California Dreamin'

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

These are the best of the best pictures taken over the LONG Halloween celebration. I think Mackenzie dressed up for 8 different events. Luke was a Tiger for a Halloween party but a Lukey Monkey for the rest. I dressed up in three different costumes for three different events that did not include Halloween night (by Halloween I was too tired of costumes to dress up myself). And, when I pulled out the camera to take pictures trick-or-treating, it didn't work. Bah! That camera, thankfully a cheap one, lasted a year, to the day. We bought it on Halloween last year when I lost the previous camera.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Voldemort.

We couldn't pull together a whole family costume this year...one of the reasons: Mackenzie insisted on being a Princess.

Dane and Brice both wore this costume on their second Halloween...had to follow the tradition.

Downward Dog

2011-10-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

The greatest thing about this picture is that he pulled my Yoga mat out of my closet, into my bedroom, unrolled it and then bent over upside down. Hilarious! Sadly, again, I had about 1 second before he ran off to do something else...hence the blur.

My Little Cowboys

2011-10-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Dane and Brice dressed up for Western Day at school. Dane won the prize for his grade: about 50 tickets for the Fall Festival

Luke dressed up for our playgroup Halloween Party. (Sorry they are so blurry, I hate my camera and I had like half a second before he took the hat off)

Princess Tea Party

2011-10-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

While I am thankful to have a girl to do cutesy, girly things with, I am also thankful that I only have ONE girl! This was a special outing for just Mackenzie and her best friend Amelia (aka Meeya). A Princess Tea Party at a place called Rock the Tea.

Here they are waiting to begin.

Here is the little brother finding ways to entertain himself while the girls are being pampered.

After picking out a princess dress and all the accesories, crown, jewlery, purse, shoes, they had their nails done.

Then a little make-up.

Then a fashion show on their own little runway.

Next was the tea party with their "American Girl Dolls".

And they ended with "Freeze Dance" .

We went to lunch afterwards. Apparently being a princess is exhausting because Mackenzie fell asleep on the couch during Luke's nap for the first time in months. Well worth every penny! (Which was actually only $10 for the whole hour!)

First Day of Preschool

2011-10-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

She is SO ready for this!

My Lukey Monkey is One!

2011-10-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

We have always had our kids First Birthday with our family in California. That sometimes meant celebrating a little early or late to coordinate plans to be together. Sadly, that just didn't work out this time. And, I feel horrible. I know he won't remember but I will. We tried to do something special but it ended up being chaos shoved in between naps and church. We did have a few friend join us. But, other than making him a special cake...I didn't even make it out of my pajamas. Ugh! So awful. But, he enjoyed his sandbox, presents and his monkey cake. I can't believe my baby is One. I still cry every time I remember it.

What a nice big brother!

2011-10-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Step 3: No Training Wheels!

2011-08-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Brice Family Photos 2011

2011-07-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

For those who read my blog that know my whole family...

Trip to Utah -- Thursday

2011-07-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

So...my mom's family all lives in Bountiful, Utah. They get together once a year for a Craig Family Reunion. My mom is there around the 24th of July -- Pioneer Day -- so the two things usually happen together. I decided this year to brave the drive with my four kids...by myself. I thought it was probably a crazy thing to do but hoped it be worth it. The drive there took 12 hours with all the stops we made. Two of those stops were long ones (lunch and play at McDonalds and then to see Lyndsee's classroom in Spanish Fork). We had one major melt down from Mackenzie (who has been horrible in the car since the day she was born) and several additional minor ones. Luke's naps were short and he cried for 30-45 minutes before falling asleep. Ugh!

These are the only pictures I have from the first day there...we went to Layton Surf and Swim (wave pool). The kids loved it!

See additional posts for all the fun things we did on this trip!

Friday

2011-07-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Friday we started off at the Farmington pool. It had a great kiddie area with a beach entry pool that Luke wanted nothing to do with. He was constantly crawling out and back to the hot cement. We spent most of the time on the grass. It also had a couple diving boards. Yes, that is my 3 year old jumping off the HIGH dive, without floaties. She did this numerous times and loved it until... we think she was trying to dive (like her brother) and belly flopped. She had red marks (almost welts) on her stomach and thighs. We couldn't convince her to go off again. She was terrified! I had to help her down off the ladder twice because as much as she wanted to she just couldn't do it. So sad!

Next came the Boutiful parade. It was hot and apparently shorter than usual but it was fun to be there. They "threw" out lots of candy and the kids seemed to enjoy it. I didn't take any pictures myself...just stole a few from my sister.

And to end a very busy day of fun (not that you can tell by this picture) we went to the Bountiful fireworks.

Saturday

2011-07-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday started with a pancake breakfast at Bountiful Park. Only Mackenzie went with my mom and grandparents. Dane was still asleep, Brice said he wanted to stay home and Luke was ready for a nap by the time they left. Next came the Bountiful park carnival...with its cheesy carni rides and yummy scones and corn-on-the-cob!

This was the best "bouncy" blow-up thingy ever. Brice was hilarious! He would intentionally let himself get pulled backwards. It was pretty tricky for both of them to pull the bungee chords far enough to make a "touch-down" with the kid pulling them back on the other side.

