The Glines Family

First Day Of Kindergarten!!

2011-09-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

Maddix started Kindergarten on August 31st, 2011. His teachers name is Mrs. Riser. We have been told by many people that she is one of, if not the best! She seems wonderful...so kind and loving towards all the kids. He instantly liked her. He met her the day before school started and had a short testing period with her. She said he did excellent and seems more than ready to start! Everyday he has enjoyed it. He loves to learn and I think he is probably a sweet, quiet, well-mannered little student. The first week he went only half a week and then it was Labor Day weekend. He was confused and asked why he wasn't going to school anymore and when he could go back! You gotta love sweet and innocent kindergartners! I hope his desire to learn will continue as the years go on. While Maddix is at school, it allows me to have some one-on-one time with Carter, which I am truly enjoying! We'll enjoy it while it lasts...since baby #3 is coming soon! We can't wait!

Carter's Big Boy Birthday Party!

2011-09-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Carter turned the big 3 on August 20th! The whole year I knew he would love a heavy equipment construction themed party. He is obsessed with dump trucks, backhoes, track hoes, etc. Grandpa Larry has both a dump truck and a back hoe. Carter gets so happy when he gets to ride in one of those. This year Carter was especially deserving of a fun b-day bash because he earned it! We had been struggling with potty training...to say the least. Then some helpful advice from a friend about using food coloring in the toilet at potty time helped get him interested in the whole process. And then to really hook him in I told him that he couldn't have a "big boy birthday party" until he knew how to go potty! So with about a month ahead until his b-day he got on the potty training bandwagon. He must have finally been ready because he really understood it all. He was pretty much trained within 2 weeks! My easiest yet! I am so proud of him! Therefore he was totally deserving of this party. And Carter's birthday is only 2 days before Nana Connie's. She was having a big one this year! I along with a ton of help from my sister-in-law Nicole, made this Hello Kitty cake. I wanted to do something cute and fun and she has always liked Hello Kitty....and she is really a little girl at heart! They both enjoyed sharing a special party day together!

Summer Highlights!

2011-09-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone up at Still Water Dam...watching it spill over

Having a picnic with Grandma Pam, Grandpa Larry, Granny Helen, Beau, Nicole, and Karen at Still Water.

Even GiGi got to come up with us...Carter loves his GiGi girl!

The boys riding some rides at Liberty Park. I used to come here with my Grandma Steele. I love this place. It's like a mini Lagoon, mini zoo, and mini splash park combined.

The Kid's Rodeo in Neola...4th of July! Carter attempting to do an animal chase, but got scared and started crying!

Maddix preparing for the bunny and chicken chase!

Maddix running around in all the chaos.

Maddix was so close to catching a chicken here...not sure what we would have done with it?

Mom and the boys at the pool in Roosevelt

We went to the Roy Aquatic Center with Rachel and Reese...this kicked off our mini summer vacation on the Wasatch Front!

This pool was awesome...Maddix and Mom even got to go down a waterside!

Carter at Fat Katz in Ogden...he loved this little ride!

We went mini-golfing with Grandpa Lou at Fat Katz

Feeding the ducks at Liberty Park...the kids loved it! So glad we didn't go to the zoo and went here instead!

Chillin' in the park

Playing Peek-a-Boo in the wading streams at Liberty Park

Cruising on the go-kart with Kaitlyn, Uncle Derek, and Grandpa Lou

Maddix's swimming lessons

Carter at his swimming lessons

Uncle Beau and Aunt Nicole took the boys fishing...they each caught one or two!

Carter and Mom at our Mommy-and-Me swimming lesson

Photos of My Boys and Some Great Friends

2011-07-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

On our last trip to O-Town, we had a great time! We packed a lot into this visit. We had fun taking pics near 25th St. and the Union Station. The boys loved the balloons and the train! We even got to catch up with two of my great friends, Miss Carly and our favorite seminary teacher Bro. Humphreys. It was so nice to chat and catch up with them. I also got to see most of my Valley Girls at Kristi's baby shower. I was so excited to be in town at the right time to attend. And finally, I had a wonderful girls night out with some of my BFF's Rachel, Natalie, and Morgan. We stuffed ourselves silly at Red Lobster and chatted the night away. It was just what I needed!

