Look Ma, No Hands!!

Aden can officially ride his bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS! Jayne, Ken, and I have been working with him every now and then for the last couple of weeks, but last night he really got it! He can turn, go over dips and bumps, and even use the brakes. He has a hard time getting started, but once he gets going he is really good. I was a proud mama last night! Pretty soon he'll be able to keep up with my brothers and my dad. :) Way to go, buddy boy!

California...California...Here we Come!

We had a fabulous time in sunny California last week, and I am finally getting around to posting about it. It was really good to see Ken's parents and his siblings. (His parents were kind enough to let our clan stay at their house) We spent a lot of the time just hanging out and relaxing, but we did some really not so relaxing things as well!

On Monday night, Ken and I took all of the kids (our kids, and his brother's 3 girls) to the Braves/Dodgers game. It was so much fun! Ken LOVES the Braves, so I think it was the highlight of the trip for him. Even though the Braves lost big time, we enjoyed it. We got a lot of comments about being some of the few Braves fans in the crowd, but that made it even more enjoyable for me. :)

On Tuesday, we went to Sea World with our kids, Ken's brother Rick, his wife Denise, and their 4 girls (Emily, Kelsea, Amber, Lindsey). It was so much FUN! We started the day off with a ride on Journey to Atlantis...SO fun. Aden just barely made the height requirement of 42 inches, so he was able to ride with us. It is a pretty scary ride, and I wasn't sure how he was going to handle it, but when we got done he said "I want to ride that ride every day!" Then we decided that we were going to go see a Dolphin show...Aw, aren't they so cute and adorable, and look at all the tricks they can do...Oh, we may get a little wet because we sat in the front row and they will probably splash us a bit...WRONG!! We got DRENCHED! I'm talking like someone took a barrel of water and poured it all over us. That dang dolphin wasn't about to stop either! It went on and on for what seemed like forever. After that, we didn't think the dolphins were so cute anymore, and thanks to them we were WET ALL DAY LONG! We spent the whole day at Sea World, and we had a blast. We ended the day with Shamoo...and I must say, Shamoo was much nicer than the dolphins!

Ken and I made the journey home on Wednesday afternoon WITHOUT the kids! Ken's mom offered to keep them with her for the week so we could have a little break. I have to say, I thought it would be a nice break, but I sure am missing them a lot!!!!

What did you say?! A BOMB?!?

So, yesterday was an interesting day at work for me (University Hospital). My manager is out of town for the week, so she put me in charge of the front desk while she is gone (I'm her Assistant). I get to take care of all of the problems that arise, so, of course something major is bound to happen when she leaves me in charge! Anyway, so I am just answering phone call after phone call, and I went to put one of the calls on hold, and a frantic lady says, "No, I can't hold, I need to speak to someone about the bomb threat. We are having a meeting right now!" WHAT?!? I ran to get my Charge Nurse to send her to the meeting to get the info. She came back and informed all of us that a man with a "Middle Eastern accent" had called the hospital and said that he had planted three bombs, and that we should all evacuate. He later called back and said, "I am watching you...why aren't you evacuating yet?" We had the fire marshall, the bomb squad, and the police doing sweeps through the entire hospital. They told us to just sit tight until we had more information. What more information do you need??? It's a BOMB! While we sat and waited for word, we started calling all of our patients who were scheduled to be seen that afternoon and evening. We couldn't tell them what was going on, just that we needed to reschedule their appointment because "a situation had occured." After we had called all of the patients we were told that the staff needed to stick around in case we needed to help evacuate all the patients from the hospital. That's when we started getting really nervous, and that is when I texted Ken to tell him that I love him... Finally, after a few hours of waiting, we got word that it was all clear. What a relief! Of course, we didn't want to call all of our patients back and tell them to come in after all, so I did get to go home a little early last night. What a day!
Can I just tell you how excited I am for my week off next week? Yay! California, here we come!!

Our Baby Boy Is Four Years Old!!!

Happy, Happy birthday to Aden! I can't believe that 4 years ago today I gave birth to our little 6 pound 9 ounce baby boy. From the minute I first held him he has been my constant companion. He definitely changed my life in 2004, and he continues to do so every day. Now, he is a tall, skinny, 42 pound kid (but still my baby)! He has a really funny personality, and he is ALWAYS making everyone laugh. If I am having a bad day, he can make me happy within a few minutes. I can't stay mad at him for long because when he knows I am mad he says, "Mama, are you still mad at me?" As soon as I hear his sweet little voice the anger is gone, and I can honestly say that I am not mad. He definitely knows how I work!
We celebrated his birthday yesterday with our families. Yesterday afternoon Aden couldn't stop talking about his party and who was coming. He would watch the cars outside and every one that went by he would say, "I think someone is here for my party!" It was so cute! When the time finally came for the party, my dad and mom were the first to arrive and he yells out to all of us, "We have our first customers!!!" It was hilarious! As the people started arriving and our little house was getting fuller and fuller we noticed that Aden was missing. I found him in the bathroom. He was near tears as he said, "Mama, I want everyone to go home. I don't want to be 4 anymore." It took a little coaxing to get him out of the bathroom, and within a few minutes he was just fine, and enjoying the party.
Here's to a Happy Birthday for Aden! We love you, buddy.

