Atkin Family

I Got Skills: Nun-Chucking Skills, Computer Hacking Skills...

2011-09-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

I also found out that I have awesome sewing skills! Yup. That's right. I totally made this Easter dress for Andie-girl. And I LOVE this dress. I am so proud, I just have to brag! Note the ruffles in the back.

These are the rest of the dresses I made! Impressed yet? Cause you shouldn't be. I didn't make all of these dresses. I lied. I got together with my sister-in-laws and we all made Easter dresses for our girls. Fortunately I only had to make one. I'm still a seamstress in training. But they turned out really cute and I'm really proud of my accomplishments!

Spring Goats

2011-09-03T10:21:00.001-07:00

While I'm back tracking a bit, I'll announce twins again. As we were gone on Spring Break we came home to twin kids.

Andie LOVED the baby goats. Hayley, my niece, was more happy to see them from a distance.

But my nephew, Max, was happy to give the goat a kid hug!

Goblin Valley

2011-09-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ugh! I forget to turn the pictures before I download them. And I'm just too dang lazy to redo it. I'm lucky I'm getting my blog updated as it is!! So, you get what you get.
The problem with updating your blog every blue moon is that you forget some things. Hence our Spring Break being out of order. It happened nonetheless.
This year we went to Goblin Valley over Spring Break. It was nice and warm which was a nice break from our cold spring we'd been having.
We joined Ben's sister and her little family there and had a blast.

We even brought home a couple of lizards for some summer pets.

Summer's End

2011-09-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

As the summer comes to an end I wanted to post a few more pics of my cute kids filling their days with a little more fun!

Heber Valley Girls Camp

2011-09-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

My current calling in my ward is a Young Women Advisor. And an assistant Camp Director. So, I went to Girls Camp this year. And, it was an amazing place for Girls Camp.

And since my blog is all about bragging about me... I will continue to brag in this aspect of my life as well. I have the best Young Women. They are so sweet to each other and always looking out for one another, I just am so proud to be one of their leaders. As for the leaders, I love them too. They are so fun to work with. I couldn't ask to be around better women and young women.

So, you are probably wondering why we are all dressed up like we are. We are Rosie the Riveter. Our ward theme was "We Can Do It" and the Stake theme was "Believe" in being virtuous. For our skit they did the awesomest dance, and I was just so proud to be a part of our ward. "We Can Do It".

Bear Lake Reunion

2011-09-01T12:38:00.003-07:00

Every other year we have a big Harvey Family Reunion. This year we all met at an awesome Resort at Bear Lake. We stayed in condos that were just off the lake and then enjoyed the beach, the lake, the Park, a mini golf course, volleyball, biking, the Pools, and family. It was very relaxing and fun to see all my relatives. I am truly blessed to be a part of an incredible family! Here are a few pictures of us playing at the Bear Lake Resort!

Ultimate Slip N Slide

2011-09-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

Who says there's nothing to do in Payson? You obviously haven't visited in awhile! Being the super-awesome-cool Mom/Aunt that I am, I booked an afternoon at the Peteetneet Hill for a waterslide. Some of you may be a little skeptic about this... but I will tell you flat out: This is SO MUCH FUN! I'm hoping we will be able to make this an annual adventure for my family. As you can see everyone had a Blast!

Summer Time

2011-08-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've kind of consolidated out Summer. We had a busy summer. We did lots of fun things and kept very busy...
Yuba: July 14th ish? The Lloyd annual family reunion at Yuba. Most excellent! The only draw back this year was the water was SO high the beach was not there. Which is my kids favorite part! Except Benson who has discovered the life vest is absolutely awesome because he can swim with it without having much talent.

Capri Suns... need I say more? Yummy and refreshing on a hot day at the lake.

Fun with the Aunts and the Cousins!

Yes! I got to go wakeboarding this summer. I'm totally out of practice so I wore out fast... but I almost jumped the entire wake this time which was improvement for me!

This was the extent of the beach... a little to be desired, eh?

waverunning...

boating.....

We also went to Big Springs up Provo Canyon this summer for some fun!

Weenie Roasting, getting dirty, zip-lining, more family: cousins, aunts, uncles, bros and sis's.

July 9th we celebrated my Mom-In-Law's birthday by going on a shopping spree funded by her. We go to breakfast at the Cracker Barrell in Springville, then we go up to Park City and hit the outlets. Afterwards we head back down to Provo where we hit the mall... It's like Christmas in July!

And of course there is the 4th of July! Independence Day. Fireworks. Sparklers. And for the Atkin Family, this means Uncle Clint becomes the Human Firework. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of him on here... and he may get in trouble with the fire department he works for if I posted video footage of him. However, he did cover all the words on his fire uniform in order to conceal the department he worked for. All I can say is HALARIOUS. Everyone should have a fireman in their family!

Easter 2011

2011-08-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

I had to post pics of Easter of course. We had an excellent Easter Egg hunt this year on both sides of the family. We've had months of candy to eat from it. Thank you Easter Bunny!

And my kids got to color eggs at Grandma Lloyd's this year with their cousins...

"Eggcellent!"

Lofty Room

2011-04-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

When we built our house we found we could build a secret room in the trusses above the boys room. Now, 3 years later we are finally finishing this little playroom. There is the little deck that is on top of the closet, and then a little door leads to the secret hideout. If that's not fun...I just don't know what is.

Shiner

2011-04-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is my own Black-Eyed Pea. Andie is most definitely her Mother's Daughter. I was quite the crash myself when I was a wee lass. So, I guess it serves me right to have my own little crash as a daughter. (Day 4 -- for the record... kids heal SUPER fast it's amazing!) So, you're probably asking what happened to my 22 month old. No, I do not beat my child. Even when she wets her pants. (Above is Day 3)

We have a loft in the boys room (which you'll see pictures of in another post) with a ladder to reach it that is about 8 feet high. (You can see where this is going). She'd climbed it several times before without any incident. But it only takes once. Yup. She climbed almost to the top, slipped, fell. Hit her eye. Packer called to me and told me she fell. I ran to the room and picked her up. Cuddled her and watched her eye swell. And to make things even better, we had a big family dinner to attend to that night in honor of Ben's Grandpa Gappmayer. Perfect timing. (Above is morning after the fall.)

Night of the Fall.

20 minutes after the crash.