Here are Lyndsee and I waiting for the kids to finish their ride. It was soooo hot! I did something to my eye and had to wear my glasses for about 3 days...not fun!

Next came the official Craig Family Reunion. There was lots of swimming, great food, games and conversation. I was so glad I could be there to see all my aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids.

This is Luke and James (my cousin Stacey's baby who is only a week older than Luke). They were totally attacking each other. The funniest part is when Luke grabbed at James' face...he didn't scream or cry he just tried to bite Luke's finger. LOL!

We finished off the night lighting off our own fireworks. I had stopped at the Indian Reservation on my way to Utah. I asked for fireworks that didn't go off the ground (not realizing that Utah now allows the ones that shoot in the air). But, apparently I grabbed the wrong ones. I ended up with 3 of the best fireworks in the family display! They were true up in the air explosions. Whoops! :0)

This was the last picture of the trip. The playplace at McDonalds on our drive home. The drive home was better...only 7.5 hours. One really major melt down with in the first hour (even I was in tears). But the rest of the drive was manageable. It was a whirlwind of activities. Lots of fun, late nights, little sleep and lots of family. The drive there and back was anything but fun. But, in the end it was definitely worth it! Driving to California, even by myself, will be a breeze!

Dane's Birthday

2011-07-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Dane's birthday requests: a back pack, a watch, and a bike all red and black. We did exchange both of the backpacks I picked out (but I didn't really like them either). But, I found the perfect watch and bike.

For his party he wanted: pizza, ants-on-a-log, chips and salsa, Texas Sheet Cake, swimming and a "dance party." Done! Easiest b-day party ever! They also used some bargain balls I found for dodge ball which was really the hit of the party. Ha, ha...hit!

Step Two

2011-07-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Step one was training wheels on a small bike. This is step two...the greatest invention ever! Its a training bike with no pedals...I typed it right, no pedals. They learn to balance without worrying about pedaling. With my boys, as soon as they mastered this (which only took a couple good rides) they could instantly ride a normal bike. Mackenzie is ready...we just haven't taken the time to show her. She's only 3 and a half!!

Don't worry...

2011-07-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

...the car was parked on the side of the freeway while Luke was "driving". We had two, yes TWO tires blow out on our trip back from California. Thankfully we had AAA (even though was are totally stupid and don't have a spare tire). The first on was just outside Baker...it took 2 1/2 hours for the tow truck to come, load us ONto the towtruck with us inside because it was easier than tranferring 4 kids, carseats and a dog INto the tow truck, tow us back to Baker and have the tire changed. Not the kind of adventure I was hoping for. The second was about 10 minutes from home. It was so ridiculous I laughed myself to tears. Thankfully our wonderful Bishop's wife, Missy, came and picked up the kids and I.

Fourth of July Pictures

2011-07-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats Fourth of July Fireworks at University of Redlands. They truly put on the best show! Part of the fun is hanging out waiting for them to start. There is music and parachuters and jet fly-overs and running into people I knew growing up. So much fun! I love Red, White and Blue! When I get to celebrate it right (beach, BBQ, fireworks), 4th of July is my favorite holiday!

More Beach Pictures

2011-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

These are in no particular order and all mixed up between our two beach trips. I wanted to be in California for my birthday and the 4th of July. My other request was two trips to the beach. On Saturday, three of Dan's siblings and their kids joined us. On Monday all of my siblings and my parents came along. Oh, how I miss living close to the beach!!

Dan trying to fill the baby pool...the buckets had holes in them.

The whole Brice family...all of us! And of course Suraj and Tawnya too.

Luke's First Trip to the Beach

2011-07-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

The water pictures are actually his 2nd trip to the beach (2 days later).

Antique Photos

2011-05-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who was doing a fundraiser for her MOPS group. Basically $10 covered the sitting fees and then you got a free 10x14 print. I knew when I left the photo shoot it was going to be hard to pass up the extra pictures that were ridiculously priced. I went in hoping that I could get some of the extras (ie the individual shots) for a reasonable price. Not so lucky...but I know I would have been very disappointed if I (my understanding hubby) didn't give up an arm and leg for these adorable pictures.

This group shot was my "free" one. I almost wonder if the photographer chose one of the worst ones so I would be "encouraged" to buy the great individual poses.

This was my other option as an "extra"... maybe a little better??

Dane and his dimples and long hair were pretty easy to capture...I am not sure how we got him to give us a real smile as opposed to the goofy one in the group shot.

We finally got Brice to smile by teasing him about his girlfriend (yes, he has a girlfriend in kindergarten...that's a whole hilarious story in itself). Say "Gia"!

Mackenzie enjoyed all the dressing up and props. There were probably double the shots to choose from for her. Sadly her wispy hair ruined a couple shots. These were my favorites.

If only all the kids had been as cooerative as Luke. Seriously, he was adorable in every shot! Its so much easier to make him smile.

