TIME

Don't you think time goes by so fast? You don't always realize it but the older I get the bigger my kids get and the more things change, the more I realize that time has gone by. A lot of time. especially lately. Like the fact it has been 4 months since I have last posted anything. Ya we have been busy with different things here and there. Mostly though there were just days I didn't want to blog or post anything. Then it occurred to me that those family and friends that we don't always see or talk to all the time may or may not want to check in and see what were up to but the fact remains the "reason" why I blog is so important for me cause it's kind of my way of journaling or scrap booking you could say. So bottom line is I need to get caught up and that is all of 4 months catching up. So I apologize ahead of time for the big post that will be done of major events that occurred over these months that I feel necessary to journal about. Devin is now done with finals before his next semester of his Masters program will pick back up again in January. So I have no excuse! I better get to this very soon before time passes me by again and I have yet even more to post about and the only person that will care is me!

Something to brag about

So Last month I went and had Gracie's 1 year pictures done and Easton's 5 year! I am so so happy with how they turned out. I honestly love every single one of them. These are just a few I had to chose from. Thanks Tiff for doing such a wonderful job, as usual. You are the best! I was really worried how they would turn out because Gracie is so BuSy and Easton hAtEs to get his picture taken. After looking at them I don't know what there was to worry about. So after much anticipation on my part here they are:


Isn't she so sweet, love the blue eyes!


Ok so this is probably my favorite picture of Easton, EVER! I love how cool his eyes look and his cute little dimples!



Oh I just love them!!



All Gracie wanted to do the whole time was stand up. So most pictures she is on her way up so if you see her sitting it is because Tiff had to hurry and take the picture.


Before this she was sitting on the crate with her brother. She of course wanted to stand instead of sit. So she fell back and hit her head against the back of this barn. She had splinters in her head and everything. After a few tears and loves she was as good as new. This picture above was even taken right after the fall. We thought we would put her "in" the crate so if she wanted to stand she could and wouldn't fall. So as you can see......

This one is probably my ABSOLUTE favorite! It just captures both of their personalities. Gracie especially, and again of course standing! This is honestly how she is all the time: Busy, Happy and Fun. And Easton just smiling because he was bribed by me with Ice cream after the pictures if he was good and Tiff bribed him with candy. Also she told him she would take a few pictures with him with his Wolverine "hand" which is the action figure he likes right now besides Batman and I completley forgot to post those pics. I might have to later, kind of funny but still turned out cute. Who knows maybe I will appreciate those ones when he is older to look back and laugh about!


Another one I just think is so sweet.

Thanks again Tiff, I really appreciate you and all you do. For anyone that is looking for a great photographer you can go to Tiffany Ericksen on my side bar and then her photo blog from there. She is great. Hope you enjoyed these, probably not as much as I do!

First and LAST camping trip of the Summer

So this last weekend we went camping with Jamie and her family. We left on Friday and headed up 12 Mile Canyon which is above Manti, so we were in Devin's stomping grounds. Well we couldn't have chosen the worse weekend to go camping because it was so freaking cold! We still didn't let that stop us and had a good time.......well until bedtime came.

The Kiddos


The GUYS


Us GALS


So we did ALOT of fishing, there was this little beaver pond right next to our camp ground, so we lived there. Not so much "our" choice meaning James and I.

Little Easton fishing it up, well trying to.


Me and Grace Girl


Me fishing.....Yes I do sometimes!




Even Jamie got in on the action


The boys.....PROUD FISHERMEN!


Gracie chillin in the weeds


Hallie just chillin


Best buddies!!!


I know I can't believe I am holding it either (and threw it's mouth) but needless to say my beautiful Rainbow Trout I think was ONE of the BIGGEST!

Ya so did I mention we did a TON of fishing......


