The Williams

Summer in a nut shell

2011-11-15T19:08:00.012-07:00

(Yes I know its November...don't judge me.)

I am going to attempt to sum up a few of our summer activities in this one blog. Wish me luck!

Hiking up Blacksmith Fork Canyon with the Wood's

Silly string fights

Aftermath from silly string fight (Carter, Ethan, Brennan, Collier, Mason)

Nursing a hummingbird back to life

Camping with the Wise family (Gavin, Kenadei)

Camping at power house; a hike up to the springs

Four wheeler rides while camping

Tongue tattoos

Monkeying around with friends, Gage and Citorie

A black eye from big brother (Its the right one, kinda hard to see in this picture)

Swimming lessons

I'm watching you!

2011-10-19T21:22:00.002-06:00

I've decided I have the funniest kids ever. I know, I know, everyone says that. But I'm a mom, I'm suppose to think that. The other night the boys were in the tub and dumped out all of my facial scrub (which cost a pretty penny) and filled it back up with water. I was so upset, I kicked them out and told them to get their jammies on and go to bed. When I was tucking them in I told them I was going to have to take the money out of their wallet to pay for my face scrub that they dumped out. Mason immediately started crying, begging me not to take his money. I was over in the corner cleaning up their messes and he kept saying to me, "Mom, I'm watching you. You better not take my money...Mom, I watching you." I was trying so hard to stay mad.

Carter, being the sweetheart he his, in a quiet voice said, "Mom, just take all the money out of my wallet and not Mason's." Oh, that melted my heart. He is such a good brother. Don't get me wrong, they fight like crazy, but he always has his brother's back and will do whatever it takes to make him happy.

I love both of my boys. I kind of like to say I have "sugar and spice" when it comes to the two of them.

A vacation tradition

2011-08-10T12:34:00.004-06:00

It's official. I would say this Bear Lake trip has become a tradition and I don't see it going away any time soon. We look forward to it every year. Great friends, beautiful weather, beach and water...ya it's pretty much perfect! I just wish we could live there all summer long! This year we were able to reserve a camp spot that had a lot of grass, a pavilion, and room for all our camp trailers! I was worried the water would be too high this year and we would have no beach but that wasn't the case at all. The water was high enough that it came right up to our camp spot, but left just enough beach for the kids to play. We didn't have to haul up lunches and toys each day and drive 300 yards down to the beach! We could watch the kids play right from our camp spot and they could come and go as they pleased. It was PERFECT!!! We spent every day swimming, playing volleyball, and eating yummy food.

Ethan, Mason, Hallee, Talon, Teagan

Carter and Kyler

Jaime, Jillene, Kristen, me

Mason and Kyler

My handsome boys and I

Harley, Carter, Brad, Ethan, Tyson, and I'm certain Mason is asleep on that bed somewhere.
We did have a couple evenings that it rained on us, so thank goodness for modern technology: a camp spot with electricity and a computer that plays movies. Gotta love technology!

We of course didn't survive without an injury. Carter had a bike crash that ripped his toenail and quite a bit of skin off! This shot was taken after we got home a couple days later. It looked quite a bit worse than this. As a matter of fact, his toenail was ripped from the bottom up and I could tell that the skin around the toe was coming up with it. It actually looked like the tip of his toenail was about to come off. It was still connected and I didn't want to try to do minor surgery to remove it in the wilderness so I bandaged it the best I could and left it until we came home. Upon returning and removing the bandage, I found a toe that was white as can be and the tip just sort of hanging on by a flap of skin. I was so freaked out, I called a neighbor who thank goodness is a doctor. I ran Carter over and he removed the nail and the skin for me. He said it could have been stitched if we would have gotten to it right after it happened but after removing the skin it didn't look nearly as bad as it did when it was still attached. I must say that Carter was a champ from start to finish. He never complained that it hurt the whole time we were in Bear Lake and then again at home when our neighbor removed the nail. Pretty tough kid!

Our missionary

2011-07-17T21:58:00.002-06:00

And he's off! Eric left for the MTC on June 22 and then on to San Diego on July 12. We are so proud of him. I know he will do a great job! The MTC was a little hard for him. I haven't heard from him since he got to San Diego, but I'm really hoping it is better now that he's officially on his mission. Hopefully the homesickness is subsiding and he's keeping busy.

Favorite Holiday

2011-07-17T21:45:00.004-06:00

I absolutely love the 4th of July!! This year the kids and I made holiday treats.

This is what it is like to try and get two boys to look at the camera and smile at the same time. UGH!!!!

We spent the 4th in Malad and I was too busy as usual to even take one picture. We played softball all day and in between the kids played on the blow up houses and with friends and cousins. The boys ran in the kid races and Carter took first for his age group! Harley participated in the closet to the pin competition and took first. It was a fundraiser for the golf team and since my dad is the coach and my brother plays he decided to donate his winnings back to the golf team. We ended the night with fireworks, probably one of the best shows Malad has ever put on. It was a great holiday!!! Happy Birthday America!

A night at the park

2011-06-28T14:23:00.002-06:00

We went to a bees game with our good friends, the Daniels. Jillene's sister and her husband were there too (whom we also love!), I'm just not that good at capturing everyone and everything. Fresno (the Giants triple A team) was playing against the bees and Pablo Sandoval was there on a rehab assignment. For anyone who isn't familiar with him, he plays for the Giants and is referred to as Kung Fu Panda, a pretty big favorite in our family. After the game was a firework show. Every year we try to go to a game when they are doing fireworks. They always put on a great show. What we didn't sign up for was the 12 inning game that preceded the fireworks.
9 innings is the absolute max kids can handle and even the adults were beginning to wonder if the game was going to end. Thankfully it did end and the fireworks were well worth the wait.