Wetlands Park

2011-05-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

Nature Preserve...ie one of the few green places in Vegas

No, that's not Luke...he was in the Bjorn by this point :0)

One of the fun partsof having a calling in Young Women's

2011-05-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

We get to do fun things :0) Its a cupcake if you can't tell. The flower petals are made out of marshmallows. Cool, huh?! Thanks Michelle Purkiss for teaching us!

Crazy Eyes

2011-03-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

When Mackenzie was a baby she had the biggest eyes! People have commented that Luke has big eyes too. I didn't really see it until recently. When he does "crazy eyes" (like Mackenzie used to) you can see how big they are.

Thank you, Mackenzie

2011-02-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

for decorating Luke with stickers.

Luke's first time...

2011-02-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

in our backyard swing. Ahhhh....so sweet!

Four little monkeys...

2011-02-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Brice can ride a bike!

2011-02-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

So, Brice didn't want to have anything to do with a bike without training wheels. We tried to take the pedals off his bike and teach him like we did with Dane but he didn't like to wobble AT ALL. He refused to ride for a while. Then for Christmas he got a "training bike" that is built without pedals. It was a little small for him but he got the idea and because he was so close to the ground he didn't worry about falling. It only took about 3 rides on that bike before he mastered it. Then we convinced him to try his bike without the training wheels. First shot! No problem. He loves that he can go fast now :0)

Hike in Red Rock

2011-02-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

On President's Day we had beautiful weather. I really wanted to take advantage of the warmth and go outside. We decided to go on a hike. It was great! Lots to look at (there was even water in the waterfall). I am not sure I can do this by myself carrying a baby and still be able to help Mackenzie, but I loved it so much I may try anyway. It was fun to go as a whole family!

Once there was a Snowman...

2011-01-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

My grandma, Tutu, sometimes sends me fun cake pans. She sent me this one a while ago and I have never been brave enough to attempt it. But, alas, the holidays are over and so is all the holiday baking. It is crummy JANUARY, my absolete least favorite month (its cold for no good reason and there is nothing exciting to look forward to). One of the tricky things about this cake is you can't really take it anywhere because chances are it would tip over or the frosting would get smashed, etc. You also have to have enough room in the fridge to keep it cool. AND the right amount of time spaced out to cook it, cool it, put it together, stand it up and last frost it. Well, tomorrow I am hosting a playgroup/scentsy party/toy exchange at my house. So, this is what I made for dessert:

Everyone is invited :0)

Baby Luke

2011-01-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Paper Jams

2011-01-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Aunt Lyndsee

2011-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

2011-01-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Nativity

2011-01-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Tree

2010-12-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

In totally mixed up order because the computer isn't cooperating and the baby is crying... (and missing the un-taken picture of the tree after it fell over)

Mackenzie's Birthday

2010-12-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

Tinker Bell Cupcakes

Tutu's Sweater

Blessing Day

2010-12-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

Smiley Luke

2010-12-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures

2010-12-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Which is your favorite??

Lyndsee's Birthday

2010-11-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Idaho for Dan's grandmother's funeral. Afterwards we spent some time in Bountiful. We were able to see almost all of my extended family. We also got to be there to celebrate Lyndsee's birthday. I can't believe my baby sister is 20 !!

Mackenzie's Broken Arm

2010-11-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

I always knew Mackenzie would be the first one of my kids to need a cast. She fell (or jumped?) out of the bunk bed. Thankfully it is just a "buckle fracture" which is more like a sprain than a break. Her cast is soft and only had to stay on for a little more than 2 weeks. I can remove it myself in a week from now :0) I think she likes it and it doesn't slow her down AT ALL.

Growing so fast!

2010-11-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

Look-a-likes

2010-11-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am constanly amazed at how much my kids look alike!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

A few pics of Luke

2010-10-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Name that Baby

2010-09-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, these are three different babies. Apparently we only have one cookie cutter/mold for our kids!!

The answer is (after rechecking for myself): Luke, Mackenzie, Brice

Baby Luke

2010-09-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it took me a day to get on, but I have been trying to rest... so I am editing Dan's version of the birth story so I can go lay back down.

Luke Daniel Jenkins was born on 9/8/10 at 1:39 pm. He weighed in at 7lbs 11oz (the same weight as our other Vegas baby) and was 19 inches long. We went to the hospital at 4:00 a.m. to be induced. They gave me Pitossin but I was progressing slowly. They gave me an epidural and broke my water and I went from a 3cm dialated to a 6cm in 30 minutes. I made it all the way to a 9.5 in record time but the baby's heart rate was dropping during the contractions.The first time it really dropped three nurses rushed in and shoved an oxygen mask in my face and cut off the Pitossin. This brought back memories of Dane's deliver...ugh! Dan called in a friend and they gave me a blessing. The blessing promised mepeace of mind and a healthy baby (but not a resolution of the underlying problem). The Nurses figured it was the umbillical cord in play some how, and it was. Luke came out with the cord wrapped around his neck and he was a vibrant shade of purple. He got unwrapped and he was fine. They did have an OR waiting just in case it needed to go to an emergency C-section. We are both recovering and doing just fine. Though he was CRAZY in my belly, he is quite the little sleeper now.

