The Crazy Cornia's

The new blog!

2011-03-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

So I've decided that I'd like to keep this blog for personal family stuff. Like my sister-in-law Colie says I want this to be a journal. I still really wanted to blog about our progress and our struggles with changing our eating habits so I started a new blog for this. www.findhappinessinhealth.blogspot.com I hope you all enjoy the new blog and I plan on blogging here more also:)

Sharing Green Smoothies!

2011-03-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

So we went to Costco yesterday to buy all we needed to make green smoothies on our own and it was so easy!! The smoothie had spinach, collard greens, apple, orange, banana, agave, and mixed berries. Now when you look at that list it looks like oh you had more fruit that greens, not the case. There is 1/3 water, 1/3 greens, and 1/3 fruit. We love them and so do the kids in fact the kids kept asking for more. So since we loved it so much we packed up our stuff and brought it over to Sarah's (my sister) to show her how to make them. And here's a shocker her kids love them too. I'm so amazed by how much all kids seem to love these. Then we told them they will make them happy and strong and all they could talk about was how big there muscles were going to be(she has 4 boys). I'll tell Sarah's story later, she needs these smoothies and lifestyle change as much if not more than we do.

Baby boston 2 mnths (Sarah's youngest)

Tyson 5, Dominic 8, and Jaxon 3

No Caffeine. 1 day down the rest of our lives to go!

2011-03-04T06:55:00.001-08:00

So yesterday was our first real day without caffeine or pop of any kind. And oh man were Nate and I feeling it. We both had terrible headaches and in general weren't very nice to eachother or the kids:( About half way through the day Nate turns to me and says we aren't being very kind to eachother are we. Sidenote: I love this man he could have so easily just been mad and thought I'm sick, so just deal! But when he said that I realized this isn't going to be the only hard thing we have to give up and I'm sure it's not going to be the only day we are going to feel horrible as we dejunk our bodies. We have to stick together and be loving to one another or this isn't going to be the uplifting experience we wanted for any of us. What an awesome man I have! As the day went on Nate got so sick to his stomach he was doubled over in pain. It was such a reality check to Nate and I of how much we were dependent on caffeine, and how we never want something controlling our lives like this.
So today is day number 2 and so far so good. Things I've noticed already I slept better last night that usual despite the fact that Zac is pretty sick. When he would wake up to nurse I could fall right back to sleep, when usually it would take awhile for me to fall back asleep. I'm craving it less today than yesterday, I'll post later to see if this stays true. And over all I have a new excitement for life that I think has to do with all that the future now holds since Robyn took our family on. Thanks again Robyn!!

Our starting point

2011-03-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

So I didn't post this earlier because I hadn't decided how open I was going to be about my weight. Obviously no woman wants to talk about there weight especially when this is the heaviest I've ever been in my life. And when I say the heaviest that includes what I weighed when I delivered each one of my kids, YUCK!!!(an even grosser thought I weighed 158 when Zac was 2 months old I'm 14 lbs heavier now) I've always prided myself on losing my baby weight within 6 months of having my kids. I lost my weight with a program that I thought was making me "healthier" and teaching me good eating habits I'm sure some of what they are teaching is healthy. But until I met Robyn I had no clue what I was doing to my body and how bad I was feeding and treating it. I finally decided that if i was going to ask people to evalute there lives and change there eating habits based on my experience, I had to be honest and couldn't hide things that were embarrasing. So now the moment of truth...

Samantha's weight- 172
Nate's weight- 203.2

We took measurements too so we will have total inches lost every week.

I also decided to weigh my kids. None of them "need" to lose weight but I wondered if they would since we are taking so much junk out of there diet.

PresLeigh- 77 (she is in the 97% for height and weight)
Gavin- 48.2 (he is in the 75% for height and 50% for weight)
Olivia- 35.8 (She was in the 35% for height and 25% for weight but her percentiles are from last may so I'm not sure how accurate they are)

I hope you all enjoy being a part of our journey, as we find happiness in healthiness!!

SCARY!!!

2011-03-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

(Zac playing with light saber is something that has to be seen in person since he makes the sound effects at 15 months old)

So after filming today Zac got his hands on part of a Lara bar which is mainly fruit and nuts. Zac is allergic to all nuts so he started throwing up. At first I wasn't sure what was going on but then he broke out in hives and started grabbing his throat. Nate gave him his epi-pen and I took him to the ER. He's ok but it was really scary!!! He had a pretty adverse reactive to the epi-pen since it's mean't for use up to 12 years old, it was a pretty huge dose. They gave him zofran(anti-nausea), steriods, and benedry to try to help with all that he had going on, but he kept throwing it all up:( Then his cheeks turned beet red and he couldn't hold his head up. By the time we left he was ok just acting tired. I hate that his life has to be this way I hope as we continue to work on healing his body naturally his allergies will begin to clear up.

Starting our GSG Makeover!!!

2011-03-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

So naturally we can't shoot in a kitchen that has the same paint as when the house was built 15 years ago. So in true Samantha style we have to paint and the only day to do it is the day before we shoot. I picked the most perfect color or so I thought. After Nate got done painting it all I looked at it and started crying it looked like an easter egg exploded in my kitchen. Luckily this morning the light had changed and it looked so much better. I still have somethings I would like to do to it but I wasn't embarrassed to shoot in the house anymore.

Before-

After-

Before-

After-

So now onto the important things... The actual filming!!! Kels the producer for Blendtec and Kyle who I understand to be his assisant came at 10:45 to set up the kitchen. Can I just say that they are two hilarious guys and they are welcome in my home anytime whether they are filming or not. A little while later Robyn came bringing in some awesome swag for us. After setting up a few more things it was time to get the party started!! Blendtec gave us a blender with a 3 quart container so we can make all the green smoothies for the family at once, Lara Bars gave us some of there awesome snack bars, and Robyn gave us a ton of her books, cd's, dvd's, and some things to get us started on our new journey of whole foods. Also The Good Earth Store is giving us $50 a week to there store for the 8 weeks we do the show (I wouldn't be me if I didn't cry a little when they gave us this) It was such an amazing gift to us because we live on a $400 a month grocery budget that includes all our household items as well. I just could believe how much easier this was going to be and what a burden they just lifted off my shoulders!

Robyn is a blast I just love her. She is so funny, full of energy, and so real which makes it easy to just be ourselves. I made my first green smoothie today, with her help. And we are, dare I say it, soda pop free in our home. On any given day Nate and I can drink a 2-liter a piece so this was something that was crucial for us to give up. We had decided that we should stop drinking it from a budget stand point a few weeks ago so when Robyn told us we needed to give it up we were ready for the challenge. Like I told her today when you have felt so horrible for as long as we have your willing to do ANYTHING that will make you feel even a little better. This my friends is going to make us feel a lot better!!!

