sound of excitement in the stands. It is BYU football season. We were a "little" nervous (Roger got up at 6 am with his nerves in a knot!) to see where the Cougars were this year considering the senior graduate losses they experienced at the end of the last season. Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised at the outcome of the game, with BYU winning 20 - 7. There is just something about being at the game. It is magical in a sense; maybe they put something in the water? But for all you who don't go and are not sure what I am talking about, "Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah! Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah! Gooooo Cougars!!!!!"

School Days...

It begins. A full day of school for me, I mean Tyler! He was so excited to start and meet new friends and not a care in the world he didn't quite get the concept of being there all day - which I tried to explain before he began. So, at the end of the first day I drove over to pick him up and he asks me if I was worried about him being gone for so long? I giggled and explained that I knew he would be gone that long and he says matter of factly, "Oh, I thought you would be afraid and wonder where I was or if I was lost or something." It was cute. He is now in his second week and seems to be enjoying it. ***P.S. Haleigh has started walking! It is so funny to watch and she thinks she is such a big girl.

The Cookie Monster

Yesterday afternoon Roger decided to give Haleigh a whole chocolate chip cookie to herself. As you can see the results are messy! She devoured it and then gave a triumphant "ahhh", which I just happened to get on camera. She hasn't been given many sweets and now you can see why. She turns into a messy monster, but boy is she cute!

Our "Pioneer Day" Week

Hope you all had a good 24th of July! On Saturday there was a pioneer primary party for the kids so we took them and they did a little mini trek from our Stake center to the school. Then they played some pioneer games and seemed to have a good time. (Just thought I'd share a pic from that) Then we went camping up to Soap Stone (in the Uintahs). We had a really good time. The boys had some great adventures and unfortunately Haleigh was forced to stay in her play pen or being held because she isn't walking quite yet. (Can you imagine how black she would be if she was crawling all over?!) Since the 24th fell on a Tuesday Roger worked Monday and then we took the kids to the Zoo on Tuesday for fun. We haven't been for a couple of years and I was impressed by all of the improvements made. They seemed to have a really good time and we were all exhausted by the end of it. We had a little BBQ in the light rain that evening and all in all I think it was a success. Hope you enjoy all the pics.

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Yo - Ho! (A pirate's life for me!)

Don't you just love kids? They are so creative and have the best imaginations ever. My boys decided our picnic table was their pirate ship and they've had a blast out there every day since we got it. As you can see they go all out with the pirate garb and Tyler has even filled the wagon with water for the use of walking the plank - really just the bench. The other day I caught them playing under the umbrella and went out to ask them not to. Tyler replied matter of factly, "But mom, we need to raise the sails." This year for Ty's birthday Susan and Don's family gave Ty a Pirates of the Carribean card that plays a song from the movie when you open it. I am surprised that it is still working, but they love to open it up and sword fights to the music! Ah kids... They have the good life eh? Or should I say "Arr me mateys!" We love all you scurvy dogs!

Peak aboo, guess who's 1!

Haleigh Ann Deming entered this world one year ago today! I can't believe how the time has flown by. She is getting so big and doing toddler stuff now. She says multiple things that are fairly clear like "uh oh," (my favorite because of the dramatic pause she adds in between them), mama and dada - of course! - she even says "Ty." I can also make out a "thank you" and "hi." I laugh every time the phone rings because she will inevitably utter a mildly distinguishable "heyo"... which is to die for. She has brought so much love and funness into our home this year I am just excited to be her mom. Not to mention the fun girly gifts and Strawberry Shortcake party that we are having for her today! Those of you not with us, (Peggy, John, Cole, Dad, etc.) I will post some pictures just as soon as I can. We love you all!!!! Have a wonderful July 14th. I know Haleigh will be spoiled, so thank you all in advance.

A Day of Swimming

Today the boys and Haleigh and I went over to Uncle John and Cole's house and had a little swimming party. The kids had a blast! The pink elephant pool isn't the only pool they had, but for some reason I only took pictures of them in the baby pool? Haleigh doen't like the water, except when she's bathing, so she just hung out with mommy and got over to the garden to eat some rocks. Amy Jo and Mom showed up with Maddy, since Whitney is still in the hospital recovering from delivering Isaac. Thanks to John and Cole for letting the kids come over, they had a fabulous time!!!

Fun Family Photos!

I am planning to explode this page with photos, so get ready... In the mean time here are a couple photos from Nauvoo and the family after we got home. Enjoy!!!

The Lemonade Stand

Well, it is that time of year again. When children want to do some serious business and they put out the stand. You have all seen it, "$.25 for lemonade." Tyler saw two little girls doing just such business and went to investigate. We ended up buying the worst tasting tang in the world, but two little girls were fifty cents richer. As we were leaving Tyler asked them what they were going to do with "all that money?" One girl replied, (kind of snooty), "Go to the dollar store." Tyler was sold! Two days later we did our own lemonade stand. It was hard to sit in that heat - his little face was bright red within minutes. As a mother my heart ached as car after car passed and nothing. I wanted an aunt Peggy there very badly! I knew she would pay for some decent lemonade. He ended up with a grand total of $.95! He wasn't as disappointed as I was, for which I am grateful. Maybe we will attempt it again some time. But for now, I am glad he has learned that not eveything in life comes easily and that sometimes business is slow, but you can still find joy in the little things. (like the dollar store!) Hope you all stop and buy lemonade the next time you see a stand. I know I will...

Happy 4th Everyone!

Hey Family and friends! I hope your 4th was a great one. We enjoyed ourselves by just taking it easy all day! What do you do on the 4th besides be lazy, BBQ with family and light fireworks at the end of the day? I guess we need to start establishing a family tradition. For now I am content with having my husband home and just spending the day with our family. We went to my parent's to celebrate since we planned to hang out with the Sivill fam and Doug and we figured it would be easier on Whitney to get to the bathroom ( luv ya Whit).It was a pretty nice evening as a family - just really layed back. We over did on the fireworks a little, but the guys sure had fun lighting them and blowing them up, including Spencer's leg - actually it was just a little burn, but he may have learned a lesson about making homemade bombs. The kids enjoyed the pop rocks the best! Probably because they could actually do that themselves. But all in all it was a success. We love you all and hope you all the best of days! Mostly I wanted to share our love and some pictures we took, that is my forte'! ( I am not elequent of speech like some)

This is our first attempt at a blog, so forgive the delay as we get it up and running. I hope to have tons of fun pics for everyone to view soon! We love you all.

Amy Ann