Our Mexico Trip

2011-05-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ek Balam

Chichen Itza

In the Cenote!

Ben chillin' in Valladolid

Dzibanche, Kinichna, and Kohunlich

The amazing pop drinking, french fry eating spider monkey

Lamani

On top of Lamai

Tulum

Flying men on Vera Cruz?

Ben & I went to the Yucatan Peninsula in February. We were gone for 9 long days (the 6th - the 14th)! Although we missed the kids a lot we had a blast. They were in good hands with all the grandparents pitching in to watch them. We flew into Cancun late Sunday night. We boarded a bus with our tour group...organized by Brent & Marsha Fieldsted. We then drove a few hours southwest to the beautiful colonial city Valladolid. This was such a cute little city.

The next day, Monday, we went to some nearby ruins called Ek Balam. This is a newly excavated Mayan city with spectacular architecture and beautiful carvings. We then went on to Chichen Itza. This is one of the most excavated sites in the Mesoamerican world. It was the largest or most "touristy" we went to. It had a lot of neat ruins and things to see. We then went to a Cenote...or a cave with a fresh water pool that we swam in. And finally that day we went to a nearby Mayan village. We brought items to donate to these local people. They were in such desperate need for these items. It was a very humbling experience, one I will never forget. We had the opportunity to see inside a home and it was like looking into a one room pioneer home. Very humbling. That night back in Valladolid we enjoyed a delicacy of the Yucatan...penuchos! Delicious! Wish we could get this around here. And to top off our day the fair just happened to be in town. The highlight of this was the double decker party bus with blasting music and strobe lights we traveled on to get there. We definitely arrived in style. The fair itself...not much to see. I've heard this one was very mild compared to most in Mexico. There was only one...how do I put this delicately? Freak show...for lack of a better word. It was a two headed boy, aka, siamese twins. It was sad to see this was their life. But I'm usually all for fairs and that kind of thing, but word to the wise, skip these when in Mexico!

Then on Tuesday we left this little town and headed south to Chetumal. Along the way we stopped at a freshwater lagoon that looked like ocean water, called Lake Bacalar. We spent some time here but unfortunately it down poured like there was no tomorrow. Luckily we were under the restaurant pavilion. So, we mostly just got to know everyone and ate yummy food! We then arrived in Chetumal and stayed at the Holiday Inn. Thank goodness for Holiday Inns in Mexico. This was the best hotel by far on this vacation. It was in this lovely town we experienced another Yucatan delicacy, machucados! It was finely shaved ice, soaked in one of my personal fav's sweetened condensed milk, and then mixed with your flavor of choice. I of course tried coconut and it was good...but surprisingly did not turn out to be my fav. I actually loved the chocolate banana the best. However, coconut ice cream in Mexico is awesome!

On Wednesday we went to three archeological sites called Dzibanche, Kinichna, and Kohunlich. These sites are recently excavated and this area was different than most in the Northern Yucatan with more dense jungle and taller trees. Many LDS archeologists believe these ruins could have been the area of the Land Bountiful, spoken of in the Book of Mormon. They did have a more peaceful, serene feeling to them. We saw a howler monkey which was stressed out by our fearless leader, Marsha, who got him going by howling at him herself. The howler monkey was later outdone by the cute little spider monkey that was a pet to a convenience store. She would drink Pepsi/Coca Cola and preferred one over the other...but I can't remember which. She also chowed down on the french fries one of our tour friends was feeding her. She normally liked Cheetos, but turned her nose up at them when the fries were in the picture. It was quite the site to see. For dinner this night we had super yummy steak and pork tacos.