Gavin and Olivia got home from preschool right as we were finishing up so they got to try there green smoothies. Gavin drank his whole pint while Robyn and I talked, and Olivia drank a good half cup. It was amazing to see Olivia drink it at all since she is so anti anything that doesn't taste like candy and I think it helped watching Gavin be so into it. Later in the day when PresLeigh got home from school she drank her pint of green smoothie and was asking for more. This is such an exciting step for us and such an important one too. We can't wait to go to the seminar on Friday to keep learning!

Our Lives

2011-03-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Here's the break down youngest to oldest:
Zac 15 mnths- has eosinophilic esophagitis(swelling and redness in his esophagis) which makes him not eat solid foods. Also they had us put him on steriods and acid reflux medicine. The steriods were horrible and the side effects weren't worth the little progress he was making. He is 15 months and is still almost soley nursing. He has allergies to dairy, eggs, nuts and intolerances to soy and gluten. So he and I have to avoid these things, which doesn't leave us with many options. He also never sleeps longer than an hour at a time without having to be nursed back to sleep. Since he is in constent pain he uses nursing as a soothing method. So since he was born I haven't slept longer than two hours at a time when my sweet husband lets me take a nap. We somehow got a strand of MRSA(an antibiotic resistant staph infection, commonly pick up from hospitals) in our home and Zac now has it. There are anitbiotics that are really strong that they will use to treat the outbreak but once you have it you will always have it. So add that to the list of medicines they want him to take:(
Olivia almost 4- Was born with Gastroschisis(when your abdomin wall doesn't fuse in the uterus) meaning her intestines were on the outside of her body when she was born. At 9 days they did a surgery to put them back in her body and sew the opening closed. She was released from the NICU and just over a month old. She cried the first year of her life because she was in so much pain trying to figure out how to get her body to digest food. She now suffers from extreme constipation and is stuggling with potty training. The doctors want us to treat this with chemical stool softeners and a few other medications. She also has outbreaks of MRSA on a regular basis in her diaper area because the bacteria sits on her skin. If she was wearing cotton underwear it would decrease her outbreaks.
Gavin 5- suffers from a lot of anxiety and depression. He currently is seeing a play therapist but long term the doctors have talked about putting him on meds. Not that I am apposed to medicine if he needs it. It's just that I would like to explore all other options first, including diet! Gavin also has had a few outbreaks of MRSA and it is extremely painful and takes awhile for the antibiotics to heal the sores.
PresLeigh 7- Is who we call our "healthy" child. Although she is abnormally tall for her age and her genetics. Which caused enough concern by our doctors to have a bone age done. The results show that she is 1 1/2 years older in her "bone age" than her actual age. She has also started going through puberty ie. under arm hair she's only 7!! We try to keep her as physically active as possible to keep her period at bay, a scary thought for mommy and daddy!! The doctors attribute all of this to the hormones in the food we eat.

Samantha 25- So I'm the mom of these crazy fun little ones, meaning I'm taking care and trying to help treat all there different problems on top of my own. I suffer from migraines which are either hormonal or stress/lack of sleep related. For the last 14 months I've had strep throat at least 5 times, sinus infections, bronchitis, and virus after virus. I've never had an issue with my weight until this last pregnancy mostly due to the fact that I can never sleep, workout, or worry about what I'm eating. I have one leg that is an 1 1/2 inches longer than the other which puts a lot of stress on my joints and is causing water behind my knee. And in general I'm just EXHAUSTED!!

Nate 31- My oh so sweet husband works all the time and his work days are 12 hour true shift work. He works some days/ some nights and just got done working 17 days straight. He is struggling with his weight which makes him depressed. And all the stress at home and at work gives him anxiety.

This is why we made our video and turned it into the Green Smoothie Girl. We needed and need so much help and didn't know just where to turn when doctors were out of answers. We're so thankful to Robyn, Blendtec, Lara Bars, and The Good Earth Store for helping us make becoming healthy a reality!!

Filming and Migraines!

2011-02-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

So we started taping today just doing interviews since they won't show our original entry tape. But of course I got a terrible migraine last night and went to the ER. I had such an adverse reaction to the drugs and I'm still feeling really jittery today. But back to the original reason why I posted we taped today it was so exciting. I didn't feel nervous until we actually sat down to do the interview. I think I was so nervous because I didn't know what she was going to ask me and if I would answer the questions the way she wanted me too. On top of the fact that I still felt drugged up. I think it went really well and now on Wednesday they are coming in to do the dramatic scene of throwing out all junk food, and bringing in all the good healthy food.

Please Help Us Green Smoothie Girl!!

2011-02-27T11:39:00.001-08:00

I'll post in more detail about our story later but for right now here's a link to the video we sent in to get the Green Smoothie Girls help. We are so blessed that she choose our family for this and we can't wait to get started!! Oh and to help prove my point even more I had a really bad sinus infection when we taped this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQjhzXpg7Tw

all things thrify give away!

2011-01-17T13:46:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite decorating blogs is having an amazing give away on there website. Here's the link http://www.all thingsthrifty.com/2011/01/giveaway-silhouette-sd-machine.html

My Little Dancing Queen

2010-06-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

So PresLeigh was in competition dance again this year and is still loving it!! Her team did really good this year and I was so proud of them all. There jazz routine was to Sneaker Night and there lyrical was to Butterfly. And yes I'm that mom who started crying watching her do her lyrical she looked so grown up and so beautiful!!

This picture is my favorite by far!!

Valentine's Day My Way:)

2010-06-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yes that's a picture of me on his shirt and yes that's a picture of us on mine... I know I'm cool like that:) Nate knows that out of all the holiday's, b-day's, anniversary's that Valentine's Day is the only one I care about getting a present or a letter or something. Well this year he told me that he wasn't going to do anything. So at first I was pretty hurt then I decided to have a little fun and make him never forget this Valentine's day. So needless to say I don't think he will be blowing off another Valentine's day anytime soon. Also I'm fully aware of the fact that's it's June and I'm just posting this!!

Zac's 3 month pics!!

2010-03-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

It is that time again for little Zac Attack to get his pictures taken. The picture below is my favorite one of him he is so freakin handsome!!!
This is a look that you will receive often from my sweet little man... it's the look of Seriously???

Another picture of why am I falling out of the chair??

And here he's saying I can't believe they are making me do this!!

Oh but he is a man after his Uncle's heart and so he is smiling big for the Chiefs picture.
And he is also very happy about getting blessed so he decided to smile for this one too!

This week at Target

2010-02-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

This was an awesome week at Target for me, with Nate shaving his head daily we go through a ton of razors!!

4 travel size baby lotion (orignial price .82) FREE
4 travel size shampoo (original price .97) FREE
3 J&J Travel first aid (original price .97) FREE
5 Bags of reese's pieces (original price 2.69) .69
(I bought these to give to the kids teachers for V-DAY)
6 Fusion Razors (original price 6.99) .49

TOTAL 8.39 with tax I could buy one razor for this price!!!!!!!

