Spring Time

I realized that I have not taken my kids to do a photo shoot since last August. So we attempted to do it this past Saturday. However a snow storm was on it's way so I knew we had to act fast before it arrived. We started doing pictures and man was the wind horrible most of the pictures did not turn out real great due to flying hair or dirt in the eye's but a few are ok. So here are the most recent pictures of my kids who are growing up so fast. :(

This one is probably one of my favorites because they were grouchy so I told them to turn and stare at each other instead they both started to giggle.

School Dress Up Day!

My kids did it again, the last minute "Mom we are suppose to dress up as our favorite character from a book. Laken of course wanted to be Fancy Nancy she truly believes she is Fancy Nancy on most days and I'm just throwing it out there should Fancy Nancy ever be made into a movie Cast my little Diva she has them all memorized, red hair, and the little attitude and most of the french words out of the books down. So here are pics of my Fancy Nancy who had to have Butterfly clips for her hair and everything.
Mason wanted big black wings to go with some Character out of Fablehaven series. I laughed when he told me wings and said do you think I can figure out how to make wings? He said "yes you can figure out how to do anything". Just to be clear the kid has mastered the art of manipulation. So of course I don't want to be the mom who sends her kid to school and they are the only one without a costume so I stayed up until almost midnight and made stinking wings! The next morning Mason insisted that the character would probably wear a Faux Hawk so we had to do massive hair duty with both kids, curlers for Laken and a Faux Hawk for Mason.


I love that Laken was happy to have her picture taken yet, Mason as you can tell was giving me the evil eye like "Mom you are so lame." Darn right I am I have blisters from a hot glue gun all over my fingers and stayed up way too late to make sure you had that look! But, of course the best part of it all was when I dropped the kids off at school and we only saw 3 other kids dressed up. It was at that moment that I wanted to beat them, not really but, you know what I mean. Seriously why do I even bother sometimes?

Life is Changing

This book was written by one of my bosses and I'm not trying to give him a plug or suck up in anyway but, I just have to share this AMAZING book with everyone. I honestly stayed up an entire night and read the entire thing. I then cried my eye's out for several hours because Matt Baldwin released this books Month's prior but, I never found the time to read it. Until a lot of stuff was going on and I was in a funk and very sick so needed a book to read and figured what the heck? So I started to read it. I can't even begin to put into words what this book has done for me but, it has changed my life. It has changed the way I look at things it has also made me realize how important certain people in my life are. It has made me even decide to go back to school. Scary thought I know and I'm trying to figure out how to fit it all in but, somehow I will, hopefully if I am able to get a grant to afford it. Deciding what I want to be when I grow up is another story. I sat and told my Bishop about this book and his comment to me was there is a reason you did not read it before now you were not ready to take away the message that is given in the book.

I believe he is right because back in November one of my best friends Mary "Moo" committed suicide I have had a hard time dealing with it
There is a portion in this book that talks about death and losing a friend and how we communicate with others, I have felt very guilty because I felt like I should have called her or something when she popped into my head and I didn't. However another good friend told me "Jen even if you had and she still made that choice you would hurt worse because I know you and you would think you said something to upset her. The Lord was trying to protect you as well." After reading "Snow Rising" I truly can say that I look at the way that I speak to people and to my kids differently. I know the Author and his wife very well and have watched his practices in person and can tell you that he is by far one of the most amazing men I have ever met. I joke with him because I took my current job thinking it would restore my faith in men and it did the opposite, all except for Matt and his amazing wife Val I have said if I could have a relationship like they do I would consider marriage again. If you haven't read this book do so I promise it will make you re-think somethings.

To my dear friend Mary Moo may you finally find peace and know that I love and miss you on a daily basis and you will never be forgotten. Love you!

Birthday's

Time for a fresh start in trying to keep up with this blog thing. Life has flown by Laken has already turned 6 where did the time go? This is the year that I promised the kids a friend party. Laken, decided to have a Ladybug Bash that we had up at Red Butte Garden it was alot of the fun and the kids loved it. It was something new and different than they had ever done for a party. Which was pleasing to me, the non stop migraine in my head could not stomach the idea of dealing with 12 screaming kids at the house or 1,000 of screaming kids at Classic Rollerskating where the other million parties are at. So quiet Red Butte Garden was a great find.

Mason wants a big party as well and due to health concerns and time lost at work it is turning into a tighter budget for his upcoming birthday. So luckily I have sold him on the idea of having an Amazing Race Birthday party so now the brainstorming begins for that.

Stay tuned for fun party pics to come.

Grandma Bullard

So this is almost 2 years old but, I'm playing catch up with post saved in my drafts.