Two Amazing Fathers

I have to say that I am one lucky girl! I am so blessed to have two of the most amazing fathers as part of my life. Since it was Father's Day yesterday, I want to take a minute and tell you about the two important fathers in my life.

Let me start off with my dad. If I had to describe my dad in one word (which isn't easy to do) I would say that he is my hero (I guess that is two words). Ever since I was a little girl I have looked up to my dad so much! He is the kindest, most generous man I have ever met. If anyone ever needed anything, my dad would be the first to silently jump up and help. There were many times growing up that I saw my dad do acts of service for those around him. He never did it so that he could get the credit, he did it because he genuinely wants to help people.

My dad is probably the hardest worker I have ever met. He is always working on a project around the house or in the yard. He wakes up at the crack of dawn so that he can get a head start on his day. I have always admired that about my dad, and he taught us kids about the value of work.
My dad has such a big heart. He is a big, strong man, but he is so gentle and comforting. My favorite memories of my dad are from when I was little and I would sit on his lap, and he would rock me and sing to me. I felt so safe and so loved in his big strong arms. I have enjoyed watching my dad do the same thing with Aden. My dad and Aden spent a good portion of Aden's first few years on the front porch in the rocking chair. I am so glad that Aden and I can share the same special memories of my dad.

Now, let me tell you about the other very special father in my life... Jayne, Jared, and Aden's daddy. Ken is the best thing that ever happened to me and our kids. He is the glue that holds our whole family together. He is such a strong person, and he has so much love in his heart for all of us!

I admire Ken so much for all that he does. He makes sure that all of us are taken care of before he even thinks about himself. We all know that if we ever need anything, we can count on him. I can't even count how many times he has gone to the store in the middle of the night to get something for me or the kids. He is always making sure that I get my prescriptions dropped off and picked up, which I rarely do, so he ends up doing it for me. When I am sick he forces me to take medicine so that I get feeling better. :) When any of us are sad he has a way of cheering us up. He is always making us laugh with his crazy singing and dancing. He plays games with the kids. And most of all, he is my best friend and partner always!

Happy Father's Day to two awesome dads!!! I love you both!

ABC TAG!

A- ATTACHED OR SINGLE: Attached-Married for 1 year and 4 months

B- BEST FRIENDS: Ken, Nicole, and my kids

C- CAKE OR PIE: Cake, I LOVE carrot cake!

D- DAY OF CHOICE: Saturday, it's the only day I get to play with Ken AND the kids

E- ESSENTIAL ITEM: MASCARA! I don't know what my eyes would do without it. My other
essential item is my cell phone...I am not sure how we survived before the days of cell phones


F- FAVORITE COLORS: Green and brown

G- GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Giving birth to a healthy baby boy

H- HOMETOWN: Sandy, UT

I- INDULGENCES: Chocolate chip cookies (a little too often!)

J- JANUARY OR JULY: July! I love summer!!


K- KIDS: Yes, 3 amazing and adorable kids...Jayne, Jared and Aden...the loves of my life


L- LIFE IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT: My family

M- MARRIAGE DATE: February 23, 2007

N- NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 6, 2 sisters and 4
brothers

O- ORANGES OR APPLES: Definitely apples (with peanut butter). But I would have to say I prefer orange juice over apple juice


P- PHOBIAS OR FEARS: Small/Enclosed spaces, losing a child/husband, not being able to take care of myself or my loved ones

Q- QUOTES: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

R- REASON TO SMILE: Getting off work, weekends, family, blessings

S- SEASON: I LOVE the Fall! Too bad it's the shortest season


T- TAG THREE FRIENDS: Nicole, Katie, Morgan

U- UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: I can't smell skunks...well, I think most everyone knows that...hmm...


V- VERY FAVORITE STORE: I love TARGET! I know, boring


W- WORST HABIT: Picking my nails, not biting, picking (It drives Ken nuts! He even said he would pay me $5 every day that I don't pick at them!)

X- X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND: Definitely Ultrasound! That's my career goal

Y- YOUR FAVORITE FOOD: Bread (Any kind, as long as it is FRESH and warm)

Z- ZODIAC: Pisces

Girls (and boys) Just Wanna Have Fun!

So, last night I was giving myself a little facial because I have this massive zit on my left cheek! I was hoping that maybe a mask would help reduce it's size by just a tad... Anyway, I have the cutest kids in the world, and they wanted to join me. We had ourselves a little spa night last night. (Jared wasn't interested in the whole idea)