Here's the break down. I had internet printables of any size J&J baby wash making them all free. A different J&J $1 coupon for the first aid kit making it free, I had $1 off target coupon for the Reese's pieces and another $1 off manufacturer coupon giving me $2 off making them .69(if a store has coupon and you have a manufacturer coupon you can use them together), the Fusions were on sale for 6.99 I had $4 off coupons that them $2.99 and if you bought 2 razors they gave you a $5 target card making them .49 a piece.

CAN I JUST SAY I LOVE SAVING MONEY!!!!

Baby Zac is 2 months old

2010-02-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

So Zac was 2 months old on the 2nd, here are his stats.

22 3/4 inches long 50%

11 lbs 9 oz 50%

head 38 cm 10% lol
Facts about baby Zac are, he never sleeps at night(apparently he knows that's when he gets one on one time), if he's awake you have a 75% chance that he will be crying, and he pretty much never smiles or coos unless HE wants too. But the funny thing is I feel so close to him even though he is so difficult we have a very special bond, maybe it's because he is totally his dad;)

So baby Zac is our little model:) He is the pic on the very left, and the third in from the left. This ad was in the value pages and he is also in the front window at Pretty Pictures I've been meaning to take of pic of that and he is also on her website!!
PresLeigh took this picture yesterday and she did a better job than I thought she would.

I love this little man I could kiss his baby lips off in this picture, he looks so sweet!!

I LOVE saving money

2010-01-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

20 Hershery's chocolate bars .25 (great for visting teaching, valentines day, etc.)
6 DanActive's .88
6 Arrowhead Waters 2.99
2 Dryers Ice Cream 2.49
11 Electrasol Dishwasher tabs .49
12 Kleenex boxes .82
16 1/2 lb blocks of cheese .99
12 1/2 lb shredded cheese .99
6 Krusteaz cookie mix .49
4 Krusteaz fat free muffin 1.49
10 Goldfish crackers .88
8 Quaker Rice Cakes FREE
12 Ritz crackers .99
6 Cheese its .99
4 Zesta crackers .69
6 Solo 30 plastic cups .49
2 100 Cal packs 1.25

TOTAL $430.11
Saved
Coupons $91.29 (these are all the coupons I clipped out of my newspapers. I only spend $20 a month on paper's and I saved on this on trip over four times what I spend on them)
Fresh Values 206.80
TOTAL SPENT $132.02

I know there are people who would say well I don't eat the snack stuff and that's ok you can still save. Look what I spent on dishwasher tabs, plastic cups(I use for family get together's and birthdays),Kleenex, water, and cheese...TONS And last week I purchased 12 bottles of ALL laundry detergent at $1.49 a piece that will last me at least 4 months.

Zac's Little Nursery

2010-01-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

So you know it's your 4th baby when you don't even put the nursery together until your baby is over a month old. And it's still not completely finished. I ordered vinyl of his name to put above the animal squares.

And to the right of the maternity picture I'm going to put an 8x10 of him.

A little of this and that

2010-01-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

My little man with his fohawk.
This is a few weeks old but seriously does Zac even have a mom he looks just like Nate:)

The kids have wanted Snuggies for so long so Santa brought them some. This pic is especially for Uncle Zac who is constantly making fun of snuggies.

Gavin has been sleeping in the girls' room a lot lately and one of these nights Olivia decided to take her Leapster and hit Gavin with it. It was so sad I felt so bad for him:(

Seriously I don't know what I would do with out my perfect little PresLeigh, she is such an amazing girl. I can always count on her to help me and she is just so full of life we are always having fun together. This is her helping me out as usual with the baby.

And this morning I came down the stairs from getting Liv ready for church and she had got him to sleep.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-24T16:46:00.000-08:00

Once again this post is late but better than never. This is the Engman side of our family on Christmas Eve with all the grandkids doing the nativity.

Christmas morning! We were really lucky this year Nate worked Christmas night so he got to open presents with the kids.

Livie and her "DS" as she calls it.

Gavin with his Captian Rex helmet.

This was PresLeigh's baby walk and giggle.

Baby Zac's first Christmas.
Baby Zac with my brother Zac. I think Uncle Zac is pretty proud of the baby in his Chiefs outfit he bought him.

2009 in a Nutshell

2010-01-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

Well we started the year with PresLeigh getting her tonsils out. The surgery went well but that's when we learned that she is allergic to codeine. Luckily her reaction wasn't horrible just hives and swollen red face. In April and May her dance studio performed in two competitions. She danced a jazz and lyrical number and took 1st and 2nd place in both of them. She is really shy and I was worried about her performing in front of hundreds of people, but she went out there and was a natural. I have to say I was especially proud of her, I'm so glad she loves performing as much as I do.

Nate and I had been struggling with infertility I was taking medication for it and we were running all kinds of tests. We had gotten to the point where our next step was going to be very expensive... when finally we conceived baby Zac. I woke up at 3:30 in the morning to take the test(during the three minutes I kept thinking if it's positive I'm going to wait to tell Nate so I can suprise him)... when it came up positive I just starting screaming and crying I couldn't help it. I ran into our room and just hugged Nate and all thoughts of waiting to tell him went out the window, how could I not share this with him immediately. The joy I felt that morning was the most amazing gift God could have given me in preperation for what was ahead. The pregnancy went as well as any of my others have I had a picc line placed in April and then had it removed in July to keep me hydrated. Many trips to the hospital for all kinds of minor complications, but in the end we got our little bundle of joy that we had been praying for. We endured so many trials and are truely blessed because of them.

Olivia turned two in May and man what a handful she is. We love having her in our family she is ALWAYS singing and dancing and saying hilarious things. You can't help but smile at her and all at the same time she is our most frustrating child. She knows all the songs to the Barbie movies and loves to "get the bad guys" on daddy's video games.

In June we went on a family trip to Iowa. It was over a 20 hour drive with 3 kids under the age of 5 and a very sick mommy. The drive itself was aweful and I would never want to do it again under those same circumstances. We stayed in Iowa for over a week and were able to see both of my grandparents, all the aunt and uncles, cousins, and great friends I have out there. Nate grew up a few streets away from where we live now so I know all of his childhood memories, it was fun for me to take him around where I had made memories. The only thing that would have made this trip better would have been if my Grandma and Grandpa Engman were still living, they would love Nate. Another part of the adventure was we took a dog home from my Aunt Rhonda, Nessie, she is such an awesome dog. Do to some unfortunate happenings we had to get rid of her, luckily my sister Angela was willing to make her a part of her family.

Nate worked the whole month of July with the exception of a few days, great for overtime, horrible for me and the kids. Nate got streap throat during that work stretch, can't imagine why, and still worked through it. We also had our three year anniversary on the 22nd, it ended up kind of getting overlooked, this year will be better I'm sure.

In August PresLeigh started kindergarten and Gavin started preschool. It was so nice to get to spend so much time with Olivia before the baby came.

PresLeigh turned 6 in October. She was seriously my saving grace through most of the pregnancy. For months straight she would get the kids cereal for breakfast and would even sometimes have to make them sandwiches for lunch. She very rarely complained and I feel so guilty for all she had to do this year. With that said we tried to make sure she did fun stuff too. She was able to go to St. George with Grandma and Grandpa Engman for a week and really enjoyed herself.