Then on Thursday we were off to Belize! We had to cross the border and it actually went very smoothly. About an hour south of the border we went to the city of Orange Walk. We then hopped on boats and took what was supposed to be an hour long ride on New River but ended up being much longer b/c one of the boats kept breaking down. Along the way we saw more spider monkeys, bats, the Jesus Christ bird (walked along the lilly pads), and crocodiles. We finally arrived at the ruins of Lamani. This area was also in dense jungle. It had a more "Lamanite" feel to it...for lack of a better word...again. This had the steepest ruin that we were able to climb. It was cool! It had a rope going up the center of it for people to hold onto b/c it was so steep. It reminded me of the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan! I loved this...give you more of an adrenaline rush! On top it was cool. You could see for miles and miles. Finally when we were returning there was another down pour. The whole hour long ride was non-stop rain. Our friends Brian and Raleen were the only ones smart enough and brought ponchos like instructed. Everyone else was soaked! I think they were even wet too. It was a lot of fun!

Friday...finally we were on our way to the coast/beach! On the way we stopped at the ruins of Tulum. Tulum is an ancient seaport situated directly on the crystal clear coast of the Caribbean. Here we had a great LDS tour guide who pointed out many religious significances to this site. After the tour we headed to the beach and swam in the clear blue waters. It was great. There was only two women on the beach going topless. And much to the men's dismay they were leathery old grandmas! I'm sure that was the first time most of them had been to a potentially topless beach...they probably had their hopes up? Haha...serves them right! The rest of the time we stayed in Playa Del Carmen, right on the coast.

Saturday was one of our only free days to enjoy the beach. Everyone was planning on going snorkeling nearby and enjoying the day basking in the sun! Unfortunately from the second we woke up throughout the entire day, it rained!! So, needless to say we had a relaxing day and got a lot of souvenir shopping done. We even managed to find a Domino's with Brian and Raleen...it was great for a change!

Then on Sunday it was finally time to go to the much anticipated X-Caret. I'd heard a lot about this place and knew I wanted to visit if I was ever in the Mayan Riveria. It was a lot of fun. It is an ecological theme park of sorts with a lot of activities and cultural events. We swam in the underground rivers, visited the coral reef aquarium, saw dolphins, huge turtles, got to hold parrots (actually Ben held three at once...one on each arm and one on his head...a site to see), saw a replica of an ancient Mayan village complete with Mayan men dancers (finally some eye candy for the ladies to see), saw a Mexican cemetery, rode in a giant rotating scenic tower, ate our hearts out at a fabulous Mexican buffet, and finally enjoyed a spectacular show that included a replica of an ancient Mayan football game, and saw cultural dances from each state in Mexico. A fun-filled, action-packed day!

Finally on Monday, all fun must come to an end. We spent about an hour on the beach in the morning then headed for the airport. We arrived in SLC at midnight. Ben drove straight home and we arrived around 3 am! What a whirlwind. It was a great vacation. We met some wonderful people, got to know others much better, and had a blast. Can't wait to do something like it again!

Maddix Turns 5!!

2011-02-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

Our big boy turned five on January 24th! Hey I'm only a month behind in my blogging...that's progress for me! He had a fun day of non-stop celebrating. He woke up to have his favorite breakfast treat...powdered donettes! He then was off to pre-school in which he got to bring the treat since it was his b-day. He took home-made sugar cookies. He got to hand them out and the kids sang to him. Then after school he had a party with his friends at our house! The theme was Iron Man which later morphed into superhero's in general. He got an Iron Man costume and electronic hand from Santa and was going to wear that to the party. But he changed his mind and wanted to wear his beloved Wolverine costume instead. So his buddies Stetson and TreDyn got to wear Iron Man instead. I must say Maddix is a stud with the ladies and several little girls have a crush on him. It was fun to have some of those little sweeties there too! They played pin the helmet on Iron Man, and Super Hero X-ray vision guessing game! Then they had superhero adorned cupcakes and ice cream and then watched Astro Boy! All in all it was a fun little party. He still had another party to come with the relatives! We had everyone over for pizza and cupcakes/ice cream and of course gifts! He was once again spoiled. Ben and I thought it was time he get a bike...finally! We haven't taken it outside yet since it's too cold but he's been cruising around on it in the house a lot. All in all it was a great day. We're very lucky to have such a sweet, smart, handsome, funny, all around great kid! I'm elated that he likes to give his mom cuddles still! I hope he never outgrows that!

