Happy Birthday Kenyon!

Today my sweet Kenyon turned six years old! I can't believe it's been six years! Kenyon was the sweetest little baby. He's my only baldy and I didn't realize he would be a redhead until he was about a month old. His eyebrows started to grow in and my mom was looking at him and she goes I think he's going to have red hair! Sure enough, he has the most beautiful red hair.

Here are a few things about why Kenyon is special. Kenyon has the best sense of humor. He can always make me laugh and cheer me up. He also has the biggest smile. All I have to do is look at his smiling face and it cheers me up. Kenyon is very generous. He is almost always willing to share. He is very good about sharing his toys with Brandon. He and Brandon are the best of friends. I am so glad that they enjoy each other so much. Kenyon is very good about playing with Shaylee. He has a very close bond with his baby brother Jaron. He feels like they have a special connection because Jaron is a redhead like he is and Brandon and Shaylee are "blonde heads". That is his phrase. Kenyon says the funniest things without even realizing it. He cracks me up. Kenyon is also very compassionate towards others. He is very willing to help others and is very kind.

Kenyon is such a special little boy and I am so glad that he is mine! I love you, Kenyon! Happy Birthday!

If you knock on wood long enough, eventually someone will get stitches!

Yep! I have been a mother for over seven and a half years and finally one of my kids biffed it and had to get stitches. This was after saying a number of times to my mom and sisters while I was in Utah that we have had no broken bones or stitches yet in our family! KNOCK ON WOOD!

Who was it? Three boys, one girl. Take a wild guess? Anyone who knows my kids, knows that even though she is the only girl, she is my monkey! She is EVERYWHERE! She is much wilder than any of her brothers and yes it was Shaylee who ended up getting stitches first. When I called Pete and told him he said, "I knew it would be her!"

Shaylee was climbing my mom's stool up to the bar and her feet slipped under the rung and she and the stool crashed to the floor. It was one of those moments that seems to go in slow motion. I could tell she was going to fall, but I could do nothing about it. I saw Shaylee hit the back of her head on the chair behind her, so I picked her up to cuddle her and was looking at the back of her head when my sister Debbie says, "She's bleeding!" I am still looking at her back when Cindy says, "It's the front of her head!" I look and her face is dripping in blood! The bar stool had hit her forehead when she crashed to the floor. Me, being the best mom ever, pushes her off my lap and I say, "mom help me!" It was so shocking to see my baby dripping in blood! My mom took over and got Shaylee all cleaned up and snuggled back on my lap. As I'm sitting there trying to decide whether or not to take her for stitches, my sister comes and wipes my chin which is covered in blood. All I can say is thank heavens I was in Utah with my mom and sisters who love me so much and are always there for me.






Shaylee was so brave when she got her stitches. She just laid there and didn't cry at all. During the process I was holding her hand and trying to comfort her, but I could see them putting the stitches in her head and since I was already really queasy from all that had already happened, I started feeling faint. Luckily my mom came with me, so she took over soothing Shaylee, so I could sit down and put my head down! Shaylee got four suckers. One for each stitch and one for being brave! She ate two suckers at a time and had them gone in ten minutes!





I just want to tell my mom thanks for being the best mom ever! Thanks for being there for my baby girl when I couldn't be and thanks for being there for me, always! I love you! It is so nice to know that even though I'm thirty two years old, I can still be my mom's little girl and lean on her! Thanks mom!

This is the Place - Heritage Park

On Wednesday August 6th, we went to This is the Place - Heritage Park. It was so neat and so much fun! You could spend days there because there is so much to do. We were there for four hours and we enjoyed every moment.

When we got there we decided to start out by riding the train around the park to see what was there. It takes you to all the major areas of the park and you can get out to see another place or keep riding. We rode the entire way around and at the end you see the most beautiful view of Salt Lake valley. It is so gorgeous!











After the train ride we went to one of the cabins there where the children got to do colonial chores. Our kids got to water the garden and they thought that was really cool.









When we were done with the chores we went in search of my old roommate who is a volunteer at This is the Place along with her children. We found her at the Andrus house and it was so much fun to see Emily again. We spent most of our college years with each other. Our first year at Ricks we were next door neighbors, our second year we hung out together, but were in different dorms. Then she was supposed to go to Utah State, but I got a call from her the second week of school at BYU and she says "Guess where I am?" I'm like "Utah State?" "Nope I'm at BYU!" I was so excited because all of my friends from Ricks went to Utah State except me. I was rooming with a bunch of girls I didn't know and didn't really like. Luckily Em's roommate was getting married, so I moved in with her winter semester and we remained roommates until we graduated.



Okay back to our day, after seeing Em, we went to the petting zoo. Shaylee had a love/hate relationship with the animals. She wanted to pet them, but just wasn't brave enough. Brandon and Kenyon rode the horses. Kenyon wasn't so sure about it once he got on the horse and the horse started moving. He was very nervous, but enjoyed it once he got going.





Then we went to ride on the mini train. This is a little train that you sit on and it goes around and around in a circle. The kids loved this train. It was a lot of fun. They tell the kids to scream as loud as they can in the tunnel because it has a cool echo. And boy did they ever scream! In fact the last time it was so loud that it scared Jaron and he started crying. Poor Jaron!



By this time the kids were hot and tired so we decided to get some icecream. Yummy! Shaylee was very generous to share her icecream with Jaron. Jaron took a bite out of the icecream and you could see the chill going up his spine. So I told him stick out your tongue and then I showed him, and he thought that was the coolest thing ever! After that all the kids wanted to share their icecream with him to see him lick it and then giggle. It was so cute!



