Passing Time...

I feel like these past few weeks have just been passing time. The family i was doing summer preschool for has had to take a hiatus...so the kids and I are just doing whatever to fill our days. It's crazy...I don't think the kids nor I really know how to deal with all the time...we haven't had it in long time. The house definitely gets a lot dirtier a lot faster (some of that may be due to Taylee turning one and wreaking havoc on everything and Carter potty-training)

Little walker


Sara took this pic when she was babysitting...she said Tay just came and laid her head down on the rug while Sara was cleaning the kitchen...she must've been really tired!


Carter would read books in his bed all night long if we let him. Seriously, a few weeks ago I went in at midnight and he was still up reading! Reminds me of pictures of me when I was younger.

Our silly guy. We found him asleep on his floor like this: swimming hat on and golf club tucked in his arms...wonder what goes on in that head??

Our big trip for the summer is coming up...this weekend ALL MY FAMILY COMES IN!!! I am sooo excited for this trip. My parents and youngest siblings drive in on Saturday, my sister Janessa and her husband and two girls fly in Saturday, my sister Krista, her husband, and two girls drive in Sunday, and my brother Chris and his girlfriend come in the next Thursday. This will be the first time we've all been together in...a long time. On Monday we leave for Yellowstone where we'll stay a day in Lake Yellowstone and two days at Old Faithful. The Yellowstone trip was always one of my favorites growing up and I'm so excited I get to share it with Ty and the kids again. I have to admit that one major reason I'm so excited for this trip is because Ty gets to take off work and just hang out with us ALL DAY! Wahoo! Carter's potty training is definitely getting better and I think this trip will be the true test if he can survive in the real world. Carter talks all the time about "Annie, Abby, Grace"...he is so excited to be around his fun girl cousins again. He called Marissa and McKayla tonight just to talk and serenaded them...only 6 more days! I can't wait guys!! Drive/fly safely!!

Happy Father's Day

Tyson woke up this morning to "sleeping in omelette" (courtesy of The Pioneer Woman blog) and some surprises from me and the kids

A butane camp stove, back-up butane canisters, and 8 quart dutch oven...not that exciting, but we needed them for our food storage/emergency preparedness and they were 1/2 off at Maceys...so Father's Day seemed like a perfect time. After seeing the latest Indian Jones and being so disappointed, I decided to get him the earlier ones to remind him of better Indiana times :) I didn't get him Temple of Doom, though...it is way too creepy to have in our house.

This was my favorite surprise. When I was down in Texas, Krista took some AMAZING pics of my kids. Seriously-all of them are amazing. I will post some more later this week. Anyway-Ty had no idea. I printed up some favorites, found a poem about following Daddy's footsteps, made footprints of the kids and..tada..a b/w collage for Dad. Last year, I used a poem about handprints and did clay handprints of the kids with a collage of pics I had taken from Kiddie Kandids. It was fun to replace them in the frames this year and see how much they've grown.

I spoke in sacrament meeting today and was so grateful to Ty for watching the kids by himself all through the meeting. He is one awesome husband and dad and we love him lots! Here are some pics of the kids hangin with dad in the past few weeks:

Ty had to work Memorial Day morning, but as soon as he got home-the kids were ready to climb and wrestle on him

I loved Taylee's patriotic outfit for this year (it'll double over for the 4th of July also)

It wasn't raining outside...but Carter likes to pretend. He absolutely loves his umbrella

Daddy helping Taylee feed the goats at Thanksgiving Point

Steadying Carter as he walks the tracks

Helping Taylee blow out her candle at her early first birthday party

Thanks for everything Ty!

Ty and I are also so grateful to our Dads for their love and for the examples they have been and continue to be for us and our kids. We love you! Happy Fathers Day!

Daddy Dear

In honor of Father's Day...I'm finally getting around to posting Ty's graduation pics. Here he is walking the stage at the Provo Tabernacle. We are so proud of him. He had only been at the Y one semester when we got engaged...a wife, a house, and 2 kids later (and working full-time during much of school), he earned his degree.

His Dad, Jeff, graduated the next day so we had a graduation party for the two Kearns boys.

I plan on posting more about this stellar husband and Dad tomorrow (after I speak on it in sacrament meeting:)...until then...