Halloween to Thanksgiving was kind of a big blur. I spent a lot of that time treating my migraines and just hanging on until someone got home to help me. Our ward didn't do a trunk or treat this year which was kind of a bummer, but my side of the family did our own little trunk or treat and then Grandma Engman took the kids trick or treating. My mom and dad are completely amazing and I relyed on them a lot this pregnancy, even though my mom works seven days a week she always made me and the kids a priority. Thanksgiving was so nice my brother and his wife hosted the whole Engman family and a good part of Deb's family too. I think there were well over 40 people there.

On December 2nd I was induced and gave birth to Zachary Bair. He was 7 lbs 19 inches and i couldn't have been any happier to no longer be pregnant and get healthy again!!! Baby Zac is so perfect and I feel the spirit so strong around him. There is no doubt in my mind that this little man belongs in our family.

Gavin turned 4 on December 5th the day after we brought the baby home. This is the first year that he wanted a friend party and thanks to Aunt Angela coming over and doing it for me he was able to have one. She made it really fun by having a super hero bootcamp. Gavin loves preschool and has a lot of friends.

Christmas was really nice we were able to see my parents, Nate's parents, and Grandma and Grandpa Pearson. My sister Angela hosted Christmas Eve at her house and the kids put on a Nativity it was so cute. I love my kids so much they only asked for a few things which made giving them a awesome Christmas fit in our budget. Nate got what he wanted for Christmas, a functioning wife, and I got what I wanted, a happy healthy family.

Other important things from this year... Nate lost his Grandpa Lindner in January and then lost his Grandma Bair in September. It was a difficult year for his parents and family. In good news my brother Seth and his wife Coley bought a house in Lehi 1.1 miles away from our house!!!! That was really exciting to us I'm not so sure if it was so exciting to them. Coley saved me so many times during this pregnancy watching kids, picking them up from school, cleaning my house, and just being an awesome friend. Seth is a really lucky guy. Also my Sister Angela and her family moved back to Utah from Switzerland and bought a house in Bluffdale which is like 15 minutes away from my house. And last but not least My brother Gabe and his family bought a house in the Ranches about 15 or so minutes away as well. It's pretty awesome for our family 5 of the 6 kids in my family live in Utah and my parents do as well. I love it!!!

Overall we had a great year full of blessings, trials, fun, and family. And plan to make 2010 a more active year.

I'm hoping that this reads smoothly I had to keep coming back to the computer over a couple days to finish it.

Zachary Bair Cornia

2010-01-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Zac joined joined our family on December 2nd he was 7lbs 19inches. All the kids have adjusted really well to him and we feel so blessed to have him in our lives.

36 Weeks Pregnant

2010-01-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

Since we are pretty sure this is our last pregnancy we decided to take pictures. I'm really glad we did, they turned out better than I expected.

Gavin's 4 Year Pics

2010-01-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

Gavin started preschool this year and he is learning so much!! We are so proud of him and he is taking on being the older brother to Zachary very well.

PresLeigh's 6 year Pics

2010-01-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

PresLeigh started Kindergarten this year and is doing really well. She is my best helper and honestly I don't know what I would do without her.

This was the kids christmas outfits this year. I was so sick of the same red and green I decided to go with blue.

Olivia's Two Year Pics

2010-01-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

Olivia turned 2 in May so here are her pictures long over do.

Random Pics

2009-03-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that Gavin is going to love this picture when he grows up.

Livie loves the four wheeler. This is her tadah!!

This is late fall. PresLeigh got a new bike this year.

Halloween 2008. I didn't get to post halloween because I had no way to get them on the computer.

I just really like this picture of Gavin. He is my sweet little boy!

The Trip to Colorado!!

2009-03-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven't posted in forever, but I'm back. My kids lost the cord to upload my pictures from my camera to my computer. So anyways I bought a new one and I'm back in the blogging world. Sarah and I went to Colorado for Kristin's baby shower without any kids!!

So this is all the girls who ate dinner at Adrienne's house. Me, Kristin, Maria (sarah's friend since 7th grade), Sarah, and Adrienne(also Sarah's friend from 7th or 8th grade) We were all Sarah's bridesmaids the only ones missing are Angela and Debbie.

This is us at Kristin's babyshower. I'm so glad we got to go we love her so much and can't wait to see her beautiful baby!!

Tons of New Pics from Pretty Pictures!!

2008-11-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

The new header is our offical family picture. They had to switch Nate's eyes out from a different picture because they were closed but it was the best of all the family.

Gavin wasn't in this picture when they took it we had him imposed.

This was the real picture we got of all three of the kids and Livie was being a stinker.

I love this little boy. He was like "oh I need to smile, okay" and we were done with all of his pictures in like three mintues.

Doran, my nephew, has a picture like this and I love them.

I titled this one "I hope they call me on a mission"
PresLeigh is the most stubborn strong willed child taker pictures of her can be really frustrating, but I always love the pictures we end up with.

This was suppose to be a picture of the two girls but with Liv in her normal picture taking form she would not comply. So we threw Gavin in just to get a picture.

I think she looks so much like Nate in this picture.

Livie is the hardest child to get smiling in a picture so I end up with a lot of pictures of her looking at flowers or not at the camera at all. She is a beautiful little girl who hates picture taker. She must get that from her Dad. All I have to say is I am so glad that the pictures are over and that they turned out so well. Thanks to Pretty Pictures.

My Fall Boutique!!!

2008-11-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

I am having a Fall Boutique at my house 677 W. 575 S. in Lehi, on Saturday, November 8th from 10:30am-12:30pm. I will be featuring Modbe, KIDBE, Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Miche Bags, and Grandma's Vintage Aprons. I hope to see you there, it will be fun with lots of yummy treats!!

Big news on Modbe and KIDBE every order placed will get 30% off and every order with three or more items will get an additional 10% off. If you are not able to attend the party or don't live in Utah you can order Modbe and kidbe online at http://www.shopmodbe.com/. The party code is 828 and the coupon code for the 30% off is MSHM69DF.

Even more BIG NEWS Lisa Angel will be coming from LEMEA SALON and GIFT SHOP. She is bringing the most amazing hair bows I have ever seen. The big flowers for like PresLeigh's age are only $5.50 and they have seven to eight different layers to them. I got two littler ones for Livie's piggy tails and they were $3.00 a peice but they are still like five to six layers. I have never seen this kind of quality or this price so together they are amazing. Lisa will take custom orders and match to outfits. I had her do it with my girls holiday dresses and they are beautiful. She will also be bringing some jewelry and home decor. Everything is really reasonable. I'm so excited she is coming.

I got Tagged!!

2008-10-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Colie has tagged me a couple of times and I never do it so I thought I would this time.