Fast forward to night time:
The little boys trying to stay warm by the fire

The pictures as far as night goes stop there. It was freezing butt cold! It was the worst night of my life and I think Gracie's as well. She hardly slept at all, she wasn't in HER bed and it was so cold. She cried almost all night long, even in her sleep that is how tired and miserable she was. When she was asleep it was on top of me or right beside me so I didn't hardly move so I wouldn't disturb her, so I wasn't even hardly in my sleeping bag and I think it got down into the high 20's, ya I know in August oh ya and did I mention we were in TENTS! I think I was ready to leave right then in the middle of the night. Once morning came imagine my relief but is was still very cold. I think the highest it got to that day was 54 but the wind would pick up every now and again and it was chilling.

My camera died, otherwise I would have gotten pictures of the next day. This was the only one I captured. We did see a couple of deer. We went fishing again on Saturday to this beautiful lake called EMERALD Lake. It was so pretty, there is a reason it has the name it does. We didn't last there very long. It was cold, Jamie and I were sick of fishing and was tired from the long night before. We decided to head back to camp, eat dinner, clean up and head home. It was mostly a fun camping trip, short, cold and tiring but fun. Good food and fishing. Thanks Jamie and Luke for the memories. Maybe we can do this again lets say.....................next year! Oh ya and lets pick a warmer weekend to go.

Benadryl anyone???

This was supposed to go with the post below. This picture just goes to show if Easton went outside and plays with Maddie than touches his face or eyes without washing his hands, it looked worse in person. Can we say ALLERGIC!

MAn'S beST fRiENd oR JUst dEViN's

Not a lot of people knew I had a dog (other than close friends & family and our neighbors). I feel bad because I never really referred to her as my dog or "OuR" dog even it was just mostly "DEVIN"S DOG". Well the "dOg'S" name was Maddie. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a dog person. I never grew up with any animals let a lone a dog and they just never appealed to me. For one they always made me kind of nervous (still do depending on the size) and for two they stink, shed and slobber everywhere. When I started dating Devin and I knew he had a dog I was ok but I didn't know that this dog "lived in the house" "slept with him" and everything. I thought that was so gross. I guess I didn't realize what a "DoG lOVEr" Devin was. One thing about Maddie was she did not like me at ALL when Dev and I first started dating. I think she knew I was the competition and as far as she was concerned I was in her territory. She especially didn't like me when we got married because she had to move outside and was NEVER to come in the house and that's how it always was. Another thing was since she was "Devin's dog" he had to do everything; walk her, feed and water her, play with her, everything. After all she wasn't "my dog". When we lived in the townhouse our friends Joe and Michelle had a boxer named Sadie and Maddie and her loved to play together. Then they got another Boxer named Duke and I was beginning to think I was the only one that didn't like dogs. I made Devin promise that when we got married he would get rid of her. After a year that didn't happen we were moving to "our house" and I said she had to go then!

Devin made the excuse since we had a yard now far better reason to keep her. I thought otherwise. Also all of our neighbors had atleast two dogs or more so than I felt even worse about it and kind of outnumbered as far as excuses went! Everyone around me had a dog, so who was going to listen to me complain or understand how I felt about it. How were we supposed to go in the back yard with her out there? Easton is allergic to animals especially ones that shed. Sometimes when I was mad at Devin, I would tell him I was just going to take care of it myself and was going to load her up in the car and drop her off somewhere. Well I may not be a dog lover but I DO have a heart, so needless to say I could never bring myself to do that. I finally got to the point where I realized she was now just a part of the family. I asked Devin if he could atleast build her a dOg rUn or something. So in May that was one of his projects and he built her a dOg rUn and on the other side a garden (pictures later)!


Devin loved Maddie he would walk her and go out and play fEtCh with her but one of his favorite things to do with her was take her up in the mOuNTaiNs and hIkE! Last year she hiked Timp with Devin and did a great job!

She really was a great dog. She listened and minded. She was quiet when she needed to be. I also felt very safe knowing she was in the back yard. She was very protective. When I quit my job last year to stay home Devin asked me if I would help out with her as far as feeding and giving her water. I thought if that was all I had to do I would. I think she got to the point where she knew to not lick or come over to me because I would always tell her "NO". I did grow to love her though (as long as she wasn't in my house) and I think her and I had an understanding.