Mackenzie's First Pedicure

2010-09-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

Dane's Birthday Take 1: Breakfast/Gifts

2010-07-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

His "cake" on his actual birthday was a donut for breakfast.

Harry Potter Series (his current obsession). He's on book 5 and he loves them so much it was worth not having to check them out at the library.

Dane's B-day take 2: Cub Scouts

2010-07-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Opening his Cub Scout gear from Papa.

Dane's B-day take 3: The Party

2010-07-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Decorating Bug Cakes

2010-07-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July

2010-07-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Haircuts (Finally!!)

2010-06-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Dane Before

(the deal was as soon as we set up the pool he'd cut his hair. Its been about a year since he's had "real" haircut)

Dane during

Dane After

Brice Before

Brice After

Baby Keegan

2010-06-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Brice's 5th Birthday Party

2010-06-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Beach Trip June 2010

2010-06-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

Handprints for Grandma

2010-06-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Disneyland June 2010

2010-06-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

We rarely stop to see characters at Disneyland. We figure that is so much more to do that is better...and the kids don't usually care. But this trip we were waiting on people to arrive so we met a few.

It was fun to get to the front of the line and tell the Cast Member that we had 18 in our group.

"Not Daddy's girl, mommy's girl!" (not that you can tell by this picture).

Girl or Boy?

2010-06-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

Dane thought it was funny that he could wear Mackenzie's swimsuit cover-up. Mackenzie was not happy about it! Brice just thinks its more evidence that Dane looks like a girl with his long hair.

Belly Pic

2010-06-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

I am a little more than 24 weeks in this picture. I am even bigger now. A couple days ago I had my first "wow! you must be due any day!" I laughed and said, "no, i still have 3 months." The nice, thoughtful store clerk replied, "you must be having twins!" This being my 4th pregnancy, I am used to this reaction to my huge belly, so I laughed again, "no, I just get really big." Seriously! You could really offend someone that way!

Pics for Joanna

2010-04-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Joanna, moved to Missouri after she got married. Since she doesn't get to visit very often she likes to see pictures of her nieces and nephews. We still haven't taken many pictures lately (that anyone else really cares to see) but she wanted to see recent ones. My sister, Lyndsee, requested pictures from me too! I keep forgetting...Lyndz, I will email you these pictures so you can order prints :0)

These first few are our February trip to Disneyland. We are trying to get our money's worth for our Annual Passes. We have gone 4 times since October which means they are paid for. We hope to get in 2 or 3 more trips before they expire. We love Disneyland!!

I catch Mackenzie reading to her babies all the time. This time she was sitting in the doll stroller. Thankfully, I splurged a little on this one so it is actually strong enough to hold her (for this very reason!).

This is at Grandma Anne's house. She always finds creative ways to entertain the kids. They love the cool forts she makes!

The last time we went to my parents house we arrived and mom was all prepared for some sugar-cookie-baking. Mackenzie was the cutest little chef and loved helping every stip of the way.

My grandmother, Tutu, makes the kids sweaters each year for Christmas. This year they got matching hats too.

One of our good friends had a pirate party for her son. They got to dress up as pirates and make their own hats too.

Mackenzie and her best friend, Amelia, at the pirate party.

Mackenzie's hair is just barely long enough for two piggy tails. Isn't it adorable?! And, there is a picture of her on her brother's scooter. Its supposed to be for ages 3 and up but apparently Mackenzie has the physical abilities that Brice had at only 2 years old. She's already pretty good on this thing.

Dane's "American Idol" hair (though you can't see it real well with the glare). His deal is he will let me cut it when we put up our pool outside. That's in another month or two.

What's new?

2010-03-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

I guess its been a while since I have blogged about anything. I think its because there hasn't been much that has been picture worthy since Christmas and that's usually when I think to blog. But, there have been a few new things in our lives.

The first, and most notable, if you didn't notice it from Facebook or from the new item on the top of the blog is: I am pregnant. I am now a little over 14 weeks. Yesterday I felt great...pushed it too hard (cleaning all day) and today I feel horrible...I woke up with the worst headache and I am nauseous too. Ugh! Its been a harder pregnancy thus far than my others in some ways. I don't know if its my age or the fact that this is #4 but I have been a lot more tired than I remember being with the other pregnancies. It doesn't take much to wear me out.

At about 11 1/2 weeks I had an ultrasound and the doctor said he was 75% sure it is a boy (I didn't even know they could tell that early on!). So, I have been trying to get used to that idea because in my head I was ready for a girl...it just would have been easier (we have a girl name, lots of girl clothes, it would make our family even and she could share a room with Mackenzie). I have another ultrasound on April 21st and then we will know with more certainty. I am really anxious to get rid of the clothes in my garage that I won't need for this baby!

The next new thing in my life is: I was called to be the Young Women's President in my ward. I have been a counselor for about 8 months or so and I didn't think being president would be much different but I was wrong. The biggest stress has been trying to get my counselors called...ugh! Long story but its been more than three weeks since they called me and I still am missing one counselor and a camp director.

Hmmmm... what else? I am ready for Spring! I am so tired of sweatshirts and socks! I want warmth, swimming pools and flip flops!