8 things I am passionate about:
1. Church
2. Nate
3. PresLeigh
4. Olivia
5. Gavin
6. Twilight
7. Barak Obama
8. All our family

8 phrases I often say:
1. That's so awesome
2. You've gotta be kidding me
3. Stop It
4. For real
5. cool
6. I love you (if you ask Nate that all I say)
7. Holy Crap
8. Livie get out of the toliet

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Go to bed when I want and wake up when I want. Just once I feel like that's asking to much.
2. Go on a cruise
3. See all my kids in the temple
4. Get a boob job after kids its much needed
5. Travel with Nate
6. Go back to school
7. Get Nate to eat vegetables
8. Clean my house and have it stay clean for one whole day.

8 things I want or need:
1. A Van
2. to have another baby
3. clothes that fit
4. Gavin to be potty trained
5. Livie to get an attitude adjustment
6. PresLeigh to get into a charter school
7. A food storage
8. go to the temple on a regular basis

8 people I tag (do 8 people even read this!?):
1. Sarah
2. Angie
3. Tara
4. Amber
5. Shannon
6. Allison
7. Breanne
8. Jana

Hee Haw Farms

2008-10-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hee Haw farms is such a super fun place to go. I tried to be picky on the pictures that I posted and after you go through I'm sure you'll think this was picky but there are so many things to do and we went with so many people we had a total blast!!!
The kids loved the corn box.
The farm animal ride.
This is PresLeigh and Tyler on the hay ride. This is on the hay ride it was so fun.
The hay ride took us to the pumpkin patch where we got four pumpkins.
Once we left the pumpkin patch and got back on the hay ride Gavin had a two year old moment. He got over it pretty fast and was back to the fun very quickly.

I am so proud of this little guy he is terrified of falling like he starts shaking it really is sad. But he was detemined to do it and he went down this big side all by himself!!
This is the first time Gavin went down after this we probably went like 15 times more times which sounds like fun RIGHT? Of course it was fun but he is afraid of heights so I had to carry him and climb up the back with Livie, or Tyson, and I got Doran to go down once too.
Mommy and Gavin going down on our tummies.
This is Seth going down the side with Doran and Gavin.
Gavin seriously just loves Brock and since Brock is such a sweet little guy he lets Gavin love him.

All the kids watching the pigs.
Doran playing with the hay.
PresLeigh was tired and hungry by the time we left she just wanted to go home.
Seth was trying to help me with Livie and show her the animals but she doesn't really like anyone but her mom and dad.
This is a big group picture of everyone who went except Nicole (sarah's sister-in-law) and her four kids.

PresLeigh lost her first tooth

2008-10-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

Can I just say I am sooo not ready for her to grow up. Losing teeth is like a huge deal to a five year old and I'm sorry but I'm not ready for this milestone. The bottom tooth right next to the one she lost is pretty loose too so it won't be to long before we lose another one.

I was hoping that she would have waited until we took her five year pictures but it is my fault for not doing them on time now every picture til she is at least twelve is going to be a snaggled smile. And then I'm sure we will have braces on the way. She is so excited so I am trying to act as excited as I can even though my baby girl is growing up.

Does Gavin have Narcolepsy?

2008-10-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Gavin fell asleep in his room while throwing a fit.He went outside last Sunday to play in what little snow there was and when he came back in I wrapped him up to get warm and before I knew it he was asleep. He has fallen asleep on our kitchen floor after church, on the cement outside watching Nate mow the lawn, and has managed to fall asleep when we have friends over right in the middle of the madness. I was so sad I couldn't find my camera for the kitchen floor or the outside madness. Anyways I'm sure he is just a growing little boy who doesn't want to be left out of anything so he insisted on staying awake as long as possible.

PresLeigh's Royal Party!!

2008-10-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

PresLeigh wanted a princess party but she also wanted to invite boys so it was a ROYAL party.

I couldn't believe this Evans mom dropped him off and I said "wow that's crazy he is going to be a prince for Halloween" Oh no I just whipped that up this morning he didn't have anything else to wear. This is a mom with a lot of talent. Apparently we wipped out the kids because at the end of the party when the kids were waiting for there parents they were pretty exhausted.
This is James A. PresLeigh, James, and Evan have a little love triangle going on! It is so stinking cute.

PresLeigh's 5th B-Day family party

2008-09-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

This is her present from mommy and daddy. She has her own vanity for her hairbows, jewelry, and pretend make up. It was so awesome during the party Tyson (Sarah's three year old) was havinga blast just playing with it. I love it when they are still to little to know that they "shouldn't" be playing with girl stuff. While we were putting it together Nate was like should I be concerned that Gavin is playing with make up? I'm thinking come on it just because it's something new.

PresLeigh had her family party today and she won't get to have her friend party until October 11th I feel bad but with our schedules is was the only time. So we are letting her have two partyies for that reason we normally just combine them. She made out like a bandit we will be spending the next couple days writing thank you notes.

Our Backyard

2008-09-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is a look from one end of the yard to the other.
This is from the garden looking towards the house.

This picture was taken from our back door.
This is behind our big shed this part of the yard is basically never used.
This is on the south side of the house.
This is our garden area obviously we didn't use if for gardening this year we didn't move in until July 11th but next year we have high hopes for our garden.
This is the other side of the garden we have our work cut out for us. Although I did use almost all of the grapes off of our vines I made juice and jam if I never see another grape til next year it won't be to soon.

Around the house

2008-09-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Musical prodigies I think not! But they are really cute together playing.
PresLeigh is always trying to make sure that Livie is okay she is a great big sister.
Daddy just chillin with the babes.
I never got a picture of PresLeigh for her first day of preschool year two. So this is just one day that I was taking her.
This is in the garage while the kids were waiting for me to get their clothes but I thought they looked so cute on the couch all wrapped up in their towels I had to get a picture. I love Livie and Gavin's totally cheesy grins.

PresLeigh in Dance

2008-09-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

PresLeigh started dance the begining of September. She is in the 3-5 year old class and she will be five on October 1st so it was a hard decision to make to pick which class to put her in the 3-5 or the 5-7. I hope we made the right choice? Addy is one of the little girls I babysit she will be four in May and PresLeigh looks about this different with all the kids in her class YIKES!! Once again I really hope we made the right choice, it is so crazy to me how much of a grown up she look like next to kids similar in age. SCARY!!

I really am going to update this blog!!