Tyson, Jillene, and their gorgeous kids, Teagan and Hudson

This picture was to capture the horrific mess that a $6 bag of cotton candy did to my children. (Yes I did say $6!!) However, the picture doesn't tell the whole story.

These two were besties the whole night.

Chris's Graduation

2011-06-20T15:03:00.003-06:00

There are so many great things I can say about this kid! I'm not sure where to start. He was that obnoxious, but super cute little brother who followed me everywhere. I can't believe he is this big already. He spent most of his 18 years playing about every sport you can think of. He excelled in wrestling and golf. He is the most polite, kind young man you will ever meet. I'm so proud of him.

Chris and my Dad

Chris with him mom, Jamie

Our little family with uncle Chris

Look! No training wheels

2011-06-06T12:47:00.000-06:00

The day finally came

2011-06-02T14:20:00.004-06:00

I believe I was far more terrified than Carter when it came time to pull out his tooth. As a matter a fact, he had been asking me to pull it for several days. I just kept telling him it wasn't ready, but the real truth is...I wasn't ready. Anybody who knows me knows I have a pretty weak stomach when it comes to these things, and I can't count on my husband because he is even worse than me. If he even sees blood he passes out.

However, I couldn't avoid it any longer when Carter bit into a carrot and started yelling that his tooth had "broke off." Sure enough it was just barely hanging there. For some reason I felt that it may still be strongly attached. I knew if I didn't get it out on the first pull, Carter might not let me try again. So with sweaty palms, and a shaking hand, I jerked that tooth out like I was pulling a deep rooted weed. It came out so easily I almost fell backwards. I immediately started laughing/crying and when I finally looked at Carter he said, "Mom, are you alright?" Sure enough, my 6 year old was comforting me. Wow, I really am a baby. I hope teeth pulling will get easier with more practice.

He was so brave and was beaming from ear to ear when it was out. I can't believe we loosing those cute little baby teeth.

My crazy, adventurous, fun-loving boys!

2011-06-01T14:01:00.006-06:00

Here's the fort they made out of twin box springs.

And here they are sleeping in it. This is were they lived during Carter's spring break.

Someday he will be mortified about this picture. I'll ask for forgiveness later.

Dancing

You would have to be dead beat tired to fall asleep like this!

Carter was trying to be Santa, and I believe Mason is being a pirate...?

Nothing better than washing away the stench of a foul smelling boy!

They made guns out of connecting blocks and used their underwear as holsters. Only boys.

World Champs!

2011-04-04T18:20:00.002-06:00

We knew spring training was going to be amazing this year, and it didn't disappoint! There were tons of people there to welcome back the World Champs! Every game we went to, the stadium filled up 2 hours before the it even started. It made it tough to get autographs, but Harley still managed to get Cody Ross and J.T. Snow's. There was definitely a buzz in the air. The energy was awesome! The weather was gorgeous. I LOVE Scottsdale in March and already can't wait for next year!

This night game was a rematch of the World Series, and we came out victorious...again!

This was one of only 2 days the trophy was at Scottsdale Stadium.

On a side note: Harley is a fantastic vacation planner! He always manages to find the most amazing hotels and bargain prices. This picture doesn't do the hotel justice, but it was built into a butte in Tempe. The pool was amazing and the views were incredible. Our room had a view of the stadium where the Angels play. Every morning we watched them take batting practice. We even got some homerun balls.

My 6 year old

2011-04-04T16:20:00.003-06:00

6 YEARS OLD!! Carter now has to use 2 hands to show how old he his.

A bowling birthday party...

and cupcakes and ice cream at Zeppes!

Carter is turning into a little man and I have sure come to depend on him. He is the best helper. He takes good care of his brother (most of the time.) He is a great athlete and says he wants to play baseball for the Giants when he grows up (we have high hopes for him.) He is especially good at baseball and golf, but if you asked him, football seems to be his favorite right now. He is an analytical thinker and can reason like you wouldn't believe. He stumps me all the time with the questions he asks. He really enjoys being outside and playing with friends. He is a very picky eater and quite frankly, doesn't even think he has the time to sit down and eat. He is very sensitive and doesn't like to see people cry. We are the luckiest parents and love him very much!

My 4 year old!

2011-04-04T16:07:00.003-06:00

Mason is 4!

That's my Mason, Mr. Personality! This little boy is the funniest kid. He has the best one-liners. He's very animated and extremely dramatic. He loves snuggling, reading books, playing transformers, golfing, watching Giants games with his dad, and playing "good guys, bad guys." He loves oranges, pizza, and anything with sugar! He is constantly hungry, yet eats very little. You can always find him hanging on the coat tail of his big brother. They are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. He hates being called the baby of the family, and really hates is when he can't have ice cream for breakfast (which is nearly every morning.) He loves school and his friends. He is the best kid and our family just wouldn't be the same without him!

Our January Tradition

2011-02-15T15:45:00.004-07:00

The last few years we have been making a trip down to St. George to get out of this miserable January winter. I think it has officially become a family tradition. Weather permitting, this tradition consists of anything and everything outdoors; golfing, baseball, tennis, hiking, feeding ducks...etc. And of course the kids' favorite, staying at a hotel (with a swimming pool).