March Madness

2011-04-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Rock Show came to Spanish Fork to which of course we had to attend. What better than a Rock Show for a little boy? Well, if you are one of my boys... not much is better than rocks. We went and enjoyed all the pretty rocks and fossils. Here we are painting a cast fossil.

And here Packer is so overjoyed that the walking fossils are dinosaurs he turned around and give his big brother a huge hug of excitement!

There's not a more comfortable place than on daddy's lap!

Spring is here! Which means lots and lots of mud around my house. The boys have no problems finding something to do with it. MUD CASTLES! (Benson, Packer & Caleb.)

First of the Year Updates

2011-04-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

January: Morgan has her baby boy, Gabriel. Here's Benson holding his new cousin.

January: we meet baby Logan, Bonnie's new baby boy.

February: I turn OLDER! Yup. 28 years old this year.

February: Andie was potty trained! YAY!

Feb: Benson made a super awesome thingy with his blocks!

Winter Parking

2011-04-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

During one of the warmer days this winter-spring we went to the Discovery Park to play with Aunt Heidi & Aunt Morgan. Packer is the one who looks like a dead kid in the swing.

Aunt Heidi gave the 3 kids a bronco ride on the tire-bull. YeeHaw!

Living Planet Aquarium

2011-04-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been to the Aquarium in Sandy... you should go. My kids loved it. I did too when I got longer than 5 seconds to look into the tanks! Apparently I have a longer attention span than my 5, 3, and 1 year old. Go figure. We got to go to the Living Planet Aquarium with Grandma Lloyd, Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Will, and cousins Haylee, Max, & baby Logan. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I'm not a real good photographer and most of my pictures turned out blury. Bummer.

But we got to pet Sting Rays, see them feed the Octupus, we saw Penguins, Sea Horses, Eels, Sea Turtles, explored Pirate Ships, and ran around trying to keep tabs on each other... No wait... that was just me. My children I think were trying extra hard to ditch me. They learned that at an early age didn't they?

Ahh! You found me!

Okay, this isn't at the aquarium. But it was such a cute picture of Andie-girl and Grandpa Lloyd I just had to post it. What's better than snuggling with Grandpa?

OH Cute

2011-01-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

This picture is a little Blury, but the bottom one is not... I took Andie's fancy dress off while she ate... and I just couldn't help take a picture of this cute little ballerina with the ruffles on the bum! CUTE!

More Christmas Fun!

2011-01-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

Andie girl, Benson, & Packman all got pillow pets from their favorite Uncle Nick! Andie got her first ride on her fluffy purple unicorn thanks to Uncle Nick! WAHOO!

I guess I should've turned the picture before I posted it... but I'm too lazy to change it now. So, here I am with my SWEET new clothes: shoes, pants, shirt! LOVE THEM!

Andie girl's new shopping cart to good use!

Merry Merry Christmas

2011-01-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning came again this year, and much to our joy, Santa had made it too! Puzzles, blocks, books, movies, helicopters, candy, jerky, rocking horse...

and Christmas Jammies from the Christmas Elves!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Pre Christmas Fun

2011-01-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Traditional Pinata Bash for the Atkin Christmas Eve Party ... Small one got to be the poor Pinata!

The Nativity by the Atkin Grandchildren

After the snow melted and before it snowed it again we had a week of great weather so we hit the Spanish Fork park and played with cousins... Excellent.

Snow... Lots & Lots of Snow. Can you see the tires? Just barely... and the snow wasn't done coming down!

Andie-girl didn't want to see Santa... she just wanted to cuddle with Daddy!

Benson, What do you want for Christmas?

"The blocks like Grandma's!"

We got to see Santa Claus and ask him for a few things for Christmas .... if we could only remember
exactly what it was we wanted!!

Decorating for Christmas

2011-01-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

Packer the hider...

Benson the combiner...

Andie the Destroyer!

Christmas Tree Hunting

2011-01-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

Every year we go get a Christmas Tree tag and hunt down the best tree we can find in the forest. This year we got to traipse through the snow to find our tree... but the snow made it all the more fun!

Daddy's Little Girl!

2010-11-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

Another church day. I don't put Andie in Dresses or skirts very often because, like my boys, she gets dirty and I hate to see her dresses & skirts get dirty. So on Sunday, when we dress up cute I just needed to take some pictures. I found Andie's cute boots at Walmart and she just LOVES them. She shuffles all over as if they were tap shoes or something. She loves them and I love them. And put her with her Daddy, and you put together 2 of the best things in my life!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

I wish I had some better pictures of my kids dressed up in their costumes this year. They were pretty cute. My pictures don't do them justice.
Andie is already digging into her candy bag. She was a little Pirate this year... and can I say: ADORABLE! Cause she was. Thanks to Aunt Aubree for letting us borrow the costume.

Benson was supposed to be the Dragon "Toothless" from the movie: How to Train Your Dragon. All the costumes from the store were either WAY too much money for me to want to spend, or they were hideously ugly even Benson didn't want to look that way. So we improvised. So, although he looks kind of like a Batmanish thing... he is supposed to be Toothless the Dragon.

Packer: The Terrible Terror. Yes sometimes I think he acts like this, but no, that's really what he is supposed to be. Another dragon off of the movie How to Train Your Dragon. If you've seen it, it's the little tiny dragon. My boys didn't like that movie or anything.

Happy Happy Birthday From All of Us to You!

2010-11-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

I will have a Kindergartner soon! WEIRD! Does that mean I am old? Yes, Benson is 5 and proud of it. Here is eagerly opening his present shortly after finding it. His Daddy hides the presents and then gives out clues for him to find them. Benson Loves this Birthday game!

Since I have both Benson & Packer's birthday this month I created a homemade pinata for them to bust open. They also have a cousin that has a birthday this same month, so we made it a big celebration, busted open the pinata, ate dinner, and watched the new release: How to Train Your Dragon. A movie that my boys have been anticipating ever since they saw it in the theatre. It was a fun birthday party!

Carnivals & Festivals

2010-11-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Out here in the country we have a neighbor who puts on a Fall Festival. They put up a hay maze, wagon rides, train rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, pumpkin carving, plus Food, Treats, and lots of little booths that sell from jewelry to crafts, to animal feed. This is the 2nd year we've gone and we weren't disappointed!

Of course we had to get some cotton candy

Pet the farm animals

Ride the Ponies,

SCHOOL CARNIVAL!
This year a lot of the elementary schools put on a school carnival. Ben's School was no exception. So we went and played at Daddy's school carnival! Well mostly we ate dinner there and slid down the big balloon slide.