Miracles

So...those who know me well know that I often find little miracles that happen in my life...I seem to find the most around Christmastime and term them my "Christmas miracles." This past week, I witnessed another miracle...seeing as it's around Memorial Day, I'll call it my "Memorial Day miracle." Last October, I lost my wedding ring. My finger size fluctuates like nobody I've ever known and so as soon as it starts to get cold each winter, my fingers get really small. One such night this happened and my rings slipped off. I heard the wedding band hit the pavement as I was coming back from Walmart around 10pm and found it, but could never find the actual wedding ring with the diamond. I called Walmart for weeks and they finally told me even if someone found it, they probably wouldn't have returned it...sad. Snow came and so searching the lawn was impossible. When my sister-in-law Kayla was in town last week, she searched for hours on her hands and knees through the grass...but to no avail. We finally had to mow the lawn and listened for the ring being clipped but again..nothing. Lynsey King (best friend from college) showed up Thursday (was it??) with a metal detector and after an hour of searching and me giving up hope...SHE FOUND MY RING!!! I still am reeling with excitement about it. It we hadn't found it, I told Ty I didn't want a new ring because that one was special...it was my actual wedding ring and so it would be silly to get a replacement...plus it was a heart-shaped diamond and a sacrifice to buy in our tight early marriage days.I am now taking much better care of it and wearing an elastic band over it every time I wear it out...just in case...thanks Lyns!! .

Memorial Day 2008

This post is a little frustrating because my camera died yesterday about five minutes into our memorial day visit with my grandparents and I missed some really great pictures of my family's past...Mom, I wish I had been able to take pictures of all of Grandpa's grandparents' homes and land and the gravestones...from 3 different cemeteries...next year :)

Here are the 3 I caught before it died:


Carter helping Grandma set flowers at the grave of Annie Irene and Myrthen Moon


Chris flew down from Washington DC for the long weekend and his girlfriend, Jessie, drove down from BYU-I...it was fun to have them here


I'm really glad that my grandparents come down each year to visit these graves...I really enjoy learning more about my family members and am grateful my kids are getting to understand what Memorial Day is all about. I was excited to show Carter all the flags standing in memoriam of soldiers and veterans at Spanish Fork cemetery...it was especially touching for me because one of them is in honor of my best friend Lynsey's dad who recently passed away.

Random

I'm starting to go through my backed-up pictures and finally getting them journaled. These are just a random collection from March...I think?

Taylee's a chocolate lover like her mom..and her brother

We watched Jared and Braden for a few days while their parents went to Southern Cali to find an apartment...donuts and juice bottles were on the menu for breakfast the first day...a huge success!

We kept ourselves busy painting, playing, singing, and dancing

This pic's for K...the pics you took of our fam are in the iron frames on either side of the Teichert painting...if I could figure out how to allow them to be printed 11x14 & 8X10, they'll be hanging on the opposite wall also



More to come...lots of free time with such a dreary day...

Birthday Girl

Our beautiful little princess (her name, Taylee Mei, literally means "princess beautiful") celebrated her one year mark on Wednesday. The kids and I are in San Antonio, TX and Ty is in Washington DC on business, so we celebrated with him and the Kearns side of the family on Sunday...those pictures will come in the next post. These pics are from her actual birthday May 7. I had a blast being near Krista and making a really fun cake. Carter had a blast being near Annie and playing all kinds of make-believe (which I think took a little adapting from his kind of make-believe...she is a three year old girl) and Taylee had a blast screaming, banging things, and playing with cousin Katy...they are definitely two peas in a pod.

I really wanted a fun & girly cake for her birthday. K and I found a picture online and adapted it to Taylee's colors...or rather the colors I have chosen for Taylee's favorite colors. Her room is pinks and brown polka-dots. SO...we decided to make a pinks and brown polka-dot cake with stripes. I LOVE making cakes and have really missed living by Krista to experiment...she has all the good equipment and tools. Taylee really wanted to dig into it when we first put her by it for pictures, but by the time dinner was over-she was being timid. I gave her a little push to taste the top part, and then she went right in...head first. Ty did this same thing during her "sunday party" and she absolutely loved eating that way.

Don't take it away!

The damage

Her special birthday dinner consisted of potato wedges, carrots, and chicken sticks...a few of her favorite things. She also had a leftover chicken salad sandwich...another thing I discovered on this trip that she really likes. She was such a good eater...even leaving her party hat on the entire time.

Taylee also loved opening presents. She's at such a fun age when she knows what's going on. Grandma and Grandpa got her a doll and she LOVED it...she was seriously loving on it. She has been really cute with dolls for the past little while. She squeals and hugs and kisses and rocks...so cute! She is such a girl...she loves sunglasses, shoes, necklaces, dolls. Thank you Thank you to Krista, Grandma, Grandpa, and all Tay's aunts and uncles and cousins for helping her have a very special day

Happy Happy Birthday to our sweet little gal. We love you and are so grateful to have you in our family!