This is ridiculous

2011-02-04T10:00:00.006-07:00

I'm not even sure why I have a blog, if I'm not going to keep it current. It's ridiculous!

My life has taken a dramatic turn and any time that I ever had before to blog is now filled with school. That's right, I'm going back to school. And yes, I'm crazy. But I just keep telling myself it will be worth it. I'm studying elementary education and I'm really enjoying it. However, it is VERY stressful. Actually, I am having anxiety as I write this knowing I should be spending this time to do homework or study. We have been living off of eggs, pancakes, and cereal because Harley's in charge of dinner and those are his specialties. The boys aren't complaining. Thank goodness for my amazing husband who has really filled the shoes of both "dad" and "mom." He has been so supportive of my decision, even when he knows it is going to put alot of pressure on him.

Christmas seems like a good place to start the catch up process.
Here is Carter, with his shiny, new Tiger Woods Nike golf clubs. (And yes, Carter still loves Tiger, so nobody tell me him what a loser he really is.)

The main thing Carter wanted for Christmas this year was a football helmet. So when Santa sent the whole uniform, Carter was thrilled.

Mason asked for two things this year: noise putty and silly bands. Here is he hysterically laughing ever time the putty made farting noises. Oh the joys of mothering boys...

He insisted on wearing all 40 bands! It was a hassle all day. They got tangled, and knotted, and slid up when he put on his coat and slid off when he took off his coat.
I just have to show this picture. So every year Harley's dad always gets someone something so off the wall (and the funniest part is, I really believe that he really believes its a great gift.) This year, he gave Mark this hat and when turned on the rim glows bright green. We all laughed so hard. Hopefully Harley's dad wasn't too offended, but it really was a ridiculous gift.

Boys were just born to fight

2010-11-07T19:16:00.002-07:00

This is what is going on at my house at least 50% of the waking day....

and yes, it does end in someone crying.

Birthday Bash

2010-10-19T10:21:00.003-06:00

Okay, so my birthday was a month ago, but I've just fallen behind on my blogging, as usual.
Harley took me to Vegas for my birthday and we invited some great friends, Tyson and Jillene, to come with. We stayed with Nate and Lindsey (more great friends). They were the best hosts.
Linds had this amazing red velvet bunt cake made for my birthday! As we were leaving Vegas behind, we realized we left it at Nate and Lindseys. We were sooooo mad. I hope they enjoyed it.

This was us dining at the Pink Taco (and yes that was the name.) And it was delicious!

Of course we had to see a show. We went to Le Reve. We got a little wet, but it was well worth it.
There were some intense games of tennis.

Apparently the boys got pretty tuckered out. How sweet!

Viewer Discretion Advised

2010-09-21T10:22:00.002-06:00

I was at one of Harley's games, and they didn't have enough players, so I filled in. I was just in street clothes with only flip flops on my feet. It was my turn to bat and I hit the ball to right field. Why the outfielder felt he still needed to throw the ball to first base is beyond me, but he did anyway. In that moment, it felt like time stood still. I was watching this softball come right at me and I FROZE! I kept telling myself to move but I just couldn't. The ball flew right at my toe and thus, what you see above. I actually didn't take this picture until a couple days after it happened, so it looks alot better than it originally was. You don't realize how much you use your toes until you injure one. I couldn't walk very good for a few weeks. Nor could I put anything on it, including a bandaid. I slept with my feet outside the blanket, which for me was miserable because my feet would freeze at night. It was quite the experience. Moral of the story: Don't go to any kind of game without a back up pair of shoes!!!

How can this be?

2010-09-13T16:41:00.004-06:00

I can't quite wrap my mind around it, by it appears, I just sent my first born off to Kindergarten! And I didn't even cry! I wasn't sure who was more excited, me or him. I have tried to teach this kid all his letters and theirs sounds and how to write them, but I was failing miserably. I knew he was super smart, so I was anxious to see if his teacher would be able to get that rambunctious little boy to sit still long enough to teach him a thing or too. Turns out after just a few weeks, he can write something besides his name and it actually looks great!!!!! He is learning so much so fast and I am grateful I don't home school him!

Thumbs up for School (wonder how long it will last until that up becomes a down)

Collier and Carter (best buds) They landed themselves in the same class. Good luck Ms. Bruner!
Doesn't he just look so stinking cute!

Our summertime adventures

2010-09-05T20:57:00.005-06:00

A day trip to Bear Lake with the Roper Family

A swimming party at the Brigham pool with neighbor friends.

Swimming Lessons

T-ball

Bear Lake trip with the Horsley Family

Boondocks (miniature golf, go carts, and way too many arcade games)

Flashback to the 4th

2010-08-29T21:04:00.006-06:00

We (Carter and Mason that is) kicked off the 4th of July this year by sleeping out on the tramp with uncle Tucker.

Then to the Parade where they filled their sacks with candy....

To the park to race...

Train rides...

Bungee tramp jumpy thingy...

And then finally, fireworks to close up an awesome day.

Not to mention that during all this fun, Harley and I played softball games all day to go on and win our 3rd straight championship! I love the 4th of July and love what it represents. I love my country and feel so proud and honored to live here!

