Happy Anni Baby AND Happy Half

This year for our anniversary we both put thought into it. In the past, it's usually Coby....he's the romantic in this relationship. I always joke that he's the girl and I'm the guy! He's a cuddler...I'm not. He loves Sleepless in Seattle...I love Gladiator. He can sew....I can now thread the bobbin...most of the time!

This year we decided to stay over night at the Marriott at Thanksgiving Point. It was sooo nice! My mom was kind enough to watch the boys overnight. I picked Coby up late (of course) from work and we headed to an early movie (SALT). It was okay....didn't love how things actually turned out. Then we were off to dinner at the restaurant Harvest in Thanksgiving Point. It was AMAZING! Coby and I shared our meal and the bill was still $55! We got the best rock shrimp nachos...a definite must and then shared the surf and turf. YUMMMMMMO! Then we went back to the room and opened our gifts for each other. I was so excited to give him a few of the gifts! I got him so fun polos, CK's Eternity Aqua cologne and a jar of memories for his desk.

a little background leading up to Coby's present to me

(The week before our anniversary I lost the diamond out of my wedding ring. I was devastated! I searched for days and the Lord and Jack apparently helped me find it. Honestly...how do you find a .55 karat diamond in a 2500 sqft house??!!! That's worse than finding a needle in a haystack! And just so you know....unless your ring is STOLEN or you have specific language in your Homeowners Insurance....it's NOT COVERED!!!! To make a long story short, I found it sitting on an end table next to a picture frame of the boys about 5 days later. What a relief! Just one more testament that Heavenly Father answers our prayers...no matter how small they may seem! :)

Coby was so sweet and got me another ring. It's gorgeous! I still love my original better...but this is a nice treat too! Thank you babe!

Here we are on our Wedding Day 7 years ago

I can't believe it's been 7 years!!! 7 whole years??!! It's been an adventure that's for sure! In that time we've laughed ALOT, had 3 beautiful little boys, moved 3 times, bought 2 houses, sold 1 house, owned 1 STUPID Love Sac store, got rid of STUPID 1 Love Sac Store, bought 2 cars, sold 3 cars, got an MBA from MSU, gained lots of weight, lost lots of weight, changed more diapers than we could have ever imagined...and still have many more to look forward to, went to Mexico 5 times, Tahiti once, put up with one crazy dog, made some of our best friends, had more church callings than we can count, been to 5 temples, sent one son on a super long, super early mission....the list could go on forever.....just like the love I feel for you baby! "I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you.....I AM THE LUCKIEST!" (Ben Folds) Our life has been so great, better than I could have ever imagined. You've stood by my side through everything. You chose to take the higher, more difficult road when thing got bad, and "life" reared it's ugly head. You are my rock and without you I know that I couldn't make it. I love you so much! Thank you for choosing me!

Then a couple days later on our Honeymoon in Tahiti. Coby is such a romantic. He wouldn't tell me where we were going. He had Sommer tell me to pack "summery" and to get a passport. It was the BEST surprise!!


PROVO RIVER HALF MARATHON

Mandy, Lanae and me, just before the race.

My cute cousin told me that she wanted to run a 1/2 marathon a couple months ago and asked me to find a race. The most perfect race was waiting for us. When we lived together in Provo, Lanae and I loved going on hikes up to the Y, Bridal Veil Falls...you name it. She was the adventurer...I was the tagalong! But we had so much fun together...except for the times I was a brat...which as more than I'd like to say! :) At any rate, when I saw that there was a race that encompassed our old Provo stomping grounds, I knew it HAD to be the one we'd run. This was her first 1/2 and she did AMAZING at it! Never a complaint and she and Mandy were nice enough to run at my snail-like pace! It was so fun...minus the whole knees ready to fall off by the end (it was a downhill run for most of it).

Mandy was great! She is a marathon runner with the best attitude! When I would start complaining that my knees hurt, she would encourage me to focus on something that didn't hurt like my hands or my teeth! :) She's a GREAT friend and I love running with her....when I show up!



Here we are at mile 11....how are we smiling????

And here she is practically LEAPING across the finish line!

I love this girl! OH I love this girl! She has been there for me through thick and thin and I am so happy and blessed that she is in m life. I'm happy that our boys are the same ages and are great friends. Maybe they'll have the bond that we do. Love you girl! Honestly...this girl blows me outta the water! Love ya girl!