My last surviving Grandma past away early Wed. morning. I'm so happy for her that she is now free of pain, and she is with her husband again that she has been widowed from for 40 years! Of course even knowing this day will come and the best laid plans still don't fully prepare you for this moment. We will all miss Grandma Bullard but, are happy to know there is a huge reunion going on in heaven right now. I know the last 3 years have been hard on many people in the family. I personally am so grateful for the past few years with Grandma B. It has been no secret that Grandma and I have had our issues. And I will admitt that I have had a chip on my shoulder in regards to some hurtful things that were said most of my life. But, 3 years ago in the midst of a horrible time of my divorce Grandma called me and said "I wish there was something I could do to help, and I financially can not afford to help you so the only thing that I can think of doing to help you out, is for me to move out so that you and the kids can move in here with your mother." I was stunned and have felt guilty over her giving up her place in her home so that my kids and I would have a roof over their heads. The last 3 year It is no seceret that Grandma and I had our battles and I have had alot of guilt about her giving up her home for me. In the process however I am so thankful for the past 3 years if for nothing else for my mother. As long as I can remember my mother has been compared to her little sister who was the "Golden Child" After years and years of being told you are not perfect but someone else is, it was an eye opening experience to Grandma to actually live with someone so perfect so suddenly now finally my mother got some compliments that have been well deserved and needed for over 60 years. So I have decided that I will deal with the guilt that I have about Grandma because it makes me so happy to know that before my Grandma passed she finally truly showed her love to my mother. For that I love her and I will miss her but know she is in a better place.

Happy Birthday Weekend Mason!!!!

My little boy is growing up :( I told him he could invite a friend friday night and we would go do something fun to celebrate his birthday. He chose to take a girl!!! I was alright with this until watching my son in a go-kart at Boondocks and Cassidy and him were too much into driving side by side talking and not paying attention to the track and ended up crashing and doing 360's PHEW, counting my blessings that this birthday he was not turning 16!
Saturday was geared towards Dad Visit and earrands and my Niece Tina going through the temple for the first time. I decided to let Mason open one present Saturday night mainly because I needed to iron and get things set up before I had to go to Ward council early Sunday morning. He was so excited and thought it would be a new DSi....sorry dude! Seriously mom you got me clothes? Doesn't he look thrilled to try on his cute new Church jacket? Mom asked what the problem is why aren't you excitied to get clothes for your birthday? Mason said "Mom boys don't get excited about clothes." Thanks for clearing that up for me buddy! :) Then Laken, said "Duh that's dumb girls love to get new clothes!" This was Laken, cheering for New clothes. Ha Ha! I took the kids to Red Lobster, Mason's choice dang kid with Champagne taste!!!The kids were watching the Lobsters and lets just say it was "mating season" of course my kids are the kids standing at the tank loudly saying "Mommy, look at those two Lobsters they are having a piggy back ride!" While the rest of the lobby is giggling I'm finding a table to crawl under hoping to not have to give a lesson on the birds and the bee's when they start to notice gross other things!!! Luckily the manager was intune and ran over the move the Lobsters from the front of the tank to the back, and pulled a few out for the kids to see and to distract them! Can you say thank goodness for lots and lots of Purell and Handsoap before Dinner!

Mason wanted crab legs for his birthday dinner and Laken just thought they looked disguisting which I am totally fine with!!! Until she tried some of the meat and loved it! DANG IT!!! I love the picture of her being a geek looking at them! Ha Ha!The next day was Sunday hooray his actual birthday! We raced from doing sharing time to going to luncheon for "Baby Kate" my great neices baby blessing where I almost cried because my kids were not the "little ones" anymore they were the babysitters? I'm so use to them being the little ones needing to be pushed on the swing set and instead they were taking care of Parker and Millie and were totally self sufficent? WHAT when did this happen? Both Jill and I stood back in shock that our little guys no longer needed us? Talk about feeling lost!!! After a fun afternoon watching my favorite little "greats" we came home and I told Mason before he changed out of his church clothes I needed a picture. Little Miss thing ran to a rock and said take one of me first! When I told her to just stand infront of the plant bed she looked at me and said "Mom, this is a much nicer picture spot!" Um okay Ansel Adams? Can you say ATTITUDE written all over her face in this picture?
My little Man! I let Mason open all of his gifts but, the last one from me it was a video game he has been wanting and I knew we had a hectic day and if he had it there was no getting him to hurry and move to get ready to run from place to place. So he was dying to open it but, I told him he had to wait for Grandma. He thought he was going to die! Then Grandma called us from Grandma B.'s and asked if we would come visit. She has taken a turn for the worse with her leg, don't get me started on the tagent about idiotic nursing staff who neglected her pain for 4 days!!! Anyways we went and hung out with Grandma Bullard because she was sad she missed the baby blessing even though she still does not know who's baby it is and is convinced that Tina' has not had her baby yet, even though she was holding the baby in her arms when she asked that? Ha Ha! Mason brought his present to Grandma B. and asked if she would like to watch him open his gift of course she said yes!

Since Mason was so thrilled to get clothes the first time, Mom was a jerk :) and wrapped his game that he was hoping for and hide it the pocket of a new sweatshirt so when he first opened it he was really disappointed and said "More Clothes, Great!" little spoiled punk. So then I told him to check the pocket and he was happy. Even though it was a hectic weekend I hope he was able to have a fun time. I love you buddy you are the best kid!

My Baby is growing up!

I can not believe my little Man is already 9, where on earth did 9 years go? I'm so proud of what an amazing kid he is after all that he has endured he still amazes me on a regular basis at his knowledge of life, the scriptures and the gospel. Mason you are an amazing, caring, intelligent little man who told me on the morning he woke up for his birthday that he was "No longer my little boy" then proceded to ask if Santa Claus was real? I will need to take a moment to be able to complete a full post about his busy Birthday weekend. But, just had to share how cute my birthday boy looked in his new sunday clothes. Sniff, he looks to grown up!!!!