Eclipse

2010-08-22T11:42:00.003-06:00

I must start by saying that I used to think people who would wait in a line for more than even an hour to see a movie were absolutely crazy. So it is very shocking to say that I stood (or sat) in line to see this movie for 4 hours. That's right, you heard me 4 HOURS! So I have to admit, I am now a twilight groupie. When Ashley asked me to go to new moon with her and mentioned that we would be going 4 hours early I nearly choked. But I didn't want to be the party pooper so I agreed. Well I'm happy I went because it was so much fun! This time there was 10 of us. It's not necessarily the movie that makes it all worth it, it's these girls.

I wish you could see our shirts better. Ashley made us all Twilight shirts that have a Twilight related saying on them. Mine said, "My husband made me choose between him and Twilight. (Sometimes I miss him)" That is perfect for me, since Harley would rather stab his own eye out than watch anything Twilight.

Baseball and the Zoo

2010-08-20T23:13:00.004-06:00

We took the boys down to Salt Lake for a weekend in June to see a Bee's game. They were playing Fresno, which is the Triple A team for the giants, hence the giants shirts.

We stayed the night in a hotel, which if you ask the boys, that was the favorite part of the whole weekend. The next day we went to the zoo.

A ride on the merry-go-round...
and on the train.

The bird show is always the best part of the whole zoo.

Graduation

2010-05-27T18:08:00.005-06:00

My little brother, Eric, graduated from High School today and it was bitter sweet. I couldn't be more proud of him! He is such a smart, hardworking, fun guy. He graduated 3rd in his class. He is super fun and I really enjoy spending time with him. I really struggled with the fact that my mom wasn't physically there with us, but I could feel her presence and know that she was beaming with pride. The biggest irony is that the Malad Swing Choir actually sang the very song that they sang at my mom's funeral, Josh Groban's "You raise me up." It was a great night and am so happy for my brother.

Eric with his girlfriend, Kayla

Friends: Robbie and Kayla

More friends, but sadly, I can't remember their names. Sorry guys.

2010-05-27T17:55:00.004-06:00

We headed out to Arbon last week for a graduation party for my brother and then the next day was the very excited and festive "branding of the cows." I grew up with this but my boys haven't really been able to experience life on the farm. Now, you really must understand that my boys are so city, this was quite devastating to them to watch these poor baby cows being drug around by their feet. And then having their heads put in a contraption that stretches their body out all while they are being burned on their bums! Yes, my boys were both clinging to my legs the whole time!

Ethan, Carter, and Mason

Jack and Mason
Jessi and her daughter, Kabree
Eric and Kayla

SO FAR BEHIND

2010-05-27T17:43:00.003-06:00

And so it happens. I was very worried that I would get lazy with my blogging and begin to slack off. I have a month of serious catching up to do on here.

At the end of April, the weather was so nice here that one of the neighborhood mom's decided to have a water party for all the kids on our street. I couldn't believe I was dressing my kids in swimming suits at that time of the year, but why waste the gorgeous weather.

This was just a few that were there, but I couldn't get them all together to get a picture.

I must also add that I love my neighborhood. On just our little coldasac we have about 25 kids. All of us mom's have grown to be such close, good friends. I really enjoy that the boys have so many kids to play with and that I have girlfriends that relate to my life as a mom. These are some of the greatest people and I really appreciate their friendship!

Opening Day

2010-04-21T22:52:00.002-06:00

This was opening day for major league baseball and a major event in the Williams' house. The boys were ordered (by their father) to wear their shirts all day long. And when the big moment finally came to sit down with dad and watch the game, they were more than excited. Too cute.

Go Giants! I hope they make it to the playoffs this year. I'm really hoping for a vacation to San Francisco!!!

Easter....in snow?

2010-04-16T10:49:00.005-06:00

Easter and snow should never be in the same sentence, but sadly this year it was. I don't remember ever having an Easter hunt in the snow, but I guess there is always a first for everything. Thankfully, there is something in a child's makeup that makes them immune to cold so for them they could care less about the snow. But for us wussy grownups it wasn't very much fun. We were able to go to my Grandma Napier's for her annual egg hunt, were the kids end up with a sack full of goodies. We had a barbeque and played games.

On Sunday the kids were able to wake up to a basket full of candy, and a few small toys. I had been talking to Carter about what Easter was really about, and that morning when I asked why we celebrate easter he said, "Jesus' birthday." I guess Easter is becoming a lot like Christmas. At least he got the Jesus part right. We'll keep working on it.

That afternoon we went to my dad's where they fed us a delicious Easter feast, and we played Mario kart on the wii...for hours. That game is just way too fun!

What good-looking brothers I have!!

2010-03-30T10:31:00.003-06:00

Both of my brothers went to prom this year and of course they looked awesome. I'd like to think I had something to do with it...we do have the same blood running through us.

Chris and his date Maddie. (I realize her eyes are closed. but of all the pictures I got I felt like this one showed off what they were wearing the best. And isn't that what prom is about anyway?)

Eric and Kayla. This will be Eric's last prom. He's all grown up now.

Disney on Ice

2010-03-24T10:38:00.004-06:00

This years Disney on Ice was so fun because they added a couple new additions to the show in the form of Lightning McQueen, Sally, Mater, and a few more of their friends. It was so fun and by far the highlight of the show. So great in fact, that I couldn't even stop to think about taking a picture. The boys had so much fun, but the last 30 minutes of the show was all about Tinkerbell and I believe the boys got a little bored with fairys after a while.