July

Mason, Luella, Sammie, Livvy, Corb, Duncan, and Jadesy



Gotta LOVE those little kisses!



Look at those smiles....I wonder if they are related??!!



Happy 4th of July!

This year we all headed up to Bear Lake for the 4th of July! It was a HOOT! Beautiful sunshine and Whit was nice enough to go on a 10 mile run with me. It was awesome! The Lake is always soooo pretty. They say Bear Lake is the Caribbean of the Utah/Idaho. And it really is! A bit colder than the Caribbean, but just as pretty! Jim and Joanne are always so generous and we are so blessed to be able to go up to such a beautiful place and spend time together as a family! Thanks guys!



Happy Birthday little boy! I can't believe that my little monkey turned 5 this month! 5!!! He's officially a kindergartner in a month or two. I can't believe how fast he's grown. He is such a good little boy. Very sweet...most of the time! And this boy has a set of ears that can hear every tiny detail you are saying....especially the times when the details you are saying should NOT be heard by little ears!



This year for his birthday we decided to take Corb to Boondocks. He LOVED it! He felt so grown up! He got to go on the go karts and was in HEAVEN! He wasn't quite tall enough to go on his own...maybe next year.





He LOVES riding his bike! This year for his birthday we got him a scooter. He's almost got the hang of it.



Corb is the busiest kid ever! As soon as he wakes up he heads STRAIGHT for the misc junk drawer...and (NO we don't have Seven of them Natalie Service :) ) He's constantly making me "special" things. He's made me paper rings, and crowns and even bracelets! He loves to say..."Mom...I made something for ya!" Or..."I'll show ya!" So cute! He's so creative! More than anything he just loves to help do anything. As long as he's part of "whatever" he's happy because he's helping. He's always me official "taster" for dinner. I know that if I get the "Corbin" seal of approval....it's going to be a winner every time!



I've never seen a little boy more in love with his dad than this one! He LOVES Coby! In fact Coby is RIGHT all of the time! (Not terribly off...but still sucks for me since I'm mostly wrong) Here's a recent conversation:
(Background - we were all in the Highlander have a "discussion"...please note there was not fighting, arguing or such...just talking)

Corbin: Daddy's right!
Mom: WHAT?
Daddy: (SMIRKY grin!)
Mom: Corbin, who's smarter: Mom or Dad?
Corb: Daddy
Daddy: (Smirky grin)
Mom: (GLARE)
Mom: Corb, who's smarter: Mom or Pup?
Corb: DADDY!
Daddy: (GIANT SMILE!)
Mom: (Death glare!)

He does say some funny things! One time we were in the car and he said, "Mom....I wish I had a wiener the size of a house". I looked at Coby who mumbled something under his breath....ladies you can imagine! And I asked Corb why he would desire such a thing. He says, "So I could pee on other people's houses and put fires' out." Logical! In the words of Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld..."I don't know how you walk around with those things." AMEN to that!



Here's Corb with his hero of heros....his dad!



Here's two little boys that adore each other! Jaden is absolutely head over heels for Corbin and it shows....for the most part...except when Corbin is annoying him to death! Corb is so great about helping out with Jaden it's been great! He's always eager to get me diaper and occasionally is willing to even take them out. He has such a pleasant demeanor for the most part and is for the better part is a joy to be around. He's constantly helping Jaden crawl up the stairs and when I put Jades to bed always has to kiss him and say, "Night little bugg-a-roo."! Soooo cute! I've noticed that if I play with him during the day, he's so much sweeter. And as a result we fight a LOT less! I remember a few weeks ago, Corbin left a chewed piece of gum on the leather ottoman in the living room. Guess who found it....OF COURSE it was JADEN! And got it EVERYWHERE!! Well, to say that I was mad was an understatement. I yelled at Corbin. But instead of getting mad right back, he calmly said...."Don't be mad mom, we'll get it out." And to his sweet response I said, rather rudely I might add, "HOW....HOW WILL WE GET IT OUT?!!" He then said again rather sweetly, "With a little bit of olive oil...it will come right out...you'll see. I'll get it for you. And I promise I'll never leave my gum out again...I'll put it right in the trash...so mom...please don't be upset." Well, how could I be after that little speech??!! And on a side note...he was right...olive oil DOES take out gum! :) Who would have thought!!