Oh Andie-Girl

2010-11-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hmm.... these pictures are a little blury. I think my camera is having problems. Well, you are probably wondering what Andie is wearing on her head, and why she is wearing it. Let me tell you. It's a SWEET shower cap that I got from my Mother-in-law which she got at a RS event. She SURPRISINGLY didn't want it. So I claimed it. So, Why is Andie wearing this Beautiful shower cap at the table. Because Breakfast is really messy with syrup and all, I've found it keeps her hair from getting deliciously nasty with syrup. And a shower cap is easier to rinse out quickly than is her hair. And I don't have to comb through the shower cap as do I her hair! As a bonus -- she looks Spectacularly Cute!

Now, I'm sure I would have to argue with many mothers on this planet that my little girl is the cutest thing there is... but, as it should be true to every other mother out there, it is true to me. My little Andie-girl is SO cute!

Look at those Piggy Tails! I LOVE IT!

Mommy's Little Helper

2010-11-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Andie LOVES to help me wash dishes. We just pull up a bucket and let her have at it. And then when we're all done I'm lucky enought to get to mop the floor! Thank You Andie!

1-plus Year Old Andie

2010-10-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

Can I claim to have just the cutest little girl EVER?! Cause I really think I do! I usually get my kids pictures taken when they turn a year old... well, Andie turned one during a busy time of year... so we took them a little later... but she's still one so that's all that should really matter. Thanks to my sister-in-law Erin, who took these AWESOME pictures. She did so great with my little Andie! Thanks again Erin!

S-U-M-M-E-R!

2010-08-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

This Summer was chuck full of things to do for us! Between all the family reunions, vacations, yard work, parades, and holidays... this summer just FLEW bye! And as the time flew... my children grew. Little Andie-girl is up and walking -- correction RUNNING around, trying to say words... and her hair is long enough for me to put into pig-tails! You can't tell by this picture because she is wearing the most flattering hat ever... but yes, she is getting girly hair, and surprisingly likes to have it done.

Benson is still an outdoorsman. Early this summer Aunt Morgan gave us her two grown kittens. Lucy... the sweet black cat was pregnant, and until recently we didn't know where she had hidden her kittens. After hauling hay, and stacking it in our barn, the kittens emerged wanting to play in the new hay. We call them Runt (the smallest one in the back), 2-Face (the one on the left) and Snowball (because she looks like an Alaskan Malamute puppy instead of a baby kitty). Benson has fallen in love with them and is constantly playing with them every chance he can get.

Andie loves the kitties too... but I'm afraid for their lives when she come along. I would put on a clip of when she was playing with our other kittens who are a little older... and although laughing, you may be tempted to call the animal humane society on us. So I guess we won't post that little clip.

PARADES! Parades are fun and all... but let's admit it: if you've seen one, you've seen them all! Well, to add a little flare to their parade, Santaquin has pretty much EVERY entry in the parade throw out a treat. It was like Halloween in reverse... the people in costumes came to you to give you candy. Sweet! We got a grocery bag full of candy, toothbrushes, popsicles... and I even got 3 plants from Olson's Garden! The parade was short, sweet, and entertaining!

Fireworks. What kid doesn't like fireworks. Here are the boys with some of our remaining fireworks after the 4th and 24th of July. If it were up to them, we would do fireworks every night all summer long!

As I said, Andie girl is getting all grown up. Here she is learning to ride a trike. Okay, so she's still a little to young for it, but man, she is SO cute. I went to the Dr. just the other day, and although small for her age, she is up to par in her motor skills and mental skills. What can I say... My kids are geniuses!

YUBA VACATION

2010-07-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Our Annual Yuba trip was again : EXCELLENT!

Benson getting a turtle ride from Will.

I see you! Andie's Awake.

TUBING

Sand Castle-ing

Beach Play

Wave-running

Washington

2010-07-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

feeding seagulls off the ferry

Andie's rat nest hair -- also known as stroller-hair...

eating in Pike's Pub at Pike's Market

Fishing...

Eating Crab...

Playing Pickle Ball

MASTER PICKLE BALL PLAYER!

Uncle Steve helped us make cool swords in his laboratory of woodworking

Here's Benson collecting star fish while the tide was out.

We rented a beach house on the sound and were able to catch clams, crabs, fish, and sea stars every day just off the deck...

We went to Favorite Aunt Debbie & Uncle Steve's and played on their Zipline ...

And the kids love most of it... except the waiting around. Which we did on the flight, because something wasn't perfect. So we waited around for an hour on the plane while they tried to get the right parts flown in from texas, bacause the didn't have the right tool. So what was wrong with the plane? The DECAL STICKERS on the emergency exit doors were wrong. Solution: switch the stickers. And once that was accomplished off we went!

We Flew on the big Airplane.

Summers are always full of vacations and family reunions. Well, this one is no different. This year we went on vacation as a family reunion to Seattle, Washington.

I Have An Announcement to Make

2010-07-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Twins!
Yes, That's right Twins!
We had Twin Kids!
You know, goat babies... Kids.

We call the momma: Nana, and her babies Bearly (the brown boy) and Swanly (the white girl). They are SO SO Cute.

Just Keep Swimming

2010-07-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Heidi & Andie Girl

Mommy & Pack.

Here I am doing a back flip off the diving board. JUST KIDDING. It's my sister Karen. I'm chicken to do it off the diving board. I can do it on the tramp... but the diving board just scares me... I mean, what if I whack my head on the diving board? HELLO! Major damage if that happens!

Pac-man wanted to nap more than swim... And so he did for the first hour or swimming.

We were invited to go swimming at Morgan's Grandparent-In-Laws... so we went! You can't beat swimming in a private pool can you?

Benson Boy loved jumping off the diving board. Once he figured out the life-jacket he was a diving board fool!

Goggles, Life Jacket, Toys, Water... What more can kid ask for?

CUTE GIRLS

2010-07-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

My little girl is so cute!! Here she is hanging out with her favorite Aunt Morgan and her favorite Aunt Karen.

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

2010-06-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sad News: Cheetah died. Good News: He went to Heaven. Bad News: Bunny Got Out... Ran Away... Haven't seen him since. Good News: 2 new kitties have joined the family. Packer is holding Zoe.

Benson is holding Toothless. (No, just like in the movie, Toothless is really not toothless.)

"Look! Can we keep them?!"