Spring Training 2010

2010-03-19T12:21:00.004-06:00

Our spring training trip is the vacation we look most forward to every year. To be able to leave the long and cold winter behind us and head down to sunny, warm Arizona is the greatest feeling, our sanctuary, our heaven. However, (I suppose because I seem to be a very unlucky girl) cold followed us. It was rainy and cold the whole 5 days we were down there. Then, of course, as fate would have it, the sun rose and shown brightly and beautiful just as we were pulling out of Scottsdale to come home. UGH!

But a vacation is a vacation and so there was still the sleeping in every day and not have to wake up to "Mom, I peed the bed." or "Mom, I'm hungry."

One of the games we were scheduled to see got rained out, but we were able to catch one. A bit cold, but fun none the less.

We had great plans to hike and play tennis and get round of golf in, but the rain washed us out of those activities, and instead we watched a couple of movies, probably shopped way more than we should have, and ate some great food.

Now more than ever, I really can't wait for next year. However next years trip won't be planned until we see a two week forecast showing nothing but sunny skies!

Scottsdale Stadium, the home of the Giants (for Spring Training of course)

This is the closest we got to Timmy all week. (For my girlfriends who are not aware, this is Tim Lincecum, who for the last 2 years has been awarded MLB's greatest pitching award.) It is Harley's soul mission each spring training to get Timmy's autograph. He has yet to accomplish this. Tim is very sly and very conservative with his money making John Hancock.

Manny Ramirez, outside of the dodgers, one of baseball's most hated athletes.

Felipe Alou, the Giants former Manager

Jeremy Affeldt, a Giants pitcher

Carter turns 5!!!

2010-03-04T16:17:00.004-07:00

Carter FINALLY turned 5. It seems as though most of his friends have already had there 5 year birthdays and he couldn't stand being the last one. So the day finally arrived! And sadly for him he spent the whole day at state wrestling. I had a blast, but he was beyond bored. So we tried to make it up to him the next day. We had family and friends over for dinner and cake and ice cream.
This year Carter wanted a Bakugan Cake. So this was my attempt. I don't profess to be an all-star cake decorater, but all while I was growing up my mom use to make our birthday cakes and I always remember loving it. I now want to carry on the tradition with my own kids. (Plus, I really prefer Betty Crockers version of cake rather than Wal-Marts.)

All Carter wanted for his birthday was this Wii game. His uncles have it and he begs to go to their house to play it. He had to wait a very long time for his birthday to come to get it, but I think it paid off by the look on his face!

Carter is such a big helper. He always plays with his little brother and often gives in to him (probably just so Mason will stop crying.) Either way, it makes me happy! He is so smart and so talented. He loves all sports and I must say, pretty darn good at them. We love him and can't imagine our lives without him!

Sledding

2010-03-02T13:20:00.003-07:00

Look at me...I'm 3!!!!

2010-02-03T09:51:00.003-07:00

My baby just turned 3! I can't believe how fast time flies.
Earlier in the day we had a little party with Mason's friends, Collier and Brennan, and our daycare friend, Gage. They made cute party hats, (which look more like crowns) and had lunch and cupcakes.

That evening, Grandma and Grandpa Hess, and Mason's uncles, Chris and Tucker came over for a another party. Mason insisted on a Curious George cake so that's what we made.

Mason is the greatest little boy, with the funniest personality. He says "I love you" in the cutest little 3 year old accent and it just melts my heart. Anytime I get mad at him, he gently asks with a little hesitation in his voice, "Mommy, are you happy or mad?" I can't help but let the anger go and smile. He loves his big brother and whenever you ask him who his best friend his, Carter's name always comes first, followed by mom and dads. He is such a sweet, fun boy, with a touch of....stubbornness. To top it all off, he still has his baby soft skin and hair that is perfect for kissing and makes him a great snuggle buddy! Our family just wouldn't be complete without him!

A golf trip.... or not

2010-01-27T13:15:00.006-07:00

We headed down to St. George to play some golf, but unfortunately the weather had other plans in mind for us.

Here are the boys at their first night in the hotel. They were super excited, can't you tell?

Because of wet, cold weather, we didn't actually play a round of golf, but the boys were really looking forward to it, so we went to the driving range instead. Luckily for us, they were satisfied with that.

We went to Laser Mania where they had an indoor miniature golf course that was glow in the dark with black lights. It was so fun! Each hole was done in different themes, from Spiderman, to the Wizard of Oz.

While at Laser Mania, Harley got hooked on the Hoop Shot game and was fixated on beating the record, which was a score of 60. It took him about $5 worth of games, but he eventually go it with a score of 72. Go Babe!

On Sunday we went to the golf course that Harley and I used to live by where there are ducks you can feed. We knew there were alot of ducks, but it had definitely multiplied since we had last been there. The boys were a little nervous in the beginning, because the second we pulled up, all the ducks immediately got out of the water and started swarming our car. I must admit I was a little nervous myself, especially when they started hissing at us for the bread. I have some great video of it but it is not allowing me to post it. I'm thinking because the video is to big, but I will keep trying and post it later.

Bowling

2010-01-26T08:59:00.005-07:00

Our good friends, the Ropers, teamed up with our family for a fun night of bowling. Ashley has been a great friend, and we have our boys to thank for that. Both of her boys are within months of the same age as mine, and the spent the entire summer together. It's nice having them just a few houses away. Even the snow and cold doesn't keep them from playing together. It's rare that they go even a couple of days without seeing eachother. Therefore, her and I got really close, and I am so thankful. I think my husband is secretly very happy as well, because now he doesn't have to be tortured with Twilight, or musicals, or hopeless romantic books.

