UGLY Christmas Sweater Party

Last weekend was our monthly UFC fight night, but we decided to spice it up a bit and FORCE everyone to wear their ugliest Christmas sweater. It was a HOOT!!

I think my husband was absolutely adorable in his Reindeer Christmas Cardigan!
Toni, Kim and I
Oh McLain... So funny! And yes, that is a pearl necklace!
Patrece's "kitty" sweater says "World's Best Mom".... too much!
Steph, Steph, Misty & Kimmy... (Misty's dress was her dance company outfit she wore in high school!)

We also did white elephant gifts, most of which I can't comment on. :) It was a great night, and I'm sure it will turn in to a yearly tradition!!

Happy Halloween!

It's been a while since I've blogged... AGAIN. I don't know what my problem is, but here's a post. This is what my cute boys looked like before they left for school this morning...
Hugh & Elmo. What a great pair huh!

If anyone thinks they've seen this Elmo costume before, it's because you have! Wyatt wore it last year. I thought it was dead and gone, but no. Hayden wanted to rock it out this year. Mike said he didn't get it when Wyatt wore it last year and he still doesn't get it this year. Oh well, they think it's funny. And the good part is that no one has the same costume...

This one might be a little iffy, but we thought it was funny. Come on... Hugh has a good heart right?...

Verizon Wireless Keith Urban

Verizon Wireless Keith Urban

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Don't Miss This Y'all!!!

oh man.

me. and this man. tonight.

Lake Powell 09

We just got back from Lake Powell, and it was dreamy. I had such a great time with my buddies for my bday. Patrece made me a pumpkin roll (my FAVE) and we got to eat it every morning for breakfast. I loved every minute, and really have great friends!

Me and Kim at "The Beav"!!

wicked

I'm sure everyone posted their Wicked pics a couple months ago...  I know I'm behind, but I don't care. I scored that week. My neighbor Jodi got tickets for our whole neighborhood the year before, and then my mother-in-law also got tickets. So that meant I went 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW! It was so fun. The pictures are not in order.... the first night was with my girlfriends and the second night was with Mike, Hayden and Lori. The show was so much more than I expected it to be.


Karen and I at dinner before

Steph, Patrece, me and Kim

Ron Tello from Montello...

For Mother's Day weekend, a bunch of us went on a Harley ride to visit Cory's mom in Montello, NV. (close to Wendover).... She owns a bar/cafe. I'm pretty sure there's less than 100 total people that live in that town. They're all really nice and friendly... that's all I have to say about that. The next 2 pics will you give you an idea of what I'm talking about. :)

Is this the biggest Monster can you've ever seen?! And the dude behind us... WTF?!

This guy's name was Ron Tello from Montello.... YUP.

Me and Mikey. Love that boy.

Lagoon

Last Thursday I decided to take the boys to Lagoon. I didn't even invite Mike to come because he hates it there so bad.... (probably an after affect of growing up in Bountiful). Instead I decided to invite some of my girlfriends and their kids.  To say the least, there were A LOT OF KIDS! It could have been a nightmare, but turned out really fun. It's nice to have older kids with cell phones. We floated in the lazy river for a couple hours while they rode the crazy rides. I then did something that is so not like me.... I "BOUNCED BACK" 3 days later! I was really glad we did it after all was said and done, but 2 trips in a summer is enough for me!

Wyatt just got braces last week, so I had all the teenagers show off their metal mouth smiles. So cute!
All these kids on Thursday... and they got along great! AMAZING.
The mom's right after our trip in the lazy river. Quite relaxing, except for the other bazillion people there. I just took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that about 50 people were probably peeing right next to me at all times. Oh well, I lived. And had a bunch of fun in the mean time. Yay for summer!

Has it really been 8 months?!