Easton loved her and even though he was allergic to her still would want to go out and play with her and throw her the ball! Then Gracie came along and she loved her as soon as she could make sense of it all. You would ask her "where's the doggy" and she would point, scoot or crawl over to the window to look for her. When Maddie would come up to the window Gracie would pound on it and get all excited. She soon knew what the doggy said and would make the sound if you asked her! She was never afraid and Maddie loved Gracie just as much. She would always want to come up to her and lick her.

I was always so concerned at first but Maddie was so patient and gentle. The only harm she did was lick too much but Gracie didn't mind, she would kind of just wipe it off with the back of her hand and smile. The beginning of Summer came and we noticed something was wrong with her eyes, after awhile we realized she was going blind. Then later we noticed she couldn't hear, you would go back there and she would have no idea. The last month when you would let her out she would always run into everything and have no idea where you were. So she relied on her sense of smell for almost everything. It got really sad because her eyes and everything got worse and worse. Devin knew the time was coming to have to put her down, I think he was really dreading it though.

He had gotten Maddie right after his divorce and when he was lonely. She became his buddy and did everything together until I came along! So last Wednesday Devin came home early from work to take her to do what needed to be done. He explained to Easton what was going to happen. Easton did better than I thought. I was actually having a hard time, harder than I thought. I was sad, mostly for Devin but a little for her as well. I know this is what needed to happen but I never had experienced something like that before. I balled through Marley and Me so it came as no surprise when we were going through similar circumstances and I was having a hard time and I didn't even like her to begin with, go figure! It was mostly because of what she meant to Devin and what she represented for us. We got some nice family pictures with her before she left. I could tell Devin was trying to act like it was no big deal but I saw through his actions and his eyes later on what he was going through on the inside. I knew what she meant to him and what she represented for him as well. She was a really good dog and will be missed. Even though I am still not tHaT much of a dog lover, Maddie did bring me closer and she was a great first dog for me and a interesting experience, she will always have a special place in our family's heart. GOOdbyE MAddIE!

Gracie's 1st hair cut

Getting started


BEFORE:



AFTER:

So cute.....it looks better in person. Looks like a little mini bob, I love it!

Hallie's 1st Birthday

Hallie Boo turned 1 on July 29th but we had her party the night before at Jamie and Luke's.

Getting into her cake and deciding she really likes this......


Right before her bath, she was a big mess!


Her cute princess cake that Jamie made. Even though it was a little crooked lol Jamie did a great job and it turned out so cute!!


Gracie doing her favorite thing with grandpa....being thrown in the air.


Don't ask me how we got all three of them to hold still for a picture but we did (and don't they all look a little somber well ya it was bedtime).

I can't believe they are all one now! Where does the time go? This has been such a fun year with all of them but we are just getting started. Happy birthday sweet Hallie Boo we love you!

Mini family reunion in Midway 24th of July weekend!

The reason I say mini was cause it was short and sweet but perfect. We went up to Midway with Devin's parents, Aunt and Uncle and cousins. The whole family wasn't able to make it so that is also why it was MINI. We stayed up in a beautiful cabin for 2 days. We went four wheeling, played SCUM and one night until 2:30 a.m. Ate good food of course and also went to Heber and got some shakes from "Granny's" apparently they are famous for their shakes but in my whole life living here never made it up there to Heber just for shakes. It was a fun weekend though to say the least.

Our view for two days



These guys weren't so bad either but Gracie slept horrible. I am telling you this girl apparently only sleeps her 12-14 hrs in "her" crib!


Devin and I on our 4-wheeler ride


Easton and grandma Debbie


View from the highest peak on our ride





Easton and his cousin Bella, she is quite the little poser. Good thing Easton had someone to play with. They played pretty cute together, I even think Bella got Easton to play house lol When he wasn't playing with Bella though he was obsessed with playing Devin's cousin hand held play station thing.


Grandma Debbie and Grace girl


On our way down from the Cabin we went shopping at the outlets (of course) and bought a few items. Then after that we went and ate at Ruby Tuesday with Dev's parents. It was really good and a great way to end the trip!