Chad, Ashley, Brennan, and Collier

Why can't my boys just take normal pictures! lol!!

Best Buddies! (Collier, Mason, Carter, Brennan)

Couldn't resist getting a picture of these cute bowling shoes!

Story about this picture: Any parent who has ever taken their children bowling can relate to this. One of these 4 boys, (I can't recall which one) threw their ball down the lane before the bar had raised and it bounced off and slowly started rolling back to us. It eventually stopped in the middle of the lane and we had to have a worker come and get the ball for us. Needless to say, all of the boys we silently casting spells in hopes it would make it back!

Go Boise!!!!!!

2010-01-11T15:03:00.007-07:00

These lucky boys, Harley, Tyson, Brian, and Brad took a road trip down to Arizona for the Fiesta bowl to watch our home state, BSU, kick some TCU butt!

This is where they sat. Great seats, uh!?
This was earlier in the day at the tailgate/rally party.

Of course I was very jealous, but like everyone else, I didn't expect Boise to win so I didn't think I would be missing out on too much. However they ended up winning in an amazing game! Back in 2007 Harley also made a trip to San Fransisco without me to watch Barry Bonds hit 756! He always goes on the best trips! Needless to say, he is not allowed to go on any more trips without me.

Tis the season

2010-01-06T11:17:00.019-07:00

We kicked off this holiday season with my Grandma Napier's Christmas party. There was delicious food, a very competitive white elephant game, and lots of visiting.

We headed out to Arbon on Christmas Eve. We had a yummy dinner and played some games. I, of course, left my camera so no photos of this day, but we had a great time. Thanks Shawn and Gina! Love you guys!

I never thought anything could be as fun as a little child waking up Christmas morning to see what fun things Santa left, until now, and that it is getting to play Santa! All the stress and months of planning are worth every penny when you see the look of pure joy on their faces!

It wasn't all about the present though of course. We ingrained into their little brains what Christmas is really about and I am happy to say that Carter can recite the entire Nativity Story. I am so grateful for our Savior and for his birth. I am grateful that he has blessed me with this beautiful family, my health, and countless other blessings I have.

We headed to Malad Christmas afternoon to my dad's. We played the wii and then went to Gary and Annette's for a Christmas feast!

That evening we went to Harleys mom's for the evening. We feasted again and enjoyed seeing Harley's brother Mark, who we unfortunately do not get to see very often.

What a great Christmas!!!

Happy Birthday, Babe!

2010-01-06T10:45:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday to an AMAZING husband and dad!!

Unfortunately there wasn't alot of celebrating because he wasn't feeling well, but Carter sure had fun decorating the birthday cookies we made him. (Harley's not much of a cake eater...hence the "birthday cookies")

A cabin retreat

2009-12-08T16:25:00.004-07:00

We headed to a friends cabin for the weekend for some fun. There was WAY too much eating, some serious karaoke, and lots of wild children running and playing. Thanks for having us Brad and Kristen!

Better late than never

2009-11-16T10:07:00.005-07:00

So it's almost Thanksgiving and I'm just now posting Halloween. Can you say procrastinator!

Harley carved these pumpkins for us and the kids painted the little ones.

We had a halloween party with the daycare kids and the kids on our street.

We went to a Halloween party with some friends and just in case you are wondering, Harley is a BYU fan. (The catch...he doesn't like BYU)

Carter as Bumblebee, and Mason as Mike Wazosky

Pumpkin Walk

2009-11-16T09:44:00.005-07:00

We took the boys to the pumpkin walk and of course it was a big hit. They loved it! Some of the displays were really quite amazing.

(Again, it's rare if I can get the boys to look at the camera. UGH!)

Where the Wild Things Are

Our "wild thing"

Our Soccer Star

2009-10-19T12:46:00.004-06:00

Okay, so the title is a little boastful, but I must say he did really well this year in Soccer. He is really starting to put concepts together. If someone kicked the ball in the wrong goal he was quite disgruntled. He would proceed with a shake of his finger in their face and a completely put out look on his face. Each time he scored, his pearly whites were seen from ear to ear.

There is one attribute that soccer brought out in Carter this year. One that Dad loves, but Mom cringes. Carter is COMPETITIVE, scary competitive. He always has been. Harley and I both are quite competitive. But for a 4 year old this is extreme. He would get very upset when he scored less than 3-4 goals a game. He wasn't very fond of another little boy on his team who was an exceptional soccer player. And towards the end of the season Carter was playing soccer at home from sun up to sun down, outside and inside. I wouldn't be surprised if he was dreaming soccer. When asked why he didn't stop to take a brake, he would look at me with a I'm-so-annoyed-you-just-made-me-stop-to-answer-your-ridiculous-question look and say, "Mom, I have to be the best soccer player ever!" People, I know for a fact he doesn't even like soccer near as much as he loves baseball and golf. Heaven help me when he starts playing these sports competitively!

A Ward weekend

2009-10-19T12:06:00.003-06:00

We had the opportunity to go out to Arbon for the weekend which sadly doesn't happen very often with my busy schedule and a farmer's busy schedule.
The weekend actually started out in Malad for the homecoming game. My dad and Jamie have the perfect tailgating spot to sit and enjoy the game. Jamie fed us some yummy food as always, and the game was exciting with Malad pulling out the win!