UNO!

2010-06-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Another child made it to their first birthday. I must not be THAT bad of a parent!

You can be as messy as you want when it's your birthday!

Lasik

2010-06-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't know... I have been a bit blind since the 4th grade. Now I am not. I No longer need glasses or contacts to see 20/20.

This has got to be one of my better looks right? The surgery went great. Recovery is going great. Seeing is AWESOME!

PICNIC

2010-06-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Since summer decided to show it's warmth for a couple of days, we got our summer haircuts, had our lunch on the deck and played outside almost all day. Naughty mommy didn't get sunscreen on soon enough, and my two boys paid the price on their backs. Yup. Sunburns! Whoops!

ZOO-BIES

2010-06-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

We Went To The Zoo before the weather decided to get too Hot... or too wet.

We stood in front of the Wooden Elephant waiting for it to squirt water at us!

It got us!

We Even Got to Ride on the Carousel: Zebras, Snakes, & Anteaters!

We rode on Rhinos...

And Strollers!

Climbed Fences...

And Rocks! And if you were hoping to kidnap my children... Well, this day would've been the day to do it. I lost my both boys at one time or another on this trip. Benson was so lost, he found a Zoo Worker and told them his name and that his Mommy was lost and her name is Angie. Fortunately, I wasn't far behind him. A family had seen him talk to the zoo man and when I came out of the lizard house yelling for him, they guessed who I was and pointed me in the right direction. I was on the verge of tears when I found him! He was pretty brave. And as a side note: if you haven't had a "What to Do when you get lost" FHE, you might want to before you go on such an outing. I'm sure glad we did! You never know when it will come in handy.

AND ON THAT FARM WE HAD A ...

2010-04-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

A BUNNY! E-I-E-I-O! We are now the proud owners of a lion bunny. Benson named him Errplane. Packer named him Simba. Uncle Nick named him Richard the Lionheart. So our bunny is now: Errplane Simba Richard the Lionheart Bunny Atkin. You can call him whatever you want for short.

Note his fluffy mane: hence a lion-bunny.

And on that farm we had a: KITTY! E-I-E-I-O! This little guy came to us shortly before the bunny did. Benson found him at preschool at a neighbors house and wanted to bring him home. What's a farm without a cat? So here he is at his new home. Benson named him: Cheetah!

Atkin Farm

2010-04-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

What's a farm without a Goat?

This goat is coming to live at our house for a little while.

She's very friendly, and the kids love her.

OOOOH

2010-04-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

Andie has recently learned how to shape an "O". Now she'll pull an "O" face whenever you talk to her. It's pretty dang cute and pretty dang funny.

She's also crawling all around the house faster than we can keep track. One minute she'll be pulling DVD's off of the shelf, the next, she's on the other side of the house locking herself in the bathroom. But when she's tired of exploring, she's off to the kitchen, because more than likely, she'll find her mommy there!

"O'! Hi mom!"

Pretty Little Girls

2010-04-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

McKelle, Andie, & Brooklyn on a pretty spring afternoon sporting their pretty spring dresses!

Dinner Time

2010-04-29T13:34:00.001-07:00

Dinner Time Again?! Doesn't it always feel like it's meal time! Like you just barely got done cleaning up the last meal, and now it's time to make another?

It wouldn't be so bad if I was always the one who just got to eat it, but being a mom, I have to make it all the time too. And it's not that I hate cooking, cause I don't. It's the fact that I have to decide what to have each and every meal, each and every day. No worries. When you can't think of anything to fix for dinner... Ranch Noodles is a quick, easy, and successful fix every time. At least for my family.

Easter Time

2010-04-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone's favorite part of Easter: Eating the Candy. SWEET!

Me and Andie-girl watching the hunting commence.

HAPPYE EASTER!!

Hmmm... What do we have here?

EASTER EGG HUNTING! My boys' most favorite part. Especially when it's time to open all the eggs and see what's inside!

Packer is waiting patiently at the door behind cousin Haylee for the Hunt to begin.

WAHOO! Look what I found!!

EGG PAINTING. You know, sometimes I wonder why I put myself through craziness for my children. I mean, would it be so bad if I just skipped all the fun stuff so I never went crazy? Well, fortunately I love my children enough to go through the insanity of traditions: such as painting eggs.

It makes me wonder how my mother did it without going loopy. It aggrivated me to see each egg being dipped in each color making them a lovely...BROWN. Oh good. That's beautiful! But I guess it's not about the beauty or the HUMUNGOUS mess it makes, but the fun of making Easter Eggs and the joy and smiles it makes on my children's faces.

TADA! Look Mom! How pretty! And Don't worry, we only broke 7 of the 12 eggs! (Good thing the eggs were hard boiled.)

Spring Fever

2010-04-01T20:13:00.001-07:00

"I'm just doin a pwoject mom!" That's Packer's new explanation about anything he's working on. A project. Where did that come from? Can I tell you how nice it is to have a lawn. It's not a real pretty one yet... But it will be. Let the Spring begin!

Tres Chaquitas

2010-04-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

Andie, McKelle, & Brooklyn at 9 months and crawling.

These 3 wee lasses are 2 days to 2 weeks apart. McKelle (white shirt,black collar) is the oldest, then Andie (in blue), with Brooklyn (in Pink) as the tallest but youngest.

Building Blocks

2010-04-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Benson, Packer, and Andie... all playing together so nicely. THANK YOU CHILDREN!

RED

2010-04-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

I guess we're going for a themed color today. Can you guess what it is? I'll give you a hint: It starts with the letter R and ends with ED. You will also find it on Valentines Day, Apples, and Iron Man.

And here is Andie working on her Balloon Animals. I think she's getting the hang of it.

2010-04-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

Packer has such a huge personality I can't believe it fits in his little body. He is small for his age, and looks to be 10 pounds heavier than he really is. We call him a little bulldog because well, he is one. He looks like he should play toddler football. And maybe he should to get some of that energy out. Above he's pulling a "woe-is-me-I'm-so-Sad" pout. He obviously wasn't getting what he wanted at the time.

Benson has a more docile personality. Still quite the character, but in a more subdued way. He's got his mother's walking coordination (ha ha ha ha ha) but a softer voice. He's a good brother and lets his little brother and sister beat up on him until he cries. I'm hoping eventually his siblings will help toughen him up. Here he is winking at the camera. He's been practicing.