New Posts

2010-01-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

So I am pretty good about uploading pictures from my camera to Picasa and then to my blog. But, I am not good about the explaining/journaling part. But, today I was stuck in front of the computer on hold with my insurance company so I decided to catch up. The posts are all in wacky order at least time wise...and there are a bunch. Enjoy! :0)

Favorite Gifts from Santa

2009-12-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

We chose to spend Christmas morning with my family. Seriously, NOTHING beats Christmas morning at the Brice house! It was everything we hoped for...thanks to all who chipped in to make it memorable!!

Dane got a couple of "favorite" things...Cup Stacks and a Remote Control Dinosaur (with which "Santa" even surprised me and Dan!)

Brice got the Bat Cave (which he plays with way more than I thought he would...yay!!)

Mackenzie got multiple "babies" and all the accessories to go with them.

Disneyland with Aunt Lyndsee

2009-12-30T15:33:00.000-08:00

We love Disneyland! We saved up and bought Annual Passes for this year (in October on Dan's birthday). Christmas is magical at Disneyland. We were so excited when my Dad offered to pay for Lyndsee to join us a few days before Christmas. It was fun to have her there with us!

The Christmas Story

2009-12-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

We had Christmas Eve with my family at the Cannon's House. (Just like old times!) We had a fun meal: Christmas around the World which included all kinds of new and interesting foods. Then we ended the night with our tradition of acting out the Story of the Christ's Birth. Mackenzie loved dressing up at first but lost interest quickly. Brice was very serious about doing it just right. Dane didn't really want to do it but I think secretly enjoyed it.

Brice trained as a Jedi at Disneyland

2009-12-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

Bracelets

2009-12-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

I am doing a "Christmas Special" on my bracelets. $5 for ones that are already made (lots of color choices, mostly infant ones) or $7 for custom made ones. Anyone interested?

Mackenzie's 2nd Birthday

2009-12-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

Mackenzie's Hospital Adventure

2009-12-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

This happened so long ago it seems like "old news" but I started the post with pictures and haven't taken the time to add the description. I am just going to summarize for anyone who didn't hear.

Mackenzie was strapped into her booster seat on top of a bar stool/chair. She kicked the wall in front of her and knocked the chair over. She hit her head on our marble floor. After about an hour she was still laying on the couch, mostly asleep, which is VERY unlike my incredibly active little girl. So we headed to the ER. No one was too concerned but decided to do a CT as a precaution. They found a small crack in her skull. (No displacement or blood). Again, to be safe, they wanted her to stay overnight in the hospital to be observed. They didn't have a pediatric neuro surgeon at Spring Valley Hospital so they transferred us (by ambulance) to Sunrise Children's Hospital. It was a long 8 hours in emergency rooms before we were put into a room.

They had crazy "cages" for beds to make sure there was no way a child could fall out.

They had a playroom and also let you "borrow" toys and bikes to ride around the hallways. Mackenzie was totally fine by the time we were put in a room. She found all kinds of things to entertain herself and the nurses too.

The additional sad part to the whole "adventure" was that the morning after the fall was Mackenzie's 2nd Birthday. The nurse and Child Life Specialist did their best to make it special for her anyway. She got a teddy bear and a present to unwrap.

The ironic thing (for me) was that on that morning I held my baby girl exactly 2 years to the minute in my arms, in the hospital.

Nothing is Impossible...

2009-12-06T18:25:00.001-08:00

So tonight we, as a family, had a really neat opportunity to drop off "care packages" to some homeless people in our town. We made it a Family Home Evening activity. Afterwards I was asking the kids how they felt and what they thought about it. We had already pointed out (to our hungry, pre-dinner kids) that these people were hungry most of the time. We talked about how cold it was outside. One of the boys mentioned Christmastime and presents. I told them that those people wouldn't get ANY presents. Dane disagreed. "You never know...NOTHING is impossible..." (we waited for something about Santa) he continued, "except not being tickle-ish...I know, I have Uncles."

Oh, Dane! Gotta love that kid!

Peter Pan and Associates

2009-11-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

Dane's "wave pool"

2009-10-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Curly or Straight?

2009-10-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Curly or Straight? Which do you like better?

Dressing herself

2009-09-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

I think the title and the pictures tell it all! Hilarious!

Reunions

2009-09-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

I love being able to see "old" friends. This summer I was lucky enough to see two that I don't get to see very often. The first was on of my best friends, Ranisa, who moved to the mid-west a while ago. I did get to see her in Chicago when I was pregnant with Mackenzie (two years ago). But, our visits are few and far between. It was the first time all our kids had been together.

The next was one of my room mates from BYU, Tracey. She too has moved all over and I haven't seen her in about 4 or 5 years (when she happened to come to San Diego). This time she was driving through Vegas on her way to San Diego again. They only had time to stop and say hi and take a picture of all our kiddos together too. Fun times! (Getting all the kids in the picture was tricky.)

Love you girls!!

Dane's 7th Birthday

2009-09-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

It was a Pool Party (because that means I don't have to come up with party games to keep them entertained).