I can't believe I haven't blogged in 8 months. How sad. My computer was a big piece of crap and was totally full, so I couldn't download my photos. That's what started it anyway. My life has had some highs and lows during the last year and I think that's the other reason I stayed away. Anyway... I miss it. It's fun to look back on old memories. I'm gonna post old photos and new ones here and there. The above is of my sweet sister's new baby, McKai. He is an angel. I adore him so much. He had a scary couple of days in the hospital, but all is well now.

A big part of our spring and summer has been spent on the boat. The boys love to wakeboard so much and it's such a great thing to do as a family.  We went to a wakeboard competition a few weeks ago and Wyatt took first place in his division. I was such a proud mama! Hayden did well too, but biffed it a couple times. He has another one coming up this weekend that he's practicing up for. Hope he gets in a good run!

I love and adore my family, and am so glad I'm where I'm at in my life. Hopefully I'll be back to post again soon... :)

Mike's Mom's Christmas Card

After 15 years, we finally took a family picture of Mike's side of the family. We did it in his mom's backyard on Thanksgiving. Not too bad considering no one was behind the camera. This is the card Lori ordered, so I thought I'd show it off.

I saw the movie!!!

The coolest thing happened last night! My cousin owns a movie theater and invited us to come and watch a pre-screaning of the Twilight movie. She had called mine and Misty's husbands and said to surprise us. So Mike said a couple days ago to not plan anything for Wednesday because he and Todd were taking Misty and I to dinner. I thought... huh... in the middle of the week, on a school night? But I went with it. To our surprise, they were driving us an hour and a half away to see the movie a day early! I really couldn't believe it!

Anyway, it was a great night and I appreciate Molly so much for being so thoughtful and letting us come spend this cool night with her!

****To all that are wondering what I thought.... I figured I wouldn't say anything positive or negative about the movie. That way you all can just see for yourself tonight. Don't worry, I'll chime in with the rest of you tomorrow! :****

Can't Wait!

Tonight I get to go to the T.I. concert... and I can't wait! My brother got his wife, Tiffany and me tickets! (Mine is a belated b-day gift) Isn't he awesome?!

Well have a great weekend and remember.... YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU LIKE....

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

Books. I am shocked and appalled at myself for not enjoying books more through my life until now. One of my favorite things is to curl up on the couch with a comfy blanket (after the boys go to bed) and just read. It lets me go somewhere else that has nothing to do with the worries and stress in my life. And who doesn't love that?!

My dishwasher. I love it when I put dishes in that I should have rinsed better, and they still come out shiny and spotless.

Lowered gas prices. I obviously don't need to explain this one. It speaks for it's self!

My Kitchen Aid mixer. It does the coolest stuff and makes everything turn out fabulous!

My husband and boys. They are the greatest things in my life. No matter what else is going on (good or bad), I can count on them to always support and love me. I am truly blessed to have them in my life!

More Halloween pics...

Just thought I'd post a few more Halloween pics from Halloween night. Mike had a great time scaring the crap out of little kids that came to the door, so that was good.... And, Hayden got to hang out with all his buddies and got tons of candy (that he gave all away). Wyatt was too cool and we didn't see him all night long. :(
Of course they had to come straight home and compare how much loot they got

Harlee, Gavin, Hayden and Alec
Funny, funny Hayden

Go Spartans!

My husband, Mike was the photographer for our 7th grade team, because there weren't any professional pics scheduled. I think considering the rush, they turned out really good. And, I know I'm totally biased, but I think my son is so dang cute! :)

Thankful Thursday

i am thankful october is over.

Great Big Sea

Mike and I, and Todd and Misty all went to see a Newfoundland band - Great Big Sea a couple weekends ago. It was so much fun! I always love to take part in anything that has to do with my "Newfie" roots. They came to Salt Lake, so we had to go!