After our break we wanted to see the puppet show, but no one ever came to open it up and we were tired of waiting. We went through the general store and Brandon bought a yoyo and Kenyon bought a back scratcher. Kenyon's back always itches, so he has been wanting a back scratcher forever.

Then we went on the wagon ride by Brigham Young's home. That was a lot of fun and very bumpy! You really have to hold on when the wagon starts or you could fall on the floor. Our horses names were Fred and Ethel. We thought those were funny names!



After that we let the kids play at the mini village that has a cabin, general store, wooden train and some other buildings the kids can play in. When we got to the mini village, Emily was there with her kids and we had fun watching our kids play together and visiting for awhile.









By this time it was two thirty and we hadn't eaten lunch, so we decided it was time to head out. We had such a wonderful time and I hope we can go back next year and do some of the crafts they have for the kids to do.

Very Interesting!

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

TRAINS AND GUNS-what more could little boys want?

On Saturday July 26th we went to the train and gun museum in Ogden. It is located at the old train depot. Kenyon was thrilled when he found out we were going to a gun museum. For those of you who don't know Kenyon too well he LOVES weapons. Guns, swords, lightsabers, etc. If it's a weapon he likes it.


When we got there they had watercolors and paper for the kids to make their own button. They loved doing that. They wear their buttons with pride almost every day. It was really fun for them.





Then we went through the train area. They have all kinds of miniature trains and they have an old engine and a caboose the kids can climb in. They were running around with looks of joy as they tried to follow the model trains along their tracks.


Kenyon, Shaylee and Brandon at the crossing


Shaylee by the antique train engine

Brandon, Jaron, Shaylee and Kenyon on the caboose

They also had an antique car exhibit you could go through. The adults seemed to enjoy this part more than the kids. It was really neat to see all of the cars and how big and long they used to be.

After the cars, Grandpa, Uncle Nate, and Uncle Karl took the older kids up to the gun exhibit. My dad said that Kenyon wanted one of everything! Imagine that! Kenyon wanting a gun? No way! I guess he was in heaven!

After we went to the museum, we headed to Mc Donald's for lunch. Not my favorite place, but my kids love it. It was a fun day, but the babies had a few more meltdowns than they did at the zoo. They were tired I guess. The older kids loved it, though.


Me with baby Summer and Jaron

Visit to the Grandma's

On Wednesday July 23rd, I decided to take the kids down to visit my Grandma Summers and their Grandma Phelon. They both live in Utah County about ten minutes from each other. My sister, Cindy decided to join us since she hasn't seen my grandma since she moved into an assissted living home.

We visited Grandma Great (this is what my children call her) first. It was really hard for me to go to the assissted living place and see my grandma there. She has always lived in the same house that my grandpa built when my dad was young. I missed going to that home and seeing her there. The place she is at is nice, but it's not the same. We enjoyed our visit and she loved seeing our kids. I wish I lived closer so I could see her more often.

After visiting with Grandma Great, we headed from Orem to Pleasant Grove to visit my mother in law. We went to her house and the kids played with her two dogs until she was ready to go. We decided to get lunch and go have a picnic at the park. We got the most yummy food from Purple Turtle. If you are every passing through PG you have to stop and eat at the Purple Turtle. I love their food! It is delish!

The park got really hot, so we decided to head back to Grandma's house. While we were loading all of the kids into the car a big semi drove by really fast and made a lot of noise! Kenyon hearing the noise goes "What the H!*!*!" I was shocked and just stood their for a moment until I looked across the van at my sister. Big mistake! She was looking shocked and had a huge grin on her face and I couldn't help myself I burst out laughing! I was trying to reprimand him, but it just didn't work while I was roaring with laughter with tears falling down my face! Yes, this was a great parenting moment to happen in front of my sister and mother in law! By the way I have no idea where he picked up that phrase!

After we calmed down we finally got the kids loaded and went back to Grandma's to play with her toys and doggies. The kids love the dogs! Even Jaron got brave enough to pet them as long as they were sitting and didn't move. The dogs are yellow labs named Scout and Lizzy. They are very good with the kids and very gentle.

We had such a wonderful time visiting with the grandma's. We will be seeing them again on Saturday.

We had a HILL of a reunion!

Pete will be so proud of the title on this post! He loves to make all kinds of punny sayings with my mom's maiden name, Hill.

On Monday July 21st, I went to the Hill family reunion in Kaysville, Utah. Most of my family including my grandma (my grandpa passed away in 1993) and I got to the park at five o'clock. The actual dinner didn't start until six, so this is when we expected most people to show up. My sister, Cindy and her family got there about 5:45 and so we waited thinking my uncles and there families would be coming anytime. Six o'clock comes and goes- then six fifteen- Oh here comes my cousin Katie! Now everyone should be coming! Six thirty- then six forty five--- Oh wow now they all start coming! When everyone finally got there we had a great turnout, but it was frustrating that everyone was SO late! Our kids were starving so we had already eaten by the time everyone else came. Oh well, better late than never!

The kids had a great time playing at the park. It was their last time playing with my sisters kids since they were heading back to Pennsylvania in the morning. They played hard and had all the kids playing a game of tag with them. It was a lot of fun. I had a great time seeing my cousins new babies. There are four new babies including my niece, Summer. I really enjoyed seeing my cousin Katie, who is a day younger than me and was my roommate at Ricks. Her new baby is five months old and very cute!

Once everything got going we had a Hill of a time!

(My nephew Jacob and Brandon)

(My nephew, Matthew, Kenyon, Brandon and Shay)

(Grandpa and Jaron) ( Kenyon and Summer)

(My nephew Steven and niece Annika)

(Grandma and Jaron)

(My niece, Alyssa; nephew Brent; Aunt Linda

and my Grandma)