And here is Andie-girl and Daddy. Yes, she is dressed like a boy. It's okay. I had 2 boys prior. What do you expect. And when I put a cute little blue flower or bow on her head, it becomes a girly outfit, kind of. Dadadadadadada. First words. Of course. Daddy. He's the fun one.

Happy Birthday #27

2010-04-01T19:20:00.001-07:00

Benson & Packer LOVED helping me unwrap... and Andie (above in pink) loved just sitting on my lap.

Now you know why I post pictures of my husband and my children more than I post pictures of me. Just don't look real close. Yuck.

ANYWAY! It's my birthday. February Birthday's Rock! I know cause I have one. And I'll tell you what: Ben is the awesomest-coolest-best husband ever. I'll tell you why. For my birthday he makes a scavanger hunt. He buys me gifts that I actually want (usually shoes!), wraps them, and then hides them around the house. Then he gives me clues so I have to hunt to find them. I love it. The kids love it (until they find out that none of the presents are what they want: ie. rocket ship). It is so much fun. This year he gave me pants (I know - DARING husband, but he did an incredible job. One of the pants actually fit!), some hoodie jackets, swim bottoms, a shirt, and best of all... he took the day off so we could go out to lunch and he could help me with the kids all day long. It was absolutely wonderful. Thank you honey! I love you!

Andie-Girl 7 mo

2010-04-01T15:11:00.001-07:00

Andie is 7 months now. And I think she is just absolutely a beautiful girl. However, I have some major bias-ism going on.

She is a pretty happy girl most of the time. She's my easiest and hardest baby at the same time. Easy because she's a happy easy going baby. Hard because she's my 3rd.

And here is Andie's famous crooked smile. She's starting to out-grow it now, but from day one she had a crooked smile/cry. We call it the Buddy Hackett smile (He's an old actor that was in the old Love Bug movie). However, she's MUCH cuter than Buddy Hackett.

A Church Going People

2010-04-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't she ADORABLE?

And speaking of adorable... Here are my 3 handsome boys. All ready for church! And Mommy? I'm ALMOST ready for church!

YOU try getting 3 kids plus yourself ready and being on time for 9 am church. Not as easy as it may seem.

Andie Balerina

2010-04-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Andie LOVES her bouncy thing. I have it hanging up in my kitchen so she can bounce around while I cook/clean. She loves it, which means I LOVE it. I think it's pretty cute too. So I thought I'd share a clip of her doing her thing.

Pack-man Spiderman

2010-04-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Packer is halarious, he sings the Spiderman song all day long -- And then when you want it recorded he goes a little shy. We finally got it. Here is your next American Idol.

AWW, CUTE

2010-03-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

My Handsome Benson all dressed up in a new had-me-down suit from a cousin. Looks like we need to get him some black shoes. But, he sure looks handsome!

Pop goes the Weasel!
Packer has been on this kick where he will empty out his toy box and climb inside. I sure wish I knew what was going through that kids head sometimes.
Packer has also been hooked on some new movies. Finally a break from Little Einsteins! However, after watching "Numba 2" or Tim Burton's movie "9" (which I am a little embarrassed to admit I let my little 2 year old see this movie and that he loves it - not that it's bad, in fact, it's actually the least weird and creepy of all his movies... yet still both) and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (which is totally halarious I thought) going back to Little Einsteins was not so bad.

Andie-Girl. She's sitting and rolling... in more ways than one. Since December this girl has just filled right out. I started feeding her cereal with this preemie formula that the NICU gave me in it. WOW! She caught up and is no longer a preemie. In fact, you would never know she was a preemie. She's all chub!

Here's another picture of Andie and her big brother Benson.

And my 3 little prodigies. Amazing that they belong to me. I sure do love them.

Hamily Home Hevening

2010-03-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

My boys are so cute. They were all sitting together so reverently during Benson's extremely long prayer, I had to take a quick shot. Benson has been pretty creative with his prayers thanking our Heavenly Father for our "Big, Big, Big, Big World", toys, and anything and everything else he can think of. He loves to say the prayer.

Christmas Time

2010-03-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Christmas Was So Much Fun this year. Benson finally got the hang of things this year. Both Packer and Benson were up a rearing to go about 6:30 am. Packer of course had to wake up his big brother (who sleeps like his mother -- WONDERFUL). Once they were up and at 'em the wrapping paper flew and flew and flew. Santa Claus went overboard. But he came and it was lots of fun.

Christmas morning after we're done at our house we drive up to Grandma & Grandpa Lloyd's house to open more presents and spend some quality Christmas time with them. We were spoiled rotten there too. You'll notice my new boots and new slippers. I had to try them both on. I LOVE SHOES! Without fail, shoes always fit: fat, thin, pregnant, not... they always fit.

Benson and Packer LOVED opening presents. It didn't matter if it was for them or someone else. It's just awesome to be ripping open wrapping paper and seeing what's inside. It's a bonus when it's something they like!

No, that's not me in the background. It's morgan. She's holding Andie-girl. Ben is helping Packer & Benson find presents they can open... there were a lot, so it wasn't too hard to do. Christmas is AWESOME. And You'll probably notice the boys wearing their brand new Jammies Santa's Elves left the night before. We told the boys if they clean their room really good, when the elves come to check the house, they will leave a gift they can open Christmas Eve Night. Sure enough, the elves stopped by and left them some brand new jammies. The boys loved them. Andie did too, she just couldn't show it very good.

Christmas Eve Party. The Atkin side of the Family have their Christmas Party on Christmas Eve. We eat a Christmas Feast, have the kids act out the Nativity while we sing songs, bust out a pinata, and of course: Open Presents. It was a lot of fun, and it wore the kids right out.

Packer & Benson both got to be shepherds this year, and Andie got to be a little lamb.

The cool thing about being a shepherd, is that you get to carry around a stick. Packer liked to use it to hit heads with. We had to take it away. Here he is trying to take Benson's. Sorry pal.

BAAAAAA!

Benson the Shepherd.

My Wee Little Artists

2009-12-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed how talented my children are. Well, I just wanted to brag a little more: My Picasso and Michaelangelo at work. While I was working on some signs for a Primary Acitivity my ward was having, I let my children express themselves with some fingerpaints. It worked a little too well. After some amazing artwork on the cardboard sheet I gave them, they wondered: "Why stop there?" So, they starting doing some body work. Benson worked on his own legs and stomach. Packer worked on his own legs and stomach, then on Benson's back, and soon they were covered in symbols, color, and... well, PAINT!
I'd like to take the credit of my children's artistic abilities, but I have to admit, that Ben is more artistic than I am... so I'll let him have the credit this time.