We sat on the 4th row and lucky for us, this guys was sitting right in front of us. We couldn't tell for sure if that was his butt crack because it was kind of dark, so Misty decided to take a picture - with flash - to see for sure. Quite attractive wouldn't you say?
Me and my sis... and we actually look like we're related in this!
Misty, me, Todd and Mike. Yeah, yeah, we're not sitting by our spouses. Misty and I wanted to sit by each other. What's wrong with that??? :)

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

I want to wish my mom a very happy birthday today! She's a saint. She's been there for me through thick and thin, and I appreciate all she does for me and my family! She's also an amazing grandma. I love her so much and hope she has a really great day!

Misty hosted a birthday party for her on Sunday. It was a lot of fun. Nadine made her favorite german chocolate cake.

Wyatt and Bryan with their grandma. Both taller than her now... crazy!
Hayden and Brady, actin' cool and texting. Whatev.....
Me and my mommy....
Nadine and Taliece. Sorry Nadine, I had to put it on here. I think it's a good one. :)

SYTYCD TOUR

I know this was quite a while back, but I thought I'd post some pics. This night was such a blast for Mike and I. (and Patrece and Cory). Mike got tickets for me for my birthday. We were on the 9th row! It was so fun to see them all up close. I didn't get a lot of really great pics because I was mostly video taping the whole time. Oh well... you get the jist. And if you can't tell, that's Gev in the dress. He was the highlight of the show. He was putting on all kinds of crazy costumes just to be on stage with Courtney. It was hilarious!

Also, Angie left me a comment encourging all women to get out and vote tomorrow, and I'm with her! Let's show a little GIRL POWER! VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween. We had a good laugh at Wyatt this morning. Yesterday we went looking for a red silk robe for him because he wanted to be Hugh Hefner. Not sure if that was the best idea, but I thought it would be funny. Well, no one had anything remotely close to what we needed. Our last stop was Target. Of course all the costumes were totally picked over, but Wyatt saw a 3T - 4T Elmo costume that he thought would be funny. We laughed so hard when he put it on that we had to get it. Then we found a mini Elmo that talks, so naturally we got a leash and tied it around his waist. He'll definitely be original! Hayden had his costume planned out a month ago. It was fun painting his face this morning. He looked really good!

Also, I was Boo-ed by that sweetie pie Tanja... Thanks for thinking of me and Happy Halloween to you too! :)

Happy Birthday Hayden!!!

Happy Birthday to my little "Munch Mouth". I love you so much and hope you have the best birthday ever! You're such a cute and funny kid and everyone loves to be around you. 10 years old is a big one, so live it up buddy! Have a great day... Love, Yo Mama!

Thankful Thursday

First of all... thanks to Mindi for the new Thankful Thursday pic. I had to steal it.

Ok, here's the deal. I just want to say thanks to all those that wrote to me and wondered what had happened to me in the blogging world. It was nice to feel missed and I heart you all! I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I got completely overwhelmed with life and when I even thought about my blog I would get stressed. So, I figured that meant it was time to take a break. What I've come to figure out is that I love blogging and I love all my blogging friends. So, I'm back. Probably not as "back" as I used to be, but I'm gonna do what works. So again, I just want to say thanks and hopefully new posts are coming soon. :)

Happy Birthday Wyatt!!!

To my sweetest little boy... not so little anymore I'm afraid. I wish you the best 13th birthday ever! You are the light of my life. I love you so much, and love the young man you've become. You never cease to amaze me. I'm proud and honored to be your mom. Luv u.

It's all about Hayden...

Last night was the fall festival at Hayden's elementary school. I told him we could go for a while before he had to go to football practice. Luckily his buddy and neighbor, Troy was there to hang out with. It was a mad house... I'm not gonna lie. I think the line for tickets was about 45 min. long, but the kids had fun and we were able to help out the school.



I finally remembered my camera last Saturday for Hayden's game. He's #25. What a stud!
Some cool guy was awesome enough to show up at their game with a Hummer for the boys to take a picture in. I think all the other teams were JEALOUS! (Hayden is the driver)

Guess where I get to go tonight....

And I can't wait! I'll for sure bring my camera this time!...

Happy 60th Dad!!