We ended up with 12 boys (and Mackenzie) because all the friends Dane wanted to invite had at least one brother who came along. It was crazy! I think its funny to watch them enthralled with the gift opening.

Yaya gave me a icecream cone cake pan. The cake is the cone with a scoop of icecream on top. Hard to eat but so cute.

Sleeping Brice

2009-09-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Brice has never been a good sleeper. Bedtime, every night, is a nightmare for me. He won't stay in bed, he won't go to sleep and he stopped taking naps a long time ago. So recently his sleeping has made me laugh. He has fallen asleep in strange places and strange positions in his battle to defy me. He has even fallen asleep in the middle of the day. Not my typical Brice. So each time it happened I had to take a picture.

(This is not the first time I have found him asleep on the bathroom floor.)

Great American Bake Sale

2009-09-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

We went over our goal by almsot $200. We ended up with so much food (donated and homemade) that we also got to split it between a couple churches to donate to their families in need.

This was one of the things I made..."cake on a stick" thanks to my grandmother (Tutu) who sent me the random cake pan. It was fun to make these...they were definitly unique among the cookies, cupcakes and loaves of bread.

Before and After

2009-07-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Living in HOT, HOT Vegas means summer haircuts for all...I think I prefer everyone's longer but it will grow back and in the mean time it will be cool and easy to do. You can't really tell much difference with Mackenzie because it isn't sticking up in the pictures. Before her "First" haircut her hair was always sticking straight up looking greasy from sunscreen. Now it isn't quite so long on top (or behind the ears) so it doesn't look so gross with all the sunscreen.

I couldn't resist posting the crazy morning hair for Dane's "before"...If you look at my earlier posting of our recent Photo Shoot you will see what his hair looked like styled. I am not real happy with his "after" cut. Hello! I said 5 clippers on the bottom/sides (this is at least a 4 if not shorter) and the top was supposed to be 2-3 inches long at the finish. Argh! I miss his "California boy" blonde hair!

Brice can be bald and still have the sweetest face.

I thought I had a "before"picture of Dan but I guess he was wearing a hat...but here's the "after":

Didn't want to forget Lexie's summer cut. She is so much cuter when she is fluffy but I am sure she feels much better without such a heavy coat for the summer.

And you should have already seen mine...but if not: its here.

Our Family Photo Shoot Favorites

2009-07-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

There really isn't anything to blog about these...I like to get family and at least individual kid pictures once a year. I am cheap (generally) so we do the JCPenny coupon special. Not too bad for the price we paid.

The Big Cut

2009-06-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Okay...I did it!! Here are some "before" pictures. (I didn't really style it...I just straightened it so it would be as long as possible to make the 8 inches without being too short.)

And here are the "after" pictures. Unfortunately, the pictures don't really do it justice. Its a really cute cut. But, you get the idea...its SHORT!

The ponytail ended up being almost 10 inches and then even more was cut off when it was cut to be styled.

Trauma

2009-05-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Friday night Brice and Dane had gone to bed and had been there for about an hour. Of course they still weren't sleeping, but we were ignoring them. Then Brice starts wailing. This happens pretty often. Brice is messing around and hurts himself by falling or something. Or Dane has done something to make him mad.
I went back, saw blood, lifted Brice down from his bed and then yelled to Dan. Brice's mouth was full of blood. Apparently Brice had wrapped his blankets around his head and was jumping on the bed. At some point he fell and smashed his front teeth on the bed frame (hence the wailing).

We brought him out and one tooth was gone, probably lost in the bedding. We still haven't found it. But one was hanging on by a thread. Brice was hysterical. I wanted Dan to wiggle it to see how loose it was. He told me that if he touched it he was going to pull it out. I called the dentist a couple of times trying to decide what to do. Basically my option was wiggle it out or bring him in and have the dentist pull it out. She thought it might be more traumatic bringing him to the office and the numbing shot would probably hurt more than pulling it.
So we decided to do it ourselves. We put on a little orajel, gave him some motrin. I held him and Dan grabbed on with some pliers and one jerk later, the tooth was out.

He was a more upset about loosing his teeth than he was about the pain until we convinced him that the teeth would grow back and that it was cool to lose baby teeth. More poor little boy!

For those of you with strong stomachs...here are some photos of my toothless 4 year old:

Memorial Day

2009-05-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day was a lot of work. We moved rocks, we swept dirt, we moved a sandbox, a trampoline and a swing set. We set up the pool...

And created...

sprinkler + 3 pieces of rope + hose + trampoline = homemade water park

A friend said we should start charging admission to our backyard. We are very lucky!

Weighed Down

2009-04-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

I forgot I had uploaded these pictures a while ago waiting for time to post an explanation. So here goes. I was in my bedroom and they boys were supposed to be keeping an eye on Mackenzie. I come out and she is screaming. It wasn't a scream of pain it was a scream of frustration. This is what I found:

The foot of her pajamas was so full of sand she couldn't walk. Hilarious!

Happy (Belated) Easter!

2009-04-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, a little untraditional (no pastels) but I liked the denim! (Not to mention the dress worked for our Brice Family pictures, which I will share later).