Decorating via Child Style

2009-12-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

During Naptime, I strung the lights on the tree so the kids could decorate it when the got up from their nap. When they woke up to really kick in the spirit Ben & I had them blow the lights on. Last year we bought a remote to turn on and off the lights. So when they blew hard, we pushed the button and on they came! WOW!
Benson & Packer were wonderful helpers in decorating the tree. Above is Packer with the christmas tree aglow in the background.
Packer handling some tiny ornaments.

Benson decorating his self-designated branch. Note how many ornaments on just that one branch. Good work Benson.

Hmmm... Where should I put this ornament? Oooo! Here's a spot! Right next to every other ornament I've hung! Good Work Bens!

After about a week of having the Christmas Tree up and decorated, and blowing the lights on daily, I babysat for my sister-in-law while whe went to get her hair done. Benson told his cousins that the lights came on when you blow on the tree. Unbelieving the cousins wanted him to prove it. Since I had turned off the lights during naptime, they had the opportunity to blow them on. Ben, on the couch at the time reading, had the remote in his pocket, so when all the kids blew together: POOF! Our tree lights twinkled on. "Whoa! How do they do that?!" asked nephew Caleb. Ben answered: "They're Air Powered Lights!" With wide eyes the kids were ecstatic about the amazing lights and started to blow some more with Ben secretly turning them off and on. Finally Ben told them it was enough and to leave the lights on. The kids were sure it was all them.

Here is a close up of Benson's masterpiece branch of christmas decorations. WOW!

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

Every Day-After-Thanksgiving the Atkin-side of the family all gather and head out to the mountains to chop down a Christmas tree. You never know what you're going to find! Sometimes you end up with a Charlie Brown Tree, sometimes one MUCH bigger than you realize, sometimes skinny, sometimes fat... This year our Christmas tree was a full tree and just about perfect. And boy does it make our house smell good! Above is Ben & Andie hiking around in the cold, fresh, mountain air.

Above: Benson in pursuit of the perfect tree.
While Waiting for Everyone else to pick out their perfect Tree, Benson was waiting by the fire pit that we had built, eating some snacks that Grandma had provided.
"Can I have some Hot Cocoa?" Benson asked his Aunt Amanda.
"Okay, I'll just going to have to put some water on the fire ."
"What?!" cried Benson.
Amanda repeated herself.
"WHAT?!" Benson cried again.
"What?" Asked Amanda confused.
"The fire will go out if you put water on it!" He exclaimed!
Duh Amanda! Everyone knows that!
That Benson, you can't pull the wool over his eyes!

Below: Daddy (Ben) and Packer

My Little Andie bundled up in her Winnie the Pooh Snuggle Suit.
"Cuddley Little Cubby all Stuffed with Fluff, [She's] Winnie the Pooh!... Silly Willy Nilly Ol' Bear!"

Halloween

2009-11-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

Ahh, Halloween, a time where we get to dress up as someone or something else and ask people for candy! Weird tradition if you ask me... but hey, who am I to shun tradition? I'm a Train Engineer holding Andie the Leopard

Ben is dressed up as a scary skeleton/reaper. And yes, he did scare his own dad, and his sister.

Andie the Leopard,

Packer the Scarecrow

Benson the Batman-ish Boy
They loved Trick-or-Treating. What kid wouldn't I guess. And now I can't wait for the candy to be all gone so they will stop asking me for "more candy, PLEASE!" Hey, at least they have manners!

Darling Little Children

2009-10-05T15:44:00.001-07:00

Tradition has it that my babies will get their pictures Professionally taken when they are 3 mo. and then at least yearly. So, since Andie was 3 months and my boys are making their year marks of 2 (Packer) & 4 (Benson) Here we are with current pictures of the kids. Our photographer was great. The boys laughed hysterically, and she got Andie to even smile a few times. There were so many good ones, but my funds are limited... so here are the ones I chose:

Andie-Girl

My 3 little Hooligans!

Benson Boy

Pack-Man

Big Brothers & Little Sister

"These Are A Few of My Favorite Things"

2009-10-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvQ0Sj6Qm_Y or On Youtube, look up Hillary Weeks, These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things, and enjoy! As a Mother -- at least for me... this song is so true. I'm glad someone finally put them into a song. I sing this song almost daily!

Bedtime & Naptime, And Bedtime & Naptime...

Bedtime & Naptime, And Bedtime & Naptime...

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things.

Did I mention It's Nice When the Kids Go To Sleep?

BEST OF BOYS

2009-10-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

Benson and Packer, when not poking, hitting, kicking, biting, yelling, chasing, sitting on, or throwing things at each other, are the BEST OF BUDS! Sitting Quietly watching a show together, playing trains, puzzles, drawing, digging, riding bikes, helping Daddy together is what being brothers is all about.

On our Morning Walk the other day:

Benson: "Why is the road made out of Rocks?

Mommy: "Well, what should it be made of?

Benson: "Rainbows."

DUH MOM!

Sunglasses Are Cool

2009-10-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

Sunglasses are the COOLEST! Ever since Daddy (Ben) got his eyes lasiked this last May, he's been wearing sunglasses a lot whenever he's outside. Benson & Packer love to be just like their favorite pal: Dad. Here they are showing off their super cool Spiderman sunglasses, camo shades, and Packer's Thomas the Train sunglasses.
During the couple of weeks I spent at the NICU with Andie, Benson & Packer did a lot of traveling too, spending a lot of time at Grandparent's houses. On our way home, Benson fell asleep with his shades on...

Packer has personality exploding from every body part. Here he is showing dad how "cool dude" he is.

He is definitely full of cool!

Blessings

2009-10-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

Andie's Blessing Day. She got to wear her first white dress today. Grandma Atkin made it for her, and she looke absolutely beautiful!

There's just something about being in Daddy's or Grandpa's arms that makes you feel secure and safe...making sleep so much more beautiful. Grandpa Lloyd is a pro after 5 baby girls of his own.

Dig Dig Dig!

2009-10-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Packer is always playing in the dirt. Whether we're in the mountains ... (Packer with cousin Brynlie)

Or at a party... (with cousin Max)

Or at home with his Big Brother Benson... Dirt is ALWAYS a good idea.
However, with dirt, comes bath-time. Therefore, bath-time happens more than once a day, and that never ending mountain of laundry... it continues to be never ending!