Then to over to my Grandmas to see my little (but big) brother off to the dance with his date Lauren Clark. What a good looking kid!
On Saturday we headed out to Arbon for Coopers baptism. Sadly no pictures, but what an awesome experience for this little guy. It is so fun to see children be baptized and the spirit is always so strong. I am so proud of you Cooper! Luckily for my boys, they get to go to quite a few baptisms because we have so many young kids in our family. However, Carter must not be used to it yet, because without fail, every time he says with wide nervous eyes, "I don't want to be baptized." He's only 4 and already he is scared of...drowning, I guess.

Then that night we had our annual Ward Family halloween party. It is so fun and our whole family is such good sports. We ate the most delicious food. We visited, and did some trick or treating. Love this tradition.
So anyone who knows me knows that I am not creative. Give me something to follow and I do great. But left to my own imagination can be scary, especially if it involves fabric and a sewing machine. So this year when I decided to make my own costume, I must not have been in my right mind. However with a little help from my Grandma Napier, I pulled this out of my hat. Needless to say, it didn't turn out half bad and it was quite enjoyable. Maybe I should step out of the box more often.
My family: Mike Wazosky (Mason), Bumblebee (Carter), Pink Crayon (Shaylynn), The Hulk (Jack), Jedi Warriors (Ethan and Sage), Ninja (Gina), and best of all A Geisha (Shawn)

Zach, Jessi, and Kabree as the Flinstones

The cast of Peter Pan: Wendy (Jessica), Peter Pan (Larin), Tinkerbells (McKenna and Maddie), Wendy's brothers (Cooper and Morgan).

Frightmares

2009-10-19T11:33:00.000-06:00

Our good friends, Leslie and Mike, invited us to go to Lagoon with them. I had never been to Lagoon during frightmares so I was super excited. Unfortunately we were only able to go through one spook alley because the lines were ridiculous. The littles ones were able to go through a kid version of a spook alley (which wasn't much of anything considering even they were a little bored). But the lines to all the rides were short and the kids were able to ride every ride several times. Thanks Mike and Leslie! We had a great time!

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Vegas Vacation

2009-10-02T11:23:00.000-06:00

Vegas...we just can't seem to get enough of this place! It certainly doesn't help since some of our closest friends, Nate and Lindsey just moved there. Before we never had an excuse to go down there, but now we can justify going even more because our friends need us. lol

The Gardens at the Bellagio

Yogurtland! YUMMY
Greatest desert place EVER! Where is this place in Utah...anyone?

The highlight of our trip: Cirque Du Soleil "O"
AMAZING!

The fountains and the Bellagio. Seen it a 100 times and can see it another 100 times.

Another highlight: Lindsey and Nate took us to Primm and we went on this insane rollercoaster! Sssssscary! But the best was Nate screaming like a girl that he had never felt so much pain in his life. (In his defense it was a little rough)

We had so much fun. Thanks guys. Love Ya!

Oh Mason...

2009-09-20T20:55:00.000-06:00

Our cute, little, mischievous, hilarious, trouble seeking, dirty, sweet (only when he wants to be) boy.

Dirty....

and very dirty!

A giant in the making

Here we have orange pop that he decided to dump on this head. What you don't see is that the whole back side of his head is bright orange!

Here we have a smelly marker that I guess he thought, "If it smells good, it must taste good."

Mason has a new saying, "yeah baby." He says it when he's exciting about pretty much anything: eating, going outside, bath time, etc. So I have been trying to capture this moment on camera and it just isn't quite as sincere. But here it is, and it's still pretty funny.

Good Times

2009-09-11T22:45:00.000-06:00

Our coed softball team.
What a great group of friends (and it doesn't hurt that we kicked butt too!) Thanks for a fun summer. Can't wait until next year!

Camping with the boys...

2009-09-11T22:02:00.001-06:00

This was the first time camping in the actual mountains for the boys. Camping is just so much more fun when you are a kid. It is alot of work for moms. Can I get an amen from the moms?!
But the boys had the greatest time. Aunt Sherrie invited us to go with her family. Harley wasn't able to go and if it wasn't for her and all the help, we wouldn't have survived. Thanks Sher!

This is a spring up power house and it was freezing!! Bailey and her friend, Rose, are CRAZY!

I had to throw this picture in just because he is too cute for words!

The boys were sooooo dirty, and it was causing me major anxiety. I really had to go to a happy place to remind myself that it was okay... that they would eventually be clean again... that this too shall pass. (Deep breaths...getting anxiety just remembering it!)

A week with the siblings

2009-09-05T21:08:00.000-06:00

Shay and Ethan came to stay with us for a few days. We had a really great time and they are great kids.

We went up the canyon and roasted marshmallows. We also went swimming and to the movies. It's so nice to have them here and Shaylynn is the biggest help!

The Dreaded Haircut

2009-08-27T11:27:00.000-06:00

Mason is completely terrified of getting his haircut. It is the most traumatic experience of his life. Luckily for him ( and for mom and dad), he doesn't have much hair so he's only had to do this a few times. This is before we have even started. You can only imagine how bad it is when he is actually getting his hair cut! I don't have any pictures of that because I practically had to sit on him while Harley buzzed. Poor kid.

You know it's time for a new bike when...

2009-08-19T13:30:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of the summer Carter learned to ride with no training wheels, a super proud moment for mom! However as he's gotten better, his little bike just couldn't keep up with the speed he was trying to produce. We had been planning for months to get him a bigger bike, but just kept putting it off, until this happened.

What little boy can survive even a day without his bike, so we finally caved and got him his new shinning green bike that he thinks is a transformer and has given him the name "Slime Ball". Don't ask.