Home Improvements...

2011-02-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy fall/winter. We (mostly Ben) worked on finishing the basement. It was our goal to have it done before Christmas. And we did it. It was a lot of work but not so bad when you have a professional in the house. Our basement has a home theatre room. We have really been enjoying it so far! We thought we'd really only watch the big screen for movies and sports. Well think again! We're down there every night. We've had several movie nights with family and friends. Ben had a guys night and watched sports with his buds. I had a girls night in which we had all the female relatives around come over and watch 'Gone With The Wind' which was Granny Helen's special request! It was a lot of fun. Maddix's birthday party even ended with the kiddo's watching a movie. The kids have a small play nook, and I finally have a full sized guest bedroom again. I've always wanted a soft blue and white room and finally got it. Although the paint is fine, I would have preferred it a tiny bit softer. But oh well, I'm not complaining! And the final pics are of my latest sewing project. I wanted a new bedspread for the boys room, one that tied in with the nautical decor. However, I could not find what I was looking for. Therefore I had to make it. It was a lot of work, especially with my pain-in-the-butt-piece-of-crap machine! Can I just say sewing machines drive me nuts. I think they all are probably a pain, but mine is especially irritating! I know it's only an entry level one and that must have a lot to do with it. Oh well it's done and I like it. I also painted the boys bed. It was black...don't you just love spray paint! I finally feel like I can relax for the rest of the winter....until the dreaded spring cleaning/organizing.

Christmas 2010...

2011-01-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season started off with a bang. After Thanksgiving at our house we went to a fun little Christmas festival in Vernal where the boys got to pet a real camel, ride a pony, play in some bouncy houses, get cotton candy and churros, etc...all free of charge (Vernal rocks!) It was a lot of fun. Later that weekend we went out to our niece Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday party. Man they know how to party. They had a princess party with the birthday girl dressed up as Snow White. They had a full course meal, a balloon artist, a giant pinata, cake and ice cream...the whole nine yards. It was a lot of fun! Later the boys and I went to Ogden's Christmas village. They just loved looking in all the little houses. It was pretty cold but they didn't want to leave. It was Carter's first time going and Maddix's second or third. They loved it. We did however miss Santa Clause there and had to go visit him at our local grocery store later on. We got a ton of snow right before Christmas and Maddix and I built a "bucket snowman"...(we couldn't get the snow to roll so we had to pack it in a bucket. A trick we learned last year from Grandpa Lou). This year the boys even received a phone call/message from Santa. It was really cute and they both enjoyed listening to it over and over. We still haven't deleted the messages. Santa knew that Maddix is an artist and that Carter loves chicken nuggets. He even knew they wanted another ride-on vehicle. The tractor they got last year was too hard to share anymore. So Maddix wanted a "by side by side" aka a yamaha razor-side by side just like grandpa and grandmas. They got really lucky and got a very similar arctic cat side by side they can both enjoy and even haul some stuff in the back. We were able to enjoy Christmas morning in our newly finished basement. Maddix was worried Santa wouldn't know to bring the gift downstairs so we left him a note. Along with their ride on they boys got a few other toys. Maddix got some Iron Man paraphernalia (which is why he's in a costume in our family pic) and Carter got some "Chuck" dump truck toys. He loves anything to do with trucks or tractors. It was a great Christmas for all of us. We enjoyed spending time with our families, my brothers, dad, and Brenda all came out here this year so it was a lot of fun being together.