Baby Girl

2009-10-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Andie is a pretty good baby. She has a soft cry when she does cry(which is really nice -- I recommend the soft crying babies), but she relatively happy most of the time. Pretty alert for how tiny she is. She's a good sleeper, and loves to cuddle - which is so fun! My 2 boys were NOT snugglers. So finally having a snuggler is fun!

She's Home At Last

2009-10-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Andie made it home. And we are all so ecstatic about it! Benson wants to always be holding her. Packer wants to hold her occassionally, but really is just glad that Mommy is back home and things are going back to normal -- well, normal-ish!

Andie is gaining about 3 oz. a week. I know only because I have to take her in to be weighed weekly just to make sure she is gaining. She is!

She has some terriffic brothers to watch out for her.

Child Number Three

2009-10-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here is number 3. Andie Atkin. When we visited her in the NICU, we had to wash our hands for 5 minutes with a scub brush. Believe you me my hands were amazingly exfoliated after 10 days at the NICU. These pictures were taken a day before she was released home. Note no tubes, or wires streaming around her! She lost quite a bit of weight in the NICU. She dropped to 4 lb. 9 oz. but was back at her birth weight of 5 lb. 4 oz. when she left the hospital.

I don't recommend the NICU. Bake them until their done if you can!

HERE SHE IS

2009-06-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Andie Atkin
Born June 09, 2009
5 lb. 4 oz.
19 inches
She's a keeper!

Andie Atkin was born 5 weeks early, and had to really work hard to breathe, so they moved her to the NICU at Timpanogos Medical Center in Orem. Mommy got to hold her for the first time Friday June 13th (See Friday the 13th isn't always bad) and she continues to make excellent progress. We hope she can come home soon!

Pony Riding

2009-06-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

Aunt Amanda and family got a new pony for Easter! Of course we had to go for a ride! Packer & Benson loved riding a horse just their size! She sure is a cute pony. Cousin Jessica named her Honeypie Pony, just like Strawberry Shortcake's pony. Cute!

Pool Fun at Home

2009-06-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

We splurged this summer and bought a little pool to play in at our house during the hot summer months. Hopefully it'll be worth the purchase!

Swimming at Aunt Morgan's

2009-06-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

Mommy, Benson, & Packer went to Morgan & Josh's place in Draper to visit and go swimming in their private pool! Benson LOVED it! Packer ... He liked it okay as long as Mommy was holding him.

The pool had a waterfall, a slide, a basketball hoop (Packer's favorite part) and lots of floaties. It was a blast!

Brayden's Birthday

2009-06-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

A Pirate Birthday Party! Isaac Thurman (cousin) poses here showing off his awesome Pirate Patch. He never took it off. He is so dang cute!

Here is Brayden opening presents... Benson & Packer's favorite part of Birthdays! Packer is in the Orange off to the left. His face says it all!

Benson got to dress up as a pirate as well. Here he is with his bandanna and eye patch. Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, a Pirates life for me! Happy Birthday Brayden!

EASTER 2009

2009-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!
We had 2 successful Easter Egg Hunts this year. Benson was a pro, and Packer was a natural. He loves putting things into buckets and baskets. However, once Packer realized there was candy inside the eggs, the Hunt became less interesting and eating the candy became the goal. They both had a lot of fun though, as you can tell!

Here they are at Grandma Atkin's house.

Here they are at the Bohman's House for the the Lloyd Easter Egg Hunt. We love Easter!

Playtime

2009-04-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

Benson & Packer love this marble run play set that Benson got for his Birthday. Here they are setting up some tracks for the marbles to fly through. Usually Mommy has to help to make it work... but they love setting it up anyway!

Lazy Mornings

2009-04-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know about anyone else, but for us, some mornings are just lazy. This particular morning we lounged around in our jammies, or comfy clothes and watch a little boob-tube. Packer LOVES picking on poor Benson. Yes, Packer is the younger one. Yes, they both look happy in the picture, but a few seconds later Benson was whining and Packer was pinning him to the floor.

My two little buddies: Packer & Benson, cuddling together watching Curious George on PBS TV. Television... a wonderful babysitter if you need to take a quick shower, clean up breakfast... or on Lazy Mornings - make breakfast.

Auntie Morgan's Wedding

2009-04-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Aunt Morgan's wedding reception. Everyone is all dressed up in their fancy clothes, looking quite swish!Daddy and Packer Hanging out together. Handsome boys!

Here is Haylee, Bonnie, and Benson hanging out at one of the tables before the reception started.

Packer sporting his new clothes which are a hair too big... it's hard being small!

Valentines Day

2009-04-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

This year for Valentines Day, we helped decorate heart shaped cookies for our Daddy. We ate a couple! Happy Valentines Day!
Packer (age 16 mo.) above, Benson (age 3 yrs ) below.

California Vacation

2009-02-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, we received tickets to Disneyland, Seaworld, Universal Studios, San Diego Wild Animal Park, and Legoland! So here we are cashing it in!

For those of you who are not very familiar with Disney and its land, this the Little White Rabbit's house from Alice and Wonderland, with Packer, Benson, and cousin: Boo Boo in front knocking on the door.

Benson & Tigger
Here we are with Frankenstein at Universal Studios.
Boo Boo, Daddy (Ben), Packer, & Benson looking in the water fountain.
Mommy (Angie) and Benson with Mater & Lightning McQueen! KaChow!
Here I am!
Daddy & Benson on a Bugs Life Ride.
Vacationing is Exhausting! Sweet Dreams Pack-man!
Benson & Pluto!
Benson feeding the Stingrays. Cool -- but a little freaky!
Benson at a 4-D movie! SWEET! He's looking good!
SEA WORLD: Looking in the arctic at the Pilot Whales, Walrus, and Polar Bear. Cool!
Mommy & Benson on a boat ride at Legoland!
"CAN WE BUILD IT?!" Daddy and Benson with Bob the Builder.
Playing in the sprinklers in January... CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
Packer & cousin Lily beat after half a day hard at play!
Here I Am Again!
Packer pushing a concrete ball -- keep up the good work!
Benson Sporting his awesomely cool sunglasses! Hi Bud!

Christmas Morning

2009-02-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

And yes, Benson & Packer both received matching PJ's from Santa's elves the night before Christmas. Aren't they adorable?!