2008-09-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

So I have been really busy with PresLeigh back in preschool, babysitting Addy again, and now I have taken on another little girl to babysit. A typical day in the life of Samantha. Wake up get ready for Addy who could come anytime between 7:05 and 7:35. Get all four kids breakfast, changed, and do three little girls hair. Which for anyone who has girls knows it can be a real battle. Load all four of the kids in the car to go to preschool, all of which are in car seats. Drop PresLeigh off at school at 9:00 come home and unload the kids. Put Livie down for a nap, and try to keep Gavin and Addy out of trouble while doing any laundry I have or run any errands since this is the least amount of children I will have all day. Then I load the three up and pick PresLeigh and Sarah (the new little girl) up from preschool at 12:25. Unload the kids AGAIN, can I just tell you I am so sick of car seats!!! Get the five kids a healthy lunch I put that because I struggle with something that is fast yet also healthy. Any suggestions would be great. Then I let them play for a little, while I start putting them down for naps. First Livie, then Addy who HATES nap time but she sleeps for over two hours so I know she needs it, then Sarah who also HATES naps I don't always make her though she is six and working out of them. Gavin has down time where he gets tricked into taking a nap and PresLeigh usually takes this time to play the computer since she doesn't have a lot of opportunity to. This is my "Happy Time" I usually get dinner started and sit down for the first time of the day at like 2:30 and no one is crying or fighting or asking for a million things at once. Livie wakes up at 3:30 and I wake Sarah up cause her mom is there at 3:45. Addy and Gavin wake up shortly there after this is usually the time when I play referee because the kids have spent all day together and are totally over each other. This is why I make dinner well before dinner time, if I waited to make dinner during this time it would not be made. Also on Thursday's PresLeigh and Addy have dance from 4-4:45 which is more car seat time YEAHH!!! Addy's mom picks her up around 5:30 and I feed the kids and anxiously wait for Nate to come home. I really do enjoy being a stay at home and I couldn't babysit any other kids that would be more compatible with our family. There are times though that I wish I worked, or got to have a drive alone in the car without screaming kids. That is when heavenly father humbly reminds me that there are so many women who don't get to stay home, and my kids are only little once so love this time it will be gone before I know it.

Some Of The New House

2008-09-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

This is the new house.
This is behind the front door there is a built in bookcase.
This is a view from the front door looking into the dining room.

This is our front room. It's not finished but we have a good start.

A better picture of our dining room.

Our kitchen, I cant decide what I'm doing with it so it will be pretty plain til I figure it out.

The view from the kitchen.
Down the stairs
This is our downstairs family room. We have done the most work down here. The walls were white, it had an old gold ceiling fan, there were white sconces and the fireplace and grate were gold. The garage is finished so we will make that our toy room after this weekend when we have our garage sale to get rid of the junk in there. But the ugly love seat is going out there in the mean time its in the family room.

The upstairs is our next project. We have to paint all the kids rooms so hopefully I'll have those pictures on in the next couple weeks. We are loving the new place and so are the kids. I just realized I didn't post the backyard, which is a main reason why we love this house.

Gavin and Daddy BFF's!!

2008-09-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today everyone was super tired from the trip to Idaho. Nate being the amazing husband that he is let me sleep in. The downside to this is he was so exhausted Gavin and Nate fell asleep on the couch. It is amazing to me how much they can look alike.
After their naps we finally broke down and bought a lawnmower. We have two in our backyard that we can't get to work and we've been barrowing one from Nate's grandparents. Gavin is Nate's little shadow so he was helping daddy mow the lawn.
Gavin wasn't feeling close enough so he followed directly behind him.

Visiting Twin Falls, Idaho

2008-09-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Nate's grandma turned 82 and invited all the family to come up for her party. Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy were so kind to let us stay with them. They have five boys only three live with them but everyone was back and they let us stay. Our kids loved their boys so much.

This is the kids on Roberts back he is number four of the brothers. It makes me laugh because they thought it was so much fun to have him be their horse then if you look at the picture below they are using him for a couch to watch spongebob.

This is Brandon he is the third oldest and the kids seemed to think he was just the best. PresLeigh has a crush on him and wants to invite him to her birthday he lives in Ogden so we are really going to invite him.
This started out just being a picture of PresLeigh on Robert but if you look Brandon is holding Gavin upside down as well.
It didn't take Gavin to long to defeat the mighty Brandon!

Olivia loved this monster truck that they had she was constantly fighting with Gavin over it.

PresLeigh loves riding horses this is Uncle Mike's horse Freckles. He is a really good horse.

Gavin really liked the idea of riding a horse but when it came down to it he was pretty scared. I don't blame him though that is really high to a little kid. PresLeigh let him ride with her so he wouldn't be so scared.

Livie loved the idea of riding a horse to bad she was to little and only got to sit on it long enough to get this picture.

This was one of the waterfalls that make up Twin Falls it was so pretty.

This is Grandma Paula, Nates dad (Steves') mom. The kids really like her she is so much fun and she is just a funny lady.

Livie has a hard time with just about everybody but i needed a picture with Grandma.

Livie wouldn't be Livie if she didn't get hurt at sometime while we were there. She ran into the back door and totally hurt her forehead you can see that it is all raised white and red.

Poor Gavin we had so much fun but towards the end he got so tired so this is Gavin falling asleep on Daddy.

Livie's first black eye!! So Sad

2008-08-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last night the kids were playing outside and somehow Livie ran into our canopy. Her eyelid was bleeding and she was really sad. This morning I took a picture of her and she can hardly keep that eye open. I guess I should be glad that she made it to 15 months before her first black eye. That might be a record for the Cornia side of the family.

Work Party at the Zoo

2008-08-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Nate works for Tesoro Oil Refinery and for his work party they rented out the whole Hogle Zoo. The kids were so excited and it was a lot of fun because my brother Seth also works for the refinery as well (that's actually how Nate got the job).

This is the kids eating ice cream sandwiches.
This is Brock, Colie, Doran, and Seth aka Coco. We all went on the train together and they were behind us. Brock looks like such a stud with his dude rag on.
Livie as usual was fulfilling our families role of "fun-hater" she did not like the train at all.

I love this little boy so much he always thinks everything is so fun!!! He couldn't wait for the ride to start.

PresLeigh was super excited also because she was finally old enough to ride by herself.

Livie finally decided after the other kids had gone on the carousel this might be fun. She really liked it, it was so cute.

This is Doran and Gavin running around in the zoo. They were having fun running in front of all the rest of us.

After looking at most of the animals and riding the train and the carousel the kids played at the park. PresLeigh had been begging us the whole time to play at the park she might be the only kid who goes to the zoo and wants to play at the park. Livie really liked playing in the wood chips there.

Gavin's poor allergies

2008-08-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Gavin has some of the worst allergies I have ever seen on a kid. He can't breathe through his nose he is always sniffing his boogies up. So I finally called and got him in with an allergist. He had to be off of antihistimes for three days. This picture doesn't even give his eyes justice. His eyes were so swollen he didn't have eye lids.
This is his back the next day after his allergy test it is so sad to see him this way but I think we have a pretty good plan to get his allergies under control.

Family Fun Night!!

2008-08-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

The kids really like to eat outside in the new house. So PresLeigh pulled out the table and chairs Grandma Paula gave us instead of trying to eat on the patio furniture that is way to tall for them. It was really cute cause even Livie can sit on it.
Then after eating Nate and the two oldest were jumping on the trampoline. It didn't seem like the best idea they all had full tummies but they did it anyway.
My Ooollldddd husband proved to me that he is not as old as I say he is by doing flips with the kids. In order to get these pictures timed just right he had to do like four flips he was pretty done by the end. But go Natey you 29 year old stud!!!

Just goofing off with the kids.