Decorating the Easter Eggs

Mackenzie likes to be just like her brothers (and they like her to be the same, too)...hence the shirtless little girl.

The hidden Easter Baskets.

The "Special" package from Uncle Hobie and Aunt Bre.

Getting ready for Church. Hilarious! She did this all by herself.

Snuggling with Daddy after a busy morning (just after church).

The ham bone that Mackenzie kept stealing from the dog. Gross!

Deals to Meals

2009-04-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have tried out this website the last few weeks and have really liked it. The basic concept is they find all the sales...compare them to Wal-mart and Costco and tell you where to shop each week (similar to "grocery smarts") to get the best deals. But they take it two steps further... first, they incooperate food storage and second, they give you recipes to use all the food that you purchased on sale.

They are letting you try it out for a week or two free and then it is $4.95 a month. I am beginning to think its worth it. I actually like cooking but I really HATE coming up with a menu, ideas of what to make. This does it for me and supposedly makes it cheaper. The first week I did it I shopped at Albertson's. Virtually everything I bought was on sale. When they handed me the receipt they told me I had saved $96.34. Whoah! Now, I did spend about $150 but I got a ton of food.

My only problem is that I still had stuff to get at Walmart and Sam's Club, the stuff that wasn't on sale at Albertson's, to fill in the menu and the food storage for that week. That was more money than I spend in two weeks. They post the deals every week. I don't cook a full-on meal EVERY night so seven days of menu items lasts close to two weeks. That just meant that I didn't go shopping for the deals the next week but I still have all the menu ideas. And in fact, I had a lot of the things to make those meals already.

Anyway, I have really liked being able to try out new things. So far we have liked everything, some more than others. My kids, well Dane and sometimes Mackenzie, have even liked the food too (Brice doesn't like anything!).

If you are interested, email me: tiffyj@byu.net and I will forward you the emails.

Coordination

2009-04-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of friends who have been very...hmmmm...shall we say, "supportive" of my new bracelet "business". One of my favorites has been my friend Ricci. She lives in Texas and emailed me pictures of four dresses that she has for her daughter for summer. She wanted a bracelet to match EACH dress. This was sooooo much fun! I found matching beads and came up with different combinations and patterns. I loved making each bracelet different. I even learned how to make a double stranded bracelet...by mistake. Stupid me! I guess I didn't end up reading the description well enough...I thought I was ordering a whole strand of little pink hearts. Instead I received one large heart. It was on sale and they wouldn't take it back. Argh! It matched the dress so I wanted to use it anyway but it looked funny on one small string of beads. See below for my creative solution. I hope it isn't too big for her hand :0)

Patriotic...my new favorite bracelet. I made one for Mackenzie too!

I also, thanks to a wonderful Mother-in-law, now have cute little jewelry bags to put the bracelets in when I give them to people.

So great! Thanks everyone for your support!

Easter Bracelets

2009-03-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am having soooo much fun making bracelets. Every time I sell one I think of other combinations and possibilities. I haven't "made" money yet because each time I sell something I want to order more beads. I have branched out a little more and now I have some beautiful Swarovski Crystal Beads. See below for my latest creations**. I have more colors on the way.

If you see something you like, let me know! I would love to make an Easter bracelet to match that cute Easter dress for your Little Princess!

**click on the picture to see it in more detail

99 Things

2009-03-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

I like this one because I don't have to think up my own answers...fun to see all the things I have not done.

Here are the rules:Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (I guess it was more of a hike??)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (it was only a 3 hour dinner cruise in San Diego)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I was too young to remember it though)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (not really taught myself...but learned one)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (as an EMT student, not a patient)
47. Had your portrait painted (not painted, but drawn)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (almost, I backed out at the last minute, thankfully...everyone got really sick and one had to be helicoptered out)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (just a real small thing...making baby bracelets)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Redwoods
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (I guess Benji from SYTYCD counts, thanks Ranisa)
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby (3 times!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Thanks for the idea, Abby!

Relief Society Rumble

2009-03-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is doing a Family Fued type game for Relief Society...visit her blog and answer the questions so she can have the database for the game. She needs your responses by Wednesday.

http://zachandkatehulet.blogspot.com/

First Five

2009-03-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

So, I have done something similar to this already. But, I really want to see the creative thing Amy (the person who started it) comes up with. :0) So here goes again:

The first five people...to leave a comment on this blog will receive something made by me. However there are some limitations:
1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make :)
2. What I create will be just for you
3. It will be done within a year (might take a while)
4. You have no clue what it is going to be
5. I reserve the right to do something really fun

Here the catch: if you choose to do this, you must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog.

Etsy Shop

2009-03-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

My bracelet "business" isn't going so hot. I keep telling myself its just not good timing. It seems everyone is affected by the "recession." But I also think maybe I need more advertising and a way to make it easy for people to buy them. I had several people tell me I should open an "Etsy Shop." I had never heard of Etsy until a few weeks ago. So, I did it. There is a link here for my shop or under "other websites" on the side of my blog. I only posted a few bracelets...just the first few that I have made. I would love to make a custom one for you. Or if you see one you like but need a different size just let me know. Etsy makes it easy to send payments (through Paypal). Hopefully this will make it easier if there is anyone out there who wants to make their "Princess" feel pretty. Mackenzie loves when we tell her that :0) Oh, and I lowered the prices a little too.