My dad is truly one in a million, and I come to realize this more and more the older I get. I look up to him more that any other man I know. He has been such a great example to me my entire life, and has always been supportive in everything I've done... whether he thought it was the best decision or not I'm sure. He sacrificed many things in his life to make a better one for me. I'm so happy to call him my dad and I hope he has a great 60th birthday! (dang Dad... you're gettin' old) :) Love you always!

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done Thankful Thursday for a while, so I thought I'd get on it...

Today I'm thankful for...

1. My Dad. Tomorrow is his 60th birthday. I'll be doing a special post for him.

2. Las Vegas. I love it so much there! I didn't bring my camera with me to the concert, but I'm trying to get photos from our friends. We had a riot!

3. BYU Football. We are obsessed fans! We get season tickets every year with my dad, brother and sister-in-law. It's been a great tradition for us and I'm sure we'll carry it on for years to come.

4. Cafe Rio. I got to eat there twice this week. Lucky me!

5. Autumn. I can feel it in the air and I love it!

CRAP!

I really don't know what my problem has been lately, except for the fact that I've been out of my mind busy! With school, sports and birthdays... my days are full. So for now I'll give you a taste of the bday party we had for my buddy Patrece on Saturday night. All our favorite friends were there. It was a ton of fun! 

I'm off to see Billy Idol at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel this weekend, so I'll try to get some good pics of that.

I will try to rededicate myself to blogging next week. Promise. :)

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for all the nice comments and sweet gifts I got for my bday! You all were so nice to me and I love you all so much! I especially want to thank my blogging BFF Mindi. I went out to my mailbox on my birthday expecting nothing but bills, and I'll be danged... she flippin' sent me a gift in the mail! It was the cutest Halloween decoration that I LOVE so much and the initial "H"... for my name of course. So I have to publicly thank her for completely making my day by being so thoughtful! You rock Mindi, and I'm so glad I met you! :)

Oh and sorry I've been out of the blogging world lately. We went out of town and I've been freakin' out of my mind busy since I got home. I'll be back to commenting on all your sweet blogs just as soon as I can find my "marbles".

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that my boys are healthy and strong. With everything that happened the past week in our neighborhood, it makes you reflect on all your blessings. My family is so important to me and I'm so grateful that they are able to experience life to the fullest! It's a great day to be thankful!

Wyatt's First Football Game

Wyatt played his first football game last night. They unfortunately lost, but sure played with a lot of heart! Wyatt made the "A" team this year and is the starting wide receiver and corner back on the team. He is such a hard worker and I'm such a proud mom... can you tell?

Grandma, Grandpa, Todd, Misty & Tristan came to see Wyatt and his cousin, Bryan play. Tristan dressed in his green jammies to support the team.
Wyatt & his cousin Bryan. It's so cool that they get to play on the same team.
Wyatt with his dad (coach) :)

Football Camp MVP

This was back in June, but my friend just gave me the pics so I thought I'd post them. Wyatt went to the BYU football camp this summer for a week. It's such a great experience for him. During the days it's all football. The coaches really work them hard! But at night they get to do all kinds of fun activities! They stay in the dorms, and they have camp counselors that are really awesome. He did a talent/ice cream party, a movie/pizza party and they took them to Seven Peaks on the last day. The coolest part though is that my little stud got the MVP of defense award! He really works hard and LOVES football! He also won the award last year! Pretty cool if you ask me!
This is Wyatt and his buddy Dallin. They had a great time together!

Finally my BFF started a blog!

So, my best friend and next door neighbor, PATRECE started a blog in my honor just for my birthday today! She is such a doll and I just don't know what I would ever do without her! Please visit her blog now and link her ASAP! :)

This picture is of she and I at the Journey concert this summer. We rode the Harley's there, so we had to wear bandanas on our heads the whole night. It was ok though... considering the fans that were there. We fit right in!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is the day I've been waiting for..... to finally turn 25!.... Oh wait, you don't think I look my age? Well I took this picture so early this morning. Don't hold it against me... just let me have my moment.

