200th post!

Wow...I can't believe that I've actually posted 200 posts! Crazy! I thought it would be fun (at least for me) to look back on the happenings of our family since I started the blog. I originally started it in July 2007 to announce that we were expecting a baby. Here's a look at some exciting, memorable and funny things that have happened....

August 2007 - Disneyland!!! We need to go again

August 2007 - Chloe started Kindergarten...wow, has it been that long ago? Of course we went to Leatherby's to celebrate!

September 2007 - Enduring crazy weather at the BYU games

October 2007 - Spirit week. Chloe got TOTALLY into dressing up. This is wear red day.

October 2007 - Who can forget the reaction to telling the kids we were having a girl!

Thanksgiving 2007 - LOVED this family picture and it was SO easy. We only took a couple pictures just for fun, but it ended up being the Christmas card picture (with the date photoshopped out!)

December 2007 - Surprise baby shower in California for me! I had no idea people were coming over for that and got to see my friend Andrea who I hadn't seen in a long time!

February 2008 - Caleb's first cavity. He thought the Clown nose (aka nitrus oxide) and shades were pretty cool!

March 2008 - Grammy came to visit and help with Claire, and we got to have her here for her birthday!

March 5, 2008 - We were blessed with our sweet little Claire

April 2007 - Allyson, Tim and kids came to visit...sledding was SO fun!!

May 31, 2008 - We got a new little cousin/niece Cassidy Ann Jones. Lindsey waited for us to get there to have her...only she waited til the day of Chloe's bday party!

May 2008 - Claire, Me and Grams

May 2008 - Caleb found a marker in the car and drew on his face right before we were going into TGIFridays!

Mother's Day 2008 - Hand made beautiful jewelry!

June 2008 - Playing in the pool with Daddy....maybe it will get warm again!

July 2008 - Chloe decided to put her own makeup on!

October 2008 - We lost our sweet Grams. I loved how much the kids brightened her up!

Claire's first Christmas 2008

November 2008 - My first gray hair....AHHHH!

January 2009 - My family COMPLETELY surprised me on my birthday

"I got a cold and I don't feel good!"


"I really don't feel good!"

"Would you stop taking my picture already?"

"Look at my cool snot bubble!"

"Did my mom really take a picture of that to put on her blog? Weirdo!"

**Change in jammies due to the fact that I tossed my cookies, or should I say mandarin oranges, all over me and my mom!

Don't you LOVE details?

Why Jason??

Why is Megan still here??? Thanks for getting rid of Erica, but why did you keep her?????

SURPRISE!!!

My birthday was on Friday and I got the best surprise present ever! Watch....

My mom, two of my sisters and their kids came! I was seriously shocked (which explains why I'm dressed like a total dirtball). It took me a second to comprehend when I opened the door, it was kind of a weird feeling! They drove all the way from Sacramento on Wed/Thursday and knocked on my door early afternoon on Thursday! I was so happy and excited that I cried...and I am so not a cryer (sp?)!! We had a really fun weekend and they just left this morning. :(

Luckily I had cleaned bathrooms that morning and vacuumed the night before so my house wasn't a totally disaster or something! It was crazy with all the kids running around, but I love that! My mom cooked YUMMY dinners for us, and went grocery shopping, and stopped at RC Willey on the way to my house and bought my kids new mattresses (they really needed them) and they were delivered that night!!

Thanks for coming and making my birthday the best guys!!! It was so fun! You are welcome to come "invade" my house ANYTIME!!!! (whether I know you're coming or not!) I haven't been surprised like that in a LONG time! I think the only surprise that could have been better was if you guys were the Publisher's Clearing House....oh well!! :)

We had a LOT of fun so there are a LOT of pictures! Chloe and Avery in their matching shades (thanks Grammy)

Making my tasty birthday cake!

The best part about helping...like mother like son!!!
My little decorators!

The final product...didn't they do an AWESOME job. Caleb made a "mountain" made of chocolate frosting on it, and if you look closely, Chloe wrote "let it snow" and Avery made some lovely pink dots and the credit for the beautiful decorative edges goes to Grammy!

We went to Red Robin for my birthday dinner at the mall. The wait was an hour long, so we walked around the mall with the kids and I led a game of Follow the Leader. This picture was after the game waiting for Grammy and Allyson to come out of Bath and Body Works!

Me and all my 29 candles
Ninnie (my sister Lindsey), Grammy and the kids decorated with streamers and balloons. They made this spot special for me to sit in under the balloons!

Jeff's family came over for cake and ice cream!

Uncle Jared, Aunt Kay, Claire, Grandpa and Jeff


Allyson, Grammy and Jeff having WAY too much fun dishing up cake and ice cream!

Ninnie, Cassidy and Grandma

Me and my new Wii Fit! I'm excited to use it! Good job Jeff for calling around forever to find someone with it in stock!

Claire (10 months) and Cassidy (7 1/2 months)

Cassidy is a little taller and a few pounds heavier! She has the cutest belly ever (I wish mine was that cute!!)

Rest time

Top to bottom: Abbie, Chloe, Avery, Mason, Caleb

Cassidy LOVING the snow!

The kids were so cute making Snow Angels

Mason

Me, Allyson, Mom, Lindsey


We left Jeff home with the kids on Saturday for a few hours so we could go out to lunch and shop! (Thanks Jeff...you're awesome!) While we were gone Claire fell asleep in her ladybug!

And lucky for him, Abbie, Mason and Caleb fell asleep too!

All the kids before they left this morning.....

....except grumpy Mason who wouldn't get in the picture! But he's pretty cute when he's grumpy!

Abbie, Avery and Chloe in their matching gray suits!

THANKS AGAIN FOR AN AMAZING BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

I know I'm biased.....

but she's got to be one of the cutest little dancers. She's learned some new moves instead of just bouncing....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I noticed last night that there are new Backyardigans episodes on all week, for those of you who love it. It's Claire's favorite, so she always dances to their songs!

10 months old!

As of Monday, Claire is only 2 months away from being ONE! She's still just scooting, I wonder if she'll ever really crawl. She is starting to copy us. If I make a sound like, "dah", she'll do it back and we go on and on. She clapped for the first time yesterday and will occasionally do it when I say "YEAH" in a really cheesy baby voice. She is starting to have more of an opinion, for lack of a better word. She cares more about what she's doing or where she is. She's more vocal if she doesn't like something.

In case you're wondering....

...what it looks like at our house. Here you go!

BACKYARD...

FRONT YARD....

Yeah, that's our street that is totally white and covered in deep snow. It takes FOREVER, if it ever happens, for our street to get plowed because it's small and not busy (which is worth it, I love living on a quiet street)....usually the snow gets packed down and it gets icy.

9 month pictures

Claire.....

Caleb....

Chloe (she is actually a little over 10 months in this picture)...

Happy New Year!!!

Wow, 2009. It seems like Y2K was yesterday (or today...hahaha!). $1.29 at Target...great investment. We had a lot of fun playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey!
Caleb showing the bonk on his head. When he was trying to pin the tail he ran right into the corner of the wall....luckily he thought it was funny and just laughed!

Claire stayed up WAY past her bedtime (until around 10) and was SO ready for bed!


me and my sweet little claire!

My favorite thing!

More pin the tail on the Donkey....it came with 16 tails so we played more than once!