More Picture's of Livie

2008-08-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Sarah took Jaxon to Kiddie Kandids for his one year pictures and since we have taken pictures of our other kids together we had to take there's. They look so cute together I love them both so much.

Since I was already there with Livie I took some more pictures of her and she was in a way better mood today than for Torie. I feel bad for Torie that has to be really hard to take pictures of kids when it's just not there day.
I love both of these pictures so much she looks so sweet and happy in them.

The Girls!

2008-08-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

PresLeigh is so beautiful, smart and she is pretty funny if I do say so myself. I look at these pictures and realize she is not my baby or my toddler she is a full blown girl.

Livie is almost impossible to get a picture of she is always moving hence the picture of her running away. I love it though her cute little legs.
Liv was totally devastated when I wouldn't let her take a picture with this Buzz Lightyear she found at Torie's house.
There is a girl in my ward who is in the process of starting her own photography business. She is very talented and super affordable I would recommend her for sure. She takes a lot of amazing outside pictures we will be using her in the Fall for our family picture, PresLeigh's 5 year, Gavin's 3 year and Livie's 18 month. Amazingly they are all within a month of each other so we will have a big photo shoot in the middle of October. Her Blog is www.toriejanephotography.blogspot.com .

Life lessons from Grandma

2008-08-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

My parents have always taught us to work really hard for what we want. As kids we always had family jobs like cleaning movie theaters or Doctors offices, paper routes you get the idea. They always tried to make them fun for us. So leave it to my mom to make shucking corn seem fun. The kids loved helping and in the end they got to eat it.

Livie is our family's fun-hater she was not having any part of it and was showing so by folding her arms in disgust.

PresLeigh and Gavin worked together to get the job done. They didn't fight over which job was whose and it was a great lesson in team work. For anyone who has seen these two interact they always have to have what the other one has. I was a proud mom and daughter seeing my mom and kids working together. It was such a little task but what an awesome memory for my kids of my mom. I love all of my family so much!!

My Babies are growing up.

2008-08-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Gavin's normal getting out of the bath routine consists of me wrapping him up like a baby, carrying him down the stairs and snuggling until he's warm. A week ago as I started his usually baby wrapping he said "No, I big like my dad" He insisted that I wrap the towel around his waist like his dad. I was so sad he is growing up and I'm so not ready for that.
Since I was taking a picture of Gavin, Livie decided to get in on the picture taking. I love this little girl.

Livie apparently wasn't done eating lunch. I took her out and was getting ready to clean her tray when I came back with a rag she had climbed back up in her highchair. I wish I would of seen her doing it those pictures would be better. But here are the afters of her climbing in.
Gavin loves his cousin Brock so much he always has. So when Brock was sitting with Gramdma Gavin needed to as well. I took a picture because Gavin is holding Brocks hand.

The Twins!!

2008-08-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

The pictures on the top are of Doran my nephew and his little brother Brock. The pictures on the bottom are of Gavin and Gavin thinks he is Doran in most pictures. The second picture from the top i took off of Seth and Coleys blog Gavin saw this picture and immediatly said "mom that me thats me with Brock". So I'll let you all be the judge of how much they look alike.

Girls Night Out for Breaking Dawn!!!

2008-08-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Well as everyone knows Breaking Dawn the fourth book to the Twilight series came out on Saturday, August 2nd. Sarah, Coley (my sister in law), Jenn (her sister), Kristine (there cousin), and I all waited in line to get a book at Barnes and Nobles.

This is us Jenn, Coley, Kristine, and Sarah at Coldstone around 8:45ish p.m. We got a quick snack and then off to wait in line for three hours.
This is Coley, Sarah and I the first in line for section D.

We all were wearing awesome I Love Edward or something of that nature shirts.
This is the line in front of us its hard to see but it was packed with people.

This was the lane in back of us it went all the way to the Outback.

Finally we all got our books around 12:15 and we were ready to read. It was so much fun and we have all read our books. I think I was the last to finish I got streap throat on Saturday and couldn't focus on the pages all I did was sleep til today. But I'm finished and let me tell you it was the best book yet I think.

Just a Thought

2008-07-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last night Sarah called me and said that one of Coley's distant relatives had a baby that was born with a ton of complications and was not suppose to live at all. Well he showed them and he lived til he was four months old. I'm not sure exactly the order of events but he came home and was doing so well they took him off of his oxygen. This is were it gets fuzzy I heard the story fourth hand, something happened and he went down hill very fast and they basically told his parents they needed to say goodbye that he wasn't going to make it. He died last night at about eleven o'clock I can't even imagine the pain that his parents are going through right now. In that same phone conversation Sarah said that one of her friends was talking to a women who had a five year old that had battled cancer her whole five years of life. They had to amputate a portion of the little girls leg and then finally amputated it all. The little girl was so excited it was over she was going to get her new leg and her life could begin. They tested her leg and apparently it was not free of cancer she had been treated with every treatment they could and her body wasn't responding to anything. The doctor told her mother that she had two days to live. That poor mother said she didn't have the heart to tell her daughter that she is going to die and very soon she is just going to enjoy what little time she has left. So while I was putting PresLeigh to bed she said mom my legs hurt could you rub them. My heart just dropped it made me think of that mom and that sweet little girl. We can't take our healthy children for granted so many of us have healthy kids and it's not til you here stories like this that you realize how blessed we really are. We had our hard times with Olivia but I would rather have a month in the NICU than not know what the future holds for her little life. That must be so devistating for a parent who has so many hopes and dreams for there little baby and to know that there life was cut so short. It was a very humbling phone call last night and I am so grateful for the perspective it brought. Keep these sweet families in your prayers.

Babies in the tub

2008-07-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

After the Gateway we went back to Sarah's house in Tooele to hang out. Sarah started giving Jaxon a bath and Livie was not taking no for an answer she just started climbing in the tub. So just because I think these might be the cutest babies ever I'm posting these pictures. I can't wait for these two to get older I think they will be little partners in crime.

The Gateway

2008-07-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

My best friend Kristin sent her son Anthony to stay with Sarah and us for a week kinda of a little vacation for him, he is almost sixteen so I'm not sure how much fun he is having with six little kids running around. He is such a good kid though and the kids are so excited that he is here. We took him to the Gateway for some school shopping and just to get him out of the house. So naturally we would have to play in the water. The little boys were the only ones who would play in it I told PresLeigh I would buy here something new to wear since we forgot swimsuits. She said she wanted a new outfit but she wasn't going to play in the water thats PresLeigh for you always negotiating to get new clothes. Anyway the boys were so cute Gavin got water up his nose hence the picture where he's screaming. But then he was going to take that water down which is why he has his mean face on and his fists ready. I love Sarah's boys so much and so does Gavin he loves having "brothers" around.

The Livie Monster!!

2008-07-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Olivia kills me she is so petite and girly looking but this little one loves dirt. She got in the mud in our backyard and was covered in it I'm pretty sure she was eating it to since it is on her mouth GROSS!! But she managed to attack daddy while he was spraying some wasp nests. Daddy yelled really loud and was freaking out he thought it was wasps. I have to say though before I knew why he was so freaked it was pretty funny to watch him scream about a little mud on his toes. After that Liv thought it was great so she was trying to get everyone. That little stinker.