Swimming Lessons

2009-08-17T11:07:00.000-06:00

I was very impressed with Carter this year. Last year he cried the whole time, so to see him in the water, participating and enjoying it was a big relief. One year makes all the difference.

Treehouse Museum

2009-08-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

I met up in Ogden with my good friend Natalie and we took our kids to the Treehouse Museum. She has two boys of her own the exact same ages has Carter and Mason. Ethan (her oldest) and Carter were inseparable from the time they were born (of course that was because their moms were inseparable) and then sadly they moved away, so we don't get to see them as much as we would like too. Anyway, this was an amazing museum and highly recommended to anyone with preschool age kids!

Ethan and Carter...Best Buddies!

Carter inside the fort he built.

Cute little school boys...notice Ethan and Carters outfits.
(Front: Carter and Damen
Back: Ethan and Mason)

Carter the Clown...

and the Fireman...

and the Cowboy!

Mason- half Cowboy, half Clown

Future President Williams
I think he could fit in quite well as a politician with that smirk!

A little blurry, but this picture told the whole story of how much fun they really had!

What a month!!!

2009-07-17T13:17:00.000-06:00

This month started off great with the greatest holiday EVER! This is my favorite day of the year. Nobody throws a party quite like Malad ID on the 4th! I unfortunately don't have alot of pictures because Harley and I played softball most of the day. So whenever we had a spare minute to go do something else I kept forgetting my camera.

It started off at the parade and then down to the park for softball. The boys ran in the races (forgot my camera). Carter did awesome! However during Mason's race the announcer kept talking so much that Mason kept false starting. Harley was trying to hold him back so by the time they actually said "go" Mason was mad and wouldn't run.
This was a blow up water slide they had at the park and Carter kept bugging me all day to play on it but I couldn't find time with all the games (I love softball but that was on downer about the whole thing) so finally in between games we ran over and he got a chance to go on it. He loved it! Carter also did this jumping contraption thing (sorry, I don't know the name of it) but it's like a bungy cord that bounces you up and down and high (especially for a 4 year old) Again no pictures of that. There are some on Harleys phone so if I figure how to get it off the phone I'll post it.

Carter also did this jumping contraption thing (sorry, I don't know the name of it) but it's like a bungy cord that bounces you up and down and high (especially for a 4 year old) Again no pictures of that. There are some on Harleys phone so if I figure how to get it off the phone I'll post it.
It ended with an awesome firwork show!

Next we were off to Bear Lake!!
We went camping for a few days to Bear Lake with some of our friends. We had really been looking forward to this trip. Carter would not stop bugging me about when we were going camping. Never tell a 4 year old you are going to go do something fun until about the day before.

The kids love riding the boat.

We rode the boat (thanks Tyrell) across the lake to eat at our favorite shake shop.

Carter, Hallee, Kyler, Talon, Trey

Holli, Jamie, Brook, Lindsey, Kristen

I just had to post this. We had a great time but there was an interesting, slightly unnerving moment. Harley (he'll never admit to it) locked the keys in the truck. Harley was threatening to just break the window. Luckily Brad and Tyrell came to the rescue and the three of them along with the help of a clothes hanger got it unlocked. Thanks guys, you saved us from having to replace a car window.

Lagoon!!
My awesome Grandma Napier took us to Lagoon. We took Carter last year and he cried and wouldn't ride any rides, so I was a little worried about this time. However he loved it and rode every ride. Mason even loved it. But I think it helped having a big brother to go with or else he might have chickened out. Thanks Grandma.

Yes, it has been a very busy, but very fun month for us. And the best part... it isn't even over.

Yeah for summer!!

2009-07-01T10:40:00.000-06:00

Now that the rain has passed we are finally able to do some summer things.

school days

2009-06-22T10:05:00.000-06:00

Carter attends preschool/speech classes and he loves it! It is so fun and yet so sad to watch him grow up so fast. I think the first time he could completely write his name was when it hit me that my baby is growing up. Here is Carter with his teacher, Miss Wendy. She is awesome!

Thanks Miss Wendy!

My little Golfer

2009-06-11T15:49:00.000-06:00

Carter eat, drinks, and sleeps golf. Like father like son, I guess. From the time he could walk, he had his first golf club and was swinging away. I must say, he's pretty good. (Of course, I'm not bias.)

Carter goes golfing with Harley all the time, but Mason on a golf course... not yet. He's just a little to busy. So we took the boys miniature golfing, something Mason could handle. The first game Harley smoked me, but on the second I had a 3 shot lead going into the last couple holes. Naturally I succumbed to the pressure and choked. He squeaked out the win. UGH! To beat Harley at his own game, now that would have sweet.

2009-06-09T09:32:00.000-06:00

So I have finally caved and decided it's time to start blogging. I (100%) am doing this as a substitute for journaling (because I'm horrible at that). So lets hope I'm better at this. I really want my kids to be able to look back and read some of the fun and funny things they did when they were little.

My Grandma Napier took my family down to Salt Lake to the planetarium. My boys love trains, so to make the trip more exciting we decided to ride the front runner from Ogden to Sandy. The boys loved it!!

If you notice Mason, he is staring at the girls behind us. He kept flirting with them the whole way there.

Next we were off to the planetarium. It was awesome!

They also had fish and stingrays that you could touch, but of course my boys wimped out. So Bailey and I did it. It was pretty slimy, stinky, and we ended up soaked.
Thanks Grandma...we had a great time!