We've always called Corbin our little Monkey....I guess we had a slight inkling that he truly was in fact PART monkey! I had a YW activity where we went rock climbing. Corbin was STOKED to get to go. He couldn't wait to start climbing. I have to admit that I didn't think he'd do so well so quickly...but he
"ROCK"ED the house! (Get it!!!) Hahahaha!



That's my FEARLESS little monkey!! He's growing up so fast...I'm not sure I like it!



This is one of my favorite shots of Coby doing what he loves best! Hummm-a-naaaaaa Hummm-a-naaaaa..... YUMMO! He's pretty hot!



There's my sweetheart. I'm guessing he's posing so Corb could take the picture.



And have I mentioned that this guy could DANCE?!! I LOVE when he takes me dancing. Once a week we plan a date for each other. This particular date we decided to take dance lessons. We learned the TANGO! It was a such a treat! He is so confident and completely takes control....it's the GREATEST feeling. He "owns" the room! :) hahahaha! Move over Fred (Astaire)....here's COBY!



MY greatest joys in life is my boys...and I mean ALL my boys! More specifically I love how Coby loves our boys. He's ALWAYS playing with them....no wonder Corbin is head over heels for him! Now Jaden is starting just follow Coby around and scream his head off if Coby walks away from him. He bangs on the back door like Jackie when Coby's leaves and I bet it's almost bitter sweet for Coby. But I'm sure it melts his heart each time.



Here's Coby blowing out his candles for the big 32!! He and Corb shared a cake. Notice I didn't make it....so it looks AWESOME! I pride myself on being a fairly good cook...but I won't lie, I SO look forward to buying Costco cakes. SO yummy...SO bad for you! Happy Birthday baby! I have SO much more to say regarding Coby...but I'll save it for our anniversary (which was AWESOME by the way) post!




Happy birthday to those amazing people! Mom and Dad...aka Nana and Poochie! They nearly share the same birthdays. His is the 23rd and hers is the 24th.

I couldn't have asked for better parents. I love them both so much. They are both my heros and I feel so blessed to have such good relationships with both of them and have them live so close. I've always been some what of a daddy's girl. If you look closely to my pinky finger...you will see him wrapped around it tightly! I remember a time when I had just moved to Utah. I had just gotten a new job. A job I probably wasn't as qualified as I let on to be. I remember my boss was leaving and asked me to do a bunch of different things...things I had no idea how to do (i.e. faxing and spreadsheets...) I remember that he left and I thought...okay..."now what would my dad do...would he cry...probably not....what would he do?...He'd figure it out..." and that's just what I did! It wasn't perfect and there was a lot of trial and error...but I got done the things I was asked to do because I was trying to be like my dad. My dad is probably one of the most hard working people I know. He never does a half job, he gives a 150% every single time. I sure do love my dad!



And then there's my mom! To friends and neighbors alike I'm known as SPOILED. My mom is here probably 3 days or more per week. She takes my kids every Friday so we can have a little Tiff and Coby time. She's very sweet and so thoughtful. She has such a tender little heart. She's been through a lot in her lifetime and has a heart of solid gold. I LOVE to play little tricks on her all the time. A trait I'm sure drive many a people NUTS!! After 30 something years...I think she's ON to me! She's constantly thinking of others even when they don't deserve it. She's also a hard worker. She DEFINITELY doesn't do a half a** job either. She's a talker....hmmm...I wonder where I get it?!! There isn't a stain she can't get out. Which is nice since I have a couple little boys and one big one that could care less about the things they spill on their clothing!! I love that she loves to cook and find new recipes like me. She's constantly reading or giving me new recipes that she thinks I'll like and I love that we can talk "cook" together! :) So fun! There is so much more that I could say, but this post is already pretty long! In a nutshell, I love ya mom and dad! Happy Birthday!!!

Juuuuuunnnnnne! FINALLY!

Jim and Jo were so awesome to take us all on a little vacation to Palm Springs! It was soooo HOT...I LOVED every single minute! We split the trip by staying the night at the St. George house the first night and then left early the next day for the LONG LONG drive into the DESERT...aka Palm Springs. We thought it would be fun to give Corbin a "surprise" (from the dollar store) every 100 miles. It worked for a little while and then I think we were wishing we never started it! The constant "Has it been 100 miles yet...!" was almost worse than, "How much longer Dad?!!"

We took advantage of the fact that we were all together and took a few pictures...see above. So FUN! Thank you so much for the AWESOME trip! We love you guys and spending time together as an extended little family....well we're not so little any more are we. We had almost DOUBLED the number of grandkids with the addition of Jades, Little Lu, Dunkie Doodle, and little Livvy.