Sunbeam Teachers

2008-07-25T11:24:00.001-07:00

We moved into our new house Saturday, July 12th. The bishopric came to our house Sunday, July 13th to welcome us into the ward and ask us if we would be willing to teach sunbeams. We accepted the calling thinking it must be an inspired calling or you must need us that badly to ask us the next day after we moved. Well the good news didn't stop there our sunbeam class has this months sharing time and they told me yesterday. So naturally I am freaking out because that is what I do best under stressful times. We don't know the kids yet, we have sharing time in two days, grandkid pictures tomorrow, and a picinic up the canyon... AAAAGH. But through it all I have managed to find peace long enough to research our lesson and sharing time and they are such great lessons. I am so excited and the best part is I can keep the extra handouts and have an awesome family home evening. This really is an inspired calling and we are going to grow so much as a family because of it. So thank you bishopric and Primary presidency for not holding back on giving us a calling.

Mommy's Little Flowers!!

2008-07-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

Gavin and Olivia love being outside and getting into mischief, today was no exception. They started out just playing with the dirt in the flower pots and that was fine. The next thing I know Livie is climbing into the pot of dirt. I didn't really care they were both already covered in so much dirt. I just love this last picture of Liv looking at me like "What I'm getting out, I'm a sweet girl mommy".

Gavin Can Ride A Bike!!

2008-07-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Gavin learned how to ride his bike about a month ago I just finally took some pictures. He is so proud of himself he is always saying "Mom me doing it, me doing it!" His bike was broken and we didn't realize it until Addy the little girl I babysit couldn't ride it and she knows how to ride a bike. He had been trying to ride it for over a month and finally Nate switch tires off of PresLeigh's old bike (that's why the back tire is pink). He never gave up even after a month of trying I was so proud of him I would of totally given up if I was him. The next day after Nate fixed it Gavin was riding around, I felt so bad for him I'm sure he would of been riding it a lot sooner.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!!

2008-07-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

So it is so crazy to me that Nate and I have only been married for two years. We were talking and it feels so much longer. I guess its because in two years Nate took on two kids, we got pregnant, bought a townhouse, I was really sick the whole pregnancy, Livie had gastrochesis and was in the NICU for a month, we got sealed, Nate got a new job working in Salt lake, I had a few health problems along the way, we bought another house, sold our townhouse, and now we're having our two year anniversary. It's so crazy!! I also can't believe how goofy in love I am still I thought for sure that would have worn off by now but we are both just as crazy about each other two years later. I definitely wouldn't say that I believe in soul mates but Nate is 100% my soul mate. He completes me as cheesy as that sounds I can't imagine a more perfect husband, father, priesthood holder, and patriarch. Heavenly Father must really love me to send me this amazing companion to spend the rest of eternity with and three of the most beautiful children to enrich my life as well as Nate's. I guess it feels like so much longer than two years because somehow Heavenly Father managed to bless our lives so much in such a short amount of time, we definitely had our share of trials but the blessing we received in the process we so much greater. I love you Nate your PERFECT!!

We sold the Motorcycle!!

2008-07-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

After having the bike sit in the garage for most of the last two years we decided it was probably time to get rid of it. We bought my parents house and could definitly use the motorcycle payment going to the house. Our neighbor in the townhouses bought it from us the day we finally decided that we really wanted to sell it. Here are a few pics with Gavin, PresLeigh, and Jaxon on the bike.

Olivia's First Birthday

2008-07-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Olivia's birthday was May 22nd. We had a joint Daddy Olivia party since Nate's Birthday is May 31st. Olivia was so girly with the cake at first she was only touching the icing she wouldn't eat any of the cake. But by the end she was into the whole piece. Olivia is such a sweet little girl in the last few months she has really changed from a very difficult child to a very fun loving baby. Nate and I have really enjoyed the change in her.

PresLeigh had a BUSY May!!

2008-07-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

PresLeigh went to Texas with Sarah and Grandpa to see Uncle Zach and Aunt Niki. This is a picture of her before she got on the airplane. This was the first time she had gone on an airplane she was so excited but a little nervous. Then she had her Gymnastics Meet where she did really awesome. After summer break they are putting her in with the six to seven year olds because she is doing so well. Yeah Pres!! Gavin was in the meet to but he was not as cooperative. Finally PresLeigh had her preschool graduation. Of course my camera died before I got any real good shots of her. This picture of the kids singing to there parents before they got their diploma's. She is in Cheer Camp for the summer so I'll post some pics of that when I take some. She is so excited about life and at four years old she is really making a lot of it.

My Little Batmans!!

2008-07-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Jaxon, Olivia, Gavin, and Tyson decided they all wanted a turn wearing the batman mask. I can't decide who looks the best but, I'm thinking Jaxon might be the next Batman!

I'M SORRY

2008-07-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, So I know I am the biggest loser at this whole blog thing. But we bought my parents house in Lehi and just finally moved in. We have the internet at our house so I can update this a lot more. In a nutshell our lives in the last few months. PresLeigh and Gavin finished out there gymnastics with a meet at the end of May. PresLeigh had a preschool graduation even though she still has one more year of preschool. Olivia tured the big ONE. We finished the basement in our townhouse before my parents bought it, in less than two months. That last one was really HARD to pull off!!! We bought there house in June. Sarah and Scott moved to Tooele so we helped them paint and move the weekend before we made the big house switch between my parents and us. I am also watching Scott's old mission companions daughter through the end of May 2009. She is three and so much fun her name is Addy and she will probably be in a lot of the pictures I post. We have had so much going on this summer, but I promise I will stop being so lame and post more pictures.

Spring is Here!!

2008-04-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

The kids did awesome taking there spring pictures. It's so much fun having such photogenic children. It was funny, Livie smiled the easiest out of all of them and she is definitely our most difficult child to keep still.

Olivia Sarah at 9 months

2008-04-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Olivia is our little firecracker. She is not only a baby but the baby of our family and she lets you know it. There is no guess work involved with Livie she lets you know what she wants when she wants it.

Gavin James 2nd Birthday

2008-04-17T12:07:00.006-07:00

Gavin is such a sweet loving little boy. He is so funny. We went to the circus about 2 months ago and his absoulte favorite thing was the elephant pooping! So that is all he talks about. He also loves chewing gum and candy.

PresLeigh Michelle 4 Years old

2008-04-17T12:07:00.005-07:00

These are PresLeigh's pictures from her 4th birthday. She did such a good job at keeping her baby sister happy. Pres loves preschool and she is learning so much. She can write her name and will write anything that you spell for her. She is my best helper and she is turning into the biggest daddy's girl.

Our Family

2008-04-17T12:07:00.002-07:00

This picture is from Christmas. It was very interesting trying to keep all of the kids happy. Nate says its going to be a while till we take another one.