The highlight of our Summer!

This Summer flew by, we were not able to get away to do as much as we had hoped but, we did manage to get away for a weekend and go spend time with my best friend Lindsay. We love this family, the kids get along so well together. Mason & Bailey are little buds and Gracie & Laken are so much alike, I know that is a scary thought! :) But, Gracie and Laken love to play with the same type of toys, they had a weekend full of Baby Dolls and Littlest Pet Shop, While Bailey and Mason loved being out riding bikes or on the tramp. We always love going to visit with the Cowan family because it feels like home. I love her entire family we always have so many great laughs together and they are always so good to my kids. My kids adopted them as new Aunts and Uncles. We spent one afternoon out on the 4 wheelers which was a blast. One big bonus about Rocksprings there are trails everywhere!


Mason, Bailey, & Laken getting ready to take off!


Watch out Laken is driving!!!! Look at her face she means business when it comes to riding in the dirt, A little bit too much like her mother? Poor Kid :)


Mason & Bailey they rode forever, Mason had his first time of Cramped Thumb from riding so much. We tried to tell him to get off and rest then but, he said NO WAY he comes alive and is so happy out on a machine in the dirt! Hmmm another one just like his Mother? Poor Kid!


"Uncle Mark" with Laken and Gracie


Hold on tight Laken, Mom is driving!

Playing Catch up!

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything I feel like I have lost almost a year of my life and am in a fog with some things going on. But, I have to just brag about my sweet little kids who keep me going. Sometimes they keep me going straight to the nut house? But, usually the keep me laughing and are amazing examples to me. Laken, started Kindergarten this year I still can not believe 5 years has already flown by and that she is in school. :( My baby is growing up way too fast. She loves Kindergarten and everyday is so excited to come home and tell me how many new friends she has made, even though she has no idea what her new friends names are they are still her new best friends :)

I'm a bad mom and with all the craziness of life I did not take a picture of Mason on his first day of school :( He started a week earlier than Laken so I totally dropped the ball on that! OOPS! I have to say how proud I am of that sweet little boy. Last week was a hard week I had some serious medical scares. One of them being that they thought I was having a stroke. The Paramedics were called and they raced me to the hospital. I don't remember the whole ordeal because I was in and out of it for a while but, I do remember in the very beginning Mason came to stand next to me while my mom was calling 911 and he started to cry and said "Are you going to die?" I told him no I was not going to die. And then told him that I loved him so much. Meanwhile I was scared to death not sure I have ever been so scared in all my life? Later I remember I was in a room in the ER and there were about 15 people(the stroke team) all racing around doing things to me. I remember all of a sudden hearing Mason's voice and I just kept saying "I am so sorry buddy, I love you so much!" And that little 8 year old boy came and stood at the head of my bed and said "Mom, it is ok everything is going to be alright, You are going to be fine. I said a prayer and I know you will be fine because Heavenly Father loves you very much and is going to take care of you." WOW what a little guardian angel. Mason, I am so extremely proud of you and you manage to blow my mind constantly with your amazing faith and example.
This was taken a few days before school started. We went and saw the play "Suessical" which was alot of fun and the kids loved! Mason, in your short little life of 8 years you have had to endure numerous things that nobody should really have to endure. Yet you do it with a smile and you always show such amazing power and faith. You truly are one of my biggest hero's!!!! I am so lucky to be a mom to such great kids!

The Case of the Cookie Thieves...

I came home from work and found this on my floor...

The only suspect in the area at the time was the dog. When confronted with the allegation I got this:

"WHO ME?...But, in the Judicial system it is Innocent until proven guilty.

GUILTY!!! - She can't hide her little Red Face!

Later that night the house had another Cookie Theif this time the suspect was caught sneaking Chocolate Chips from the Pantry.

When the suspect was confronted she too could not hide the evidence of a little ring of chocolate around her mouth.

Allergic to Life?

Well without getting into all the dumb details and frustrations I simply will just say that my weekend ended in proper fashion that was fitting to my week. I woke up Saturday morning looking like this. This is not the first time I have looked like "Hitch" or better yet Eric Stoltz from "Mask". It is always a self-esteem builder to wake up and when your child sees you they scream and say "what happened to you?" :( But, honestly I can't say I blame them I look very scary!!!! I told my kids I think that I really am Princess Fiona from Shrek and maybe my "true self is coming out?" Ha Ha!

Me looking Sexy!!! HA!

Hmmmm I see too much of a resemblance!!!! Oh my heck I am freaking "Rocky Dennis"!!!!