On the way back to SLC we stopped back off in St. George for a little driving breather. The Patterson's were so nice to let us crash with them. Corbin was ECSTATIC to see his good buddy Dave! Dave was a GREAT sport and helped Corb catch lizards! He named one lizard, Charlie and the other Golden Mouse! Creative huh! :) Dave's cute cute girlfriend Tori was there and they were both kind enough to let Corbin tag along...nearly the entire time. I'd have to go and get him SEVERAL times since he was taking up almost ALL of their 'alone' time! :) Thanks Dave for being such a GREAT sport! We love ya! And so does Corbin....ALOT!



Welcome Little Noah!! My cute Cousin in law had her little munchkin! Isn't he SOOO stinkin' cute!!




HaPpY BiThDaY Unka' Roley...aka Pat! We LOVE you!



Happy Birthday Schlimey!! Quite the looker I might add! I absolutely think the WORLD of Som. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is honest and kind and so generous! She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty (unless it's changing diapers...and that's where she draws the line) and is almost ALWAYS up for any sort of dare you throw her way! I love when she's smiles because she has such a gorgeous smile! She is one of my very best friends and I am so happy that I have the honor of calling her my sister! I love you girl!









Happy Father's Day to an amazing Dad! I think that I could NOT have been blessed with a better husband and father to our children. These boys absolutely ADORE their dad! He is kind and patient and is constantly wrestling and throwing balls to the boys. They love their dad and I can't tell you just how endearing it is to watch them play together. Coby is an absolute DREAM come true! I love him more than I could ever say! Happy Father's Day baby!



Yes...they are wearing underwear on their heads!!



And I think my dad's officially "conquered"!!



Poppy is always so sweet and the kids just love him for it!

Corbin has such a special place in his little heart for both his Poppy (Jim) and his Poochie (my dad). I think he'd live with either of them if we'd let him! I love that they both are happy to get down on the floor and actually play with Corb. It means so much to him! These men are absolutely AMAZING! Happy Father's Day to you both! Love you!



Hansen's were kind enough to invite us on a little Camp Out up Big Cottonwood Canyon.



Love the goggles Corb is wearing! Very funny!

Wish Jades and I could have made it up there. Jades had a nasty little sinus infection and I didn't want to risk making him more sick so we opted to stay home. Looks like they had a ball without us! Next time we'll be there!



Love that smile!!


So much has happened this year. I feel like I blinked last June where I was prego and opened my eyes and I have a little one year old. Where has the time gone??!! This little boy has really been such a blessing in our home. I joke and say that he's by far our fussiest baby, and Coby continues to remind me that I must have blocked any memories of Jack and Corb being fussy. But Jades is so sweet. When he sees Jack's picture, he gets the biggest grin on his face and tries to kiss the frame. I wonder just how much of Jack he still remembers. I know there will come a day when Jack's picture will be only be just that...a picture. For now I'm going to love every single second of it!



Like his brothers he LOVES balls!!



But I think it's safe to say that he loves his brothers more!!



Melt my heart!



Corbin is always looking for someone to keep him "busy". Jades often helps to feel that need! This particular day Corb found a bunch of stickers and decorated Jaden!



Jades was in heaven! He just LOVES Corbin....no matter what he seems to be doing to him!

He is definitely in LOVE with Corbin. He's usually pretty good to put up with Corbin's RELENTLESS annoyances (TOTALLY from ME) but lately I think he's starting to realize that even HE has a limit to how much he can stand!! :)



Bathtime!!



Oh I love when he's happy!

He's so smart! I mean...I you always think your own kids are brilliant...but HE IS! :) And I'm not at all BIAS!! I love that he knows how to turn the light switches on and off when I ask. He can open and close the microwave. And my favorite thing he does on command is DANCE! I really need to get it on video! He just sort of stars bouncing and shaking back and forth. It's a RIOT!



He loves learning new tricks! THANKS COBY!!!!

He's VERY good at saying "Da Da" and recently started saying "ma ma and Hiiiii". It's SO cute they way he says it too. I love when he does it at Smith's. Or sometimes he'll pick up my phone, hold up to the back of his head and say..."Hiiiiiii...." Always turns my frown upside down!! He also likes to make the "S" sound. Sounds like he's always saying "Thissssss...." So cute! He's ALOT more like me personality wise than the other boys. He has ZERO patience and wants his way when he wants it! He's grumpy when he's tired and hungry and the combo of the two...well, let's just say it's not pretty!