Yaya's Dress

2009-03-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

My mom saved this dress from when she was a baby. She wanted me to take pictures of Mackenzie wearing it when it fit. Well, the past couple of days I have been laughing at how Mackenzie's hair sticks straight up...yes, she has hair. Its even enough to put a barrette in (though she pulls it right out). I have a cute bow that matches Yaya's dress so I thought I would capture both in a picture. Okay, a few pictures. She's just too cute for one. :0)

More Costumes

2009-03-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

I posted several pictures trying to capture just how huge this costume is on her. It was hilarious! She insisted...

I LOVE her hair in this one. It is always sticking up like this. It looks like a Mohawk.

Just like my big brother!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

For those of you with girls....tell me this isn't adorable!!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Bracelets

2009-02-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

I am not normally a crafty person. But occasionally I find something I enjoy. When I lived in San Diego all of my friends had baby girls. They all wore the cutest bracelets. I thought it was such a cute way to say "I am a girl!" I was thrilled when I finally had my own girl. One of the first things I wanted to get for her was one of those adorable bracelets. Especially since dressing my bald baby in pink and putting a big flower on her head wasn't enough to stop the question, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

I searched and finally I bought one and then was given and even better one. I realized, "Hey, I can do this!" Now its been a year, and after lots of searching, shopping, practicing, trying new things and asking a great friend for help (thanks Leah!) I figured it out! I have decided to share my "talent" (which really doesn't count, because anyone could make these if you had enough desire) and make a little extra money.

For those of you who have been around me, you've seen the many variations of bracelets that Mackenzie wears. With the plan to make and sell them I have upgraded to much better quality beads and clasps. They are beautiful. I plan to have a bunch on hand if you want to pick one up or I will take special orders as well. The infant ones can be simple or I can add more colors or charms.

I will also make "Big Sister" bracelets to match or just bigger ones for older girls...any age.

I can make ones to match an outfit or a holiday:

Or for a special occasion:

The beads are beautiful "Cat's Eye" glass beads in various colors. I use small, oval trigger or "lobster" clasps (as shown on the pink and white bracelet above) and closed jump rings. Satisfaction guaranteed! If for some reason it breaks or doesn't fit, send/bring back the pieces and I will give you a new one. The infant ones range from $10-$12 and the bigger ones from $12 to $15, depending on the beads and charms you choose. I will give a discount for additional bracelets purchased together.

These are great for gifts...especially for the person who is having their 3rd girl and you want to give them something "different" or even for that first daughter that you want to treat as a princess. Mackenzie has worn one since she was only a few months old. She always has it on and rarely notices its there; unless we tell her how pretty she is...she loves that!

Email me and let me know what you want: tiffyj@byu.net

Vonage

2009-02-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

You know me...when I find a product that I think is great...I have to share.

Now, I can't say that I love the Vonage phone system. We do have a few issues with dropped calls and no service. But not enough to override the $25 a month fee for unlimited everything.

The thing that I love about it though, I just discovered (after two years). I can forward my home calls to my cell phone. Now, I know you are thinking, big deal. But the cool part is that I can have the call ring simultaneously to my home phone and my cell phone. That means that if you call my home phone when I am home, I can answer that phone. But if you call my home phone when I am in the car, I will answer it on my cell phone.

This makes it really easy to get a hold of me, if I am reachable). Call my home phone and I will get the call even if I am not home. The reason this works so great for me is that I leave my cell phone in the car (otherwise I forget to bring it with me when I leave). If you call my cell phone and I am not in the car I won't answer. Before, if you called my home phone and I wasn't home, I wouldn't answer (duh!). And then you would have to try my cell phone. Now I can give out one number, you can call that one number and if I don't answer its because I am not available, for whatever reason. Cool, huh?!

Pay it Forward

2009-02-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

You may have seen this on other blogs - you sign up to receive something homemade or crafty, and then you pay it forward by doing the same thing for 3 people who sign up to do it on your blog.
So here’s how it works:~Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post and I will send you a handmade gift sometime in the next 3 month (feel free to pick your own time limit).

~You get to pay it forward as well by doing the same thing for 3 people on your blog.~Once you leave a comment telling me that you want to participate, you need to make a pay it forward post on your blog within one day.

So, anyone game? You can be a friend, family member, or even a random visitor to this blog. Just as long as you’re willing to pay it forward, you are eligible to participate!

(Note: some examples of homemade gifts...baby bracelets, headbands, baked goods (if you live close by), cards, scrapbooked pages, blankets, crocheted hats...whatever it is that you make).

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

These are a couple pictures of our Love Day morning: the boys opening presents, Mackenzie feeding her new baby, pink heart-shaped pancakes with red rasberry jam (and pink milk), and Dane's gift to me (a paper bracelet that says BMF...any guesses what it stands for? Hint: Brice's said BBF, Dan's said BDF and Mackenzie's said BSF).