My Monkey Lip! I could be in Planet of the Apes? I must say I am very grateful for Sunglasses and dark theaters and a son who loves me regardless of how I look. Poor kid, we had a Mommy Date planned and I was not about to disappoint him so I swallowed my pride and went to the movies and shopping looking like this. Thank goodness I am not married can you imagine having to wake up to this AHHH I would give someone a heart attack and kill them off for sure! HA HA HA!

Teaching the Plan of Salvation one spider at a time!

My little Missionary Man Mason, is too funny. Earlier in the day he and his sister were playing with a Daddy Long-leg spider, EWWWWW don't even get me started on that, YUCK! I'm guessing the spider must have died because Mason in his sidewalk artwork drew the "Circle of Life of a Spider" :)

The Circle of Life!

Egg, Baby, Kid...

Adult, Death, Spirit...

Heaven & then Resurrection!
WOW He is listening in Primary I think I will let him do my Sharing Times from now on! Mason buddy you make me smile! You are such a sweetheart!

My Motorcycle Babies :)

Uncle Kenny is loving being a Grandpa it gives him a big excuse to buy little toys. He has been telling Mason that he needed to learn how to ride his bike so that he could learn to ride a motorcycle and Mason has done a great job on his bike this summer so on the 4th the kids got to ride on the little Motorcycle. I don't know who had more fun the kids or Mom seeing how cute her kids look on a little 50? Now Mom really wants to get some dirtbikes, the kids loved riding solo. Mason, was a little more reserved about it and Laken was of course alittle bit more like her mother and took off on it. Both kids did great, Uncle Kenny told Mason next time he would take the training wheels off and teach Mason how to ride without so Mason is thrilled. Thanks Uncle Kenny!

"Giggle Juice"

If you ever want to see what your child will act like on drugs just go to the hospital and watch them after they have had a dose of Versed sp? or as the Nurse called it for Laken's sake "Barbie Giggle Juice." Little miss thing had to have surgery on the 2nd and she of course went about it in true fashion. First, we started this process off because she failed her hearing test so after a few test the Audiologist said that they believed she just needed tubes done and that would solve the issue. While at the audiologist they also looked at her tonsils which have always been very large, Laken has NEVER slept through the night, her tonsils are so large that they cut off her air way and wake her up. Yes people 4 years of No sleep hmmmm now Jen's crankiness and problems are all making sense? HA HA!
Anyways, so they scheduled her to do Tubes, tonsils, and Adenoids all at once. Laken, knew that with her tonsils out she would get to eat ice cream and Popsicles. So the night before her surgery we took her to Noodles and Co. to have Mac & Cheese (her Favorite) she did not finish all of her meal so I asked her do you want to take it home to save to eat maybe for lunch? She did not which was a weird thing for Laken to turn down Mac & Cheese. So the morning of her surgery we are driving to the hospital and I said "Mommy had her tonsils out when she was a little girl, & Grandma had hers out too." She responds "But you guys eat chips and things?" HUH??? So I said "Honey do you think that you will never be able to eat regular food again?" She said "Yes, I have to only eat Popsicles from now on :(" HA HA HA! Oh poor sweet child!!!!

Next, they gave her some "giggle juice" honestly I think they should give the parents this instead of the kids. Her nerves were fine mine were shot! She was hilarious on it. She swayed back and forth like a drunken sailor and just giggled the whole time. The doctor came in to talk to us and she started to count "1,2,3,4...1,2,3,4...1,she would loose her train of thought at 4 and start over again and again! HA HA! Then the Nurse came and stood at the door and Laken pointed at the nurse and said "Hey there is two of you!" my child was now seeing double!!! I thought the nurse was going to loose it she was laughing so hard! By the time the wheeled Laken down the hall to the operating room she had the entire Nurses Station bent over dying laughing, finally the Doctor looked at me and said "Is she this funny in real life?" I smiled and said you have no idea she is a little firecracker and keeps us entertained.

Surgery went well, her ears were not as bad as they had thought but, she is hearing things she has never heard before like the sound of the shower and the squeak of grandma's shoes on the floor. So hopefully that is all she will need but, we won't know for another month or so? She has actually slept through an entire night for the first time in her life!!! WAAAHOOO My child was almost 5 years old and she finally slept through the night!!! :) Leaving the hospital was pretty funny the nurse put her in a wagon and as they are wheeling her out she starts to SING!!! The nurse looks at me stunned! We both said Honey doesn't that hurt your throat? She says "No!" and has continued to sing and talk non stop since! NOTHING can keep that child quite!!!! I have decided she defiantly needs to get into singing because she still is right on key and is using her diaphragm to sing from not her throat. Who has their tonsils taken out and still can sit and belt out songs? What a little Nut!!!