And like his brothers he LOVES food!

He loves drinking out of straws and like Jack, Coby and I have to hide our drinks from him. He loves fruit and his favorite is cantaloupe! I swear that kid could eat it all day and never get sick of it! :) He's a pretty good eater, but once we sit him in his highchair seat thingy his favorite thing to do it throw it over the sides and feed Pup. And Pup eat it up...quite literally in fact! He also loves Pup...she...not so much! He loves to bother her....another thing all the boys have in c common! And the best part is...she KNOWS that if she were to ever hurt them....the consequences would be SEVERE! :) So she just sucks it up! He loves ice cream, especially the courtesy cones from Arctic Circle!



Corn on the Cob...YUMMO!



He looks just THRILLED doesn't he?!! And what happened to the cake you ask....well...I can make them taste GREAT....but as far as looking great too....I fall short! :)



This is the birthday outfit. Here's Corb on his 1st birthday



Jackie on his 1st.



"kisses"....I love his slobbery kisses!

He was an AWESOME little nurser. By far my hardest to ween....hard on me more than him! He was our only kidling that we didn't have to ferberize...VERY nice! He's been sleeping through the night without any problems since he was 6 months....a record for us. Normally 6 mos is the cut off time for Coby (I say Coby because HE'S the one that is sick of being woken up). I have really loved nursing my boys. I have always looked forward to that special one on one time we'd get at 1 am each night. I'm glad I had it with them all. I was grateful while I nursed Jack and feeding Jades in the middle of the night made it even more special for me. I loved every single minute! I like to think that Jack made his little visits during these late night feedings.



But this...this right here is our favorite thing. He always rests his head on our shoulders. I love it so much.

I love that he is still in that "I love my mommy" ONLY phase...most of the time. Although he loves his both set of grandparents and his aunts too! I think he's still trying to sort out all the uncles! :) But Uncle Roley...I'm fairly certain he's smitten with! Can't wait for Som's LOVE OF HER LIFE to get to know him...that's a post for a later date! :) But hopefully not too much later! Hint Hint!! (Schlimey)

I know it won't be long before he's officially a "daddy's boy" like the others. Coby can't leave while he's watching or he'll go to the back door and bang on it and cry. Jack used to do that too!
He doesn't quite have the crazy hair that Jack had at this age or the amount of Corbin's, but it's definitely blond....really blond with a hint of red....but just a little hint! :) He loves to empty things, like my PURSE for example!! But he's pretty good about putting it all back in. He gives the BEST kisses! His favorite toy right now is this little ball thing that uses air to shoot the balls out and then you can see it going through the toy! He LOVES it and can it can definitely keep him busy! Like Jackie he LOVES to be held. At 25lbs...My Moby Wrap definitely comes in handy! Thank goodness for an 18 ft piece of fabric! :) We LOVE it! He started crawling around 11 mos. and is now pulling himself up on everything. He has a really funny crawl, it's almost like some sort of little monkey scoot where he drags one of his legs. He KNOWS how to crawl the real way, but opts to do it this way most of the time. He LOVES to throw things...balls, legos...you name it...if he can pick it up, he'll chuck it to see how far it will go and then happy go and get it and thus the cycle continues!! Everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE we go I get "Oh...looks like someone's sleepy!" I guess we'll never avoid it! He just has those cute little droopy "Rich" eyes.He can stand by himself for a few seconds before falling and he thinks it's a game. It's really cute. He's fallen down the stairs twice...poor baby...he's FAST! I love my little Jadesy badesy butter bug! Happy birthday baby!



This year was my first opportunity to go to Girl's Camp.

It was such a hoot! I was able to more fully get to know a few of the first years a little better.



While I was there I was blessed to meet such an AMAZING girl named Andrea Nelson. This girl left a handprint on my heart. She's just gorgeous, but if you knew even a fraction of the beauty this girl has on the inside you'd be beside yourself like I was...and continue to be. She has a lot of health issues but you'd never know it. She was always the first one up, if the girls needed ANYTHING. She was a TRUE example of the kind of person I'd like to be...and she's only 18 years old. I think about her every single day. Wish I would have met her sooner since she's leaving for college soon.....all the way in WEBER. NO fair! Her roommates will be in for quite a treat! Good luck Andrea! Love you girl!