Ok, Ok, maybe I'm a tad over 25... WHATEVER!

Little Cooper's Blog

There has been a blog created to remember Cooper Mardesich. Please go HERE to read about this sweet little boy. There also has been a donation account set up for his family.

Please pray for the Mardesich Family

This morning my son was on the bus that witnessed the little 4 year old boy, Cooper Mardesich get hit by the above blue minivan. He later died at Primary Children's Hospital. The Mardesich family has been such a great part of the Saratoga Springs community and my heart goes out to them. I really can't imagine what they must be going through right now. Please keep them in your prayers.

If you would like to see the KSL report on this incident, please click HERE.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful....

1. That I get to get my hair done tomorrow. I'm a girl that gets her hair cut and colored every 4 weeks. I just looked at my calendar, and the last time was June 28th! No wonder I'm feeling like crap!

2. For clean clothes. I'm super picky about how my laundry is done, and the detergent and softner I use. I love good smelling, freshly cleaned clothing... what can I say?

3. For the public school bus system. It really would suck if I had to drive my kids to school every morning!

4. For the Olympics! I've been exhausted because I've been staying up so late watching them, but it's addicting. I love to watch the good ole' USA do awesome against the rest of the world!

5. For salmon. We eat it at least once or twice a week. It's so yummy and good for you and the boys love it too.... so that's a bonus!

Zach's Bday

Last week was my nephew, Zach's birthday. He turned 20, which is crazy because he was 4 years old when Mike and I got married! Man I'm old! Anyway it was a fun day at Lori's house. Of course, she had the best food ever and tons of it. So, we just hung out and ate and laughed a lot.

This picture is of me and Zach's girlfriend, Jessica. I showed up and low and behold... we were both wearing the same t-shirt. I guess great minds think alike!
Wyatt, Mike, Zach, Jessica, Hayden and Grandma (Lori) just chillin' in the family room.

Zach, blowing out his 20 candles.
Zach and Jessica. Aren't they darling?!

Neighborhood Girls Night Out

Went out with all my neighborhood gal pals a few nights ago for the "August birthdays". Chili's didn't know what to do when they saw us comin'...

Another KILLER Giveaway!

MISTY is giving away free Scentsy stuff. Go to her blog now and enter to win!!!

Saturday with the Fam @ Raging Waters

We went for a family outing to Raging Waters this past Saturday. This is the slide that everyone went on but me, including my DAD & MOM! They are so cool. I couldn't believe my mom did it especially. She's turned in to quite the dare devil!
Hayden, Wyatt and Mike waiting in line to go on the "scary slide".
The kids thought it would be funny if they stacked all the tubes and put Tristan inside. Tristan obviously thought it was a great idea too.

Our little spot on the grass to chill and EAT.


All in all it was a great day. The kids had a great time and the adults got to play and relax. Not too shabby!

Win Stuff Here

MINDI is doing it again. Click on her name to enter to win this:

Want to win a FREE 3 month subscription to LISTPLANIT? Go to TANJA'S blog now!

You could win $200 worth of AVON product if you go to ANGIE'S blog now!

So get on it girls! This could be your LUCKY month!

I heart U Jack!

Last night Mike and I went to the Jack Johnson concert at the Usana Ampitheather. It was a blast. I love Jack so much. He is such a cool, kick back guy and his music really reflects just that. It was a great summer night, just chillin' with my "boyfriend".

The only problem was that these were the best pics we got.... Holding the camera out and taking pictures of ourselves in obviously not our specialty! NICE!

Hayden's First Day

Hayden started the 4th grade yesterday. He was so excited because he thinks he got the "best teacher ever", Ms. Sorensen. She really is a cute, young teacher and it should be a great year for him. He's such a funny, smart little kid. Love you Munch! 

Oh, and yes, he's getting a haircut tomorrow.....