Packer loved the Christmas goodies, and Benson loved opening presents -- In fact, he opened almost everyone's presents that morning. It was so much fun!

Benson: "Where is Santa?"

Dad: "He came and left the presents, then he had to go!"

Benson: "But I didn't see him! He's so sneaky!"

Winter Play

2009-02-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

Benson loves playing in the snow! After several hours of sledding behind a 4-wheeler, he convinced Daddy to help him build a snowman! TADAAA!

Packer certainly didn't want to be left out, so periodically we would take him out to enjoy the cold snow! He liked it until he felt cold. Then it was time to go back in and get warm!

What's better than playing in the snow? TASTING IT!

Christmas Cookies

2009-02-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Benson & Packer are wonderful helpers. For example: Here they are helping me lick the spoons and beaters clean. Good work, boys!

Tree Decorating

2009-02-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

It is time to decorate for the Christmas Season. Benson helped to decorate this year instead of undecorate like he has in the past. So many of our ornaments started off at the bottom of the tree.

However, Packer loves to undecorate. So, by mid-December (maybe earlier) the bottom half of the tree was undecorated.

Christmas Tree Hunting

2009-02-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

A tradition for the Atkin family: Christmas Tree Hunting.

And if it's good weather, then the boys will pull out their guns and do some target practice, while the girls go 4-wheeling.

This year it was fairly good weather... so here is Ben & Clint practicing their aim.

And here is our lovely Christmas Tree! It's amazing how small they look in the forest and how HUGE they end up being in your living room!

It's Autumn Time, It's Autumn Time, the Leaves are Falling Down!

2008-11-13T16:53:00.001-08:00

Benson & Packer love playing in the leaves! Since all of our trees are only knee-high, they don't drop much foliage. So we take it from the neighbors and family.

You're probably thinking -- why would you take other people's leaves? Simple, compost. We need compost! What's better than compost you can play in?

Happy Halloween

2008-11-13T16:46:00.001-08:00

It was a fun Halloween for the Atkin family. Benson was a Dinosaur, Pack-Pack was a little cow, Daddy was a Ranger's Apprentice (great book! I highly recommend it!), and Mommy was a witch (No wise cracks please!) It was a fun day & night, and Benson can't wait to do it again. Fortunately, we have another year to wait! Happy Halloween.

Benson Birthday #3

2008-11-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

Benson is now 3 years old. For his birthday he got a Little People Farm toy, a Marble Maze set, a Monster Truck toy, and clothes from Mommy. He had so much fun... it made him sick. Good thing he only has one birthday a year!

Happy Birthday To You

2008-11-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

Packer's 1st Birthday!!

Benson helping Pack-Pack Unwrap his pressents.

Yea! It's Blocks!

Packer eating his yummy chocolate cake all by himself!

Delicious!

Hogle Zoo

2008-11-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

Since it was such great weather on Packer's birthday -- and since it was Fall Break for Ben -- we went to the zoo!

Riding around in the stroller...

Sliding down a Snake...

Climbing on a Spider...

Pretending to be a Turtle...

Seeing the Animals, playing on the statues...

Climbing on Rocks...

Riding on Daddy's shoulders...

And riding on the Zoofari Express

made the day totally worth it!

Pumpkin Patchin'

2008-11-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

Benson loved helping out in the garden this year. He was always excited to come home with fresh picked tomatoes, onions, corn, and squash. Now that it's October already, we went to the garden and picked out some pumpkins to carve. Here's Benson & Pack-Pack picking out some pumpkins, and a family picture of our haul.

Benson was so proud of his pumpkin!

Sidewalk Artist

2008-11-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

I bought Benson some sidewalk chalk that was for sale, so on this beautiful, sunny, warm September day I let Benson & Packer decorate our driveway. Benson enjoyed drawing scribbles and lines from one end to the other, and Packer liked following him around. I thought these pictures turned out so cute of Packer!

TIMBER!!

2008-11-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

This Winter we will be using our new woodburning stove to keep us cozy. In order to do this of course we're going to need some wood. So here we are up at Nebo Loop cutting down wood to bring home. It was a perfect weather and a perfect morning for it. However, on the way home Ben ate some bad Elder Berries and threw up every five minutes all the way home and then some. 14 times in 2 hours. I guess now he'll have a little more sympathy for my morning sickness during pregnancies. Definitely an adventurous day!
As you can tell from the pictures, Benson had a great time.

A Couple of Farmers!

2008-09-19T09:00:00.002-07:00

Here is Benson and Ben doing some tractor work. Benson loves helping with farm work -- especially if it involves getting to ride on the tractor.

Yes, that is Benson in the bucket of the Tractor -- if he can't push the buttons on the tractor, then he might as well play in the dirt on the tractor!

This is better than rides at the carnival!

Dirty Work

2008-09-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

I definitely have 2 "ALL-BOY" boys! They both love to be outdoors, eat rocks & dirt, and get filthy dirty! Here is Benson and Packer outside playing together while me and Ben work on our sprinkler system. Hopefully next year we will have less dirt in our clothes, shoes, tummy's, and on our faces!

Summer Stuff

2008-08-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you were all DYING to see me in a swimsuit. Uh, EW! Sorry. But we went to the COOLEST pool. It's by my folks home in PG. This old couple is loaded and have this sweet pool, complete with waterslides and all. One of the waterslides is so -- INTENSE that you have to wear a helmet. And it's a good idea to wear a life jacket as well... not because you'll drown... but to prevent injuries. It probably doesn't sound fun.. but it is. I took some pictures of Ben going down the big slide, and some of Benson going down the kiddie slide, but my camera ran out of batteries and so the pictures I took were blurry. Ah nuts. But that's the story in a nut shell. And all we have to show for it is me holding packer doing nothing. Sweet eh?

Packer LOVES to play in the sink. Weird. But, it keeps him happy and occupied while I cook dinner, or clean, or something in the kitchen. Try it.

Best of Brothers

2008-08-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Benson & Packer love playing together. Sometimes Benson beats on Packer, sometimes Packer beats on Benson. But in the end, they're still best buddies.

Benson & Packer are making the most of the summer sun by playing in a gardening wagon, playing with Grandma's dog, Koda, and ... well... figuring out how to pick their noses. Busy, busy, busy.

Just Keep Walking

2008-08-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Daddy & Benson taking a walk on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Life is beautiful... It helps to have a beautiful family!