Fall Activities

2011-01-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

This fall was a fall of firsts! I made my first rag quilt. I made it for our friend Cicile and her cute little baby Isaac. Then we celebrated Ben's Granny Helen's 85th birthday. She is such a funny sweet lady. She hates to have her picture taken but allowed some at her party. I love this one...she looks so cute and happy. She is so much fun to be around. The great grandkids and some others went out and helped clean up all of her leaves. We love our granny! Next was Maddix's first primary program. He did excellent. We practiced his line over and over and he knew it backwards and forwards. We told him if he did a really good job and said it loud and clear and didn't get scared that he could have a special treat. We went to the store the night before and he picked out his own bag of powdered donuts. I told him if he did a good job saying his line then he could look at me after and if I gave him a thumbs up sign then that meant he earned his donuts. Well, when it came time for the Sunbeam class to say their parts most of them got too scared and just turned away from the microphone. Maddix and one other little boy were the only ones to say it by themselves with no help! As soon as he said it he turned and looked at me and of course I was giving the thumbs up sign. He was so excited that he did good that he immediately returned the thumbs up sign. The whole congregation chuckled and turned around to see who he was giving the thumbs up sign to. It was a classic moment. I wish I could have video recorded it. He was so proud and happy that all his grandmas were there and grandpa larry. He kept looking at all of us and would just turn on the cheesiest grin. And when it came time to sing, he didn't know the words (no big surprise) but would just look around and yawn! It cracked me up. He did however know the chorus the "Follow the Prophet" and would chime in then. He loves that song and went through this really loud clicking his tongue stage. He would go around the house clicking to the tune of that song...what a nut. Then onto Turkey Day. It was my first time having it at my house. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. It was just intimate with us, my mom, and Ben's parents. The turkey turned out good and our mom's brought several of the sides...so it wasn't very bad at all. Maddix made the turkey hat my "turkey boys" are wearing!

Cheesy Faces and Spooky House

2010-11-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

Maddix and Carter with two of their favorite little friends, Isabel and Ethan. Carter doing his new found "cheesy face!"

The Three Stooges (AKA Maddix, Carter, and baby cousin Chaz.)

The boys had a fun Halloween this year. Maddix has been looking forward to it since the end of June. We got them this little playhouse this summer. One of the first things Maddix thought of when it arrived was that we could make it into a "scary house" for Halloween. I must admit I thought it was a great idea too. Last year he was disappointed when we made him stop handing candy out to the kids and go around trick-or-treating himself to all our families homes. So, this year we learned from our mistake and knew he'd want to hand out the candy. He'd been getting so excited to decorate his playhouse and make it spooky. Finally the time came we got it all "spookified". However, Maddix told me we hadn't made it spooky enough. He said it was too cute with all the smiling pumpkins, etc. Well we did our best and it was so funny because even Carter wanted to make it spooky. He kept going around saying "spooky" and he even added a little ghost to hang on the door. Maddix wanted to be Wolverine again and Carter was going to be Batman. However, Carter is absolutely in love with backhoes, tractors, dump trucks, etc. He can literally spot them from a mile away when we're driving around. And recently he's discovered Bob the Builder show, which he refers to as backhoe show. Well I couldn't pass up this opportunity to dress him up as Bob. It was an easy costume to make since we had most of the stuff on hand. He really enjoyed being Bob and it fit his little personality perfectly. It was so cute when he got into his costume for the first time and the spooky house was there. He took his hammer and starting building/hammering on his house. He's a natural...must take after Dad. Also Carter started really getting into taking the pictures when we told him to make a "cheesy face." All in all it was a fun Halloween for all of us. The kids enjoyed handing out the candy despite the cold weather. Maddix felt so cool when one of the trick-or-treates told him that his scary house was "awesome!" This may be a tradition for the next couple of years?

Maddix's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

September 8th, 2010 was Maddix's first day of preschool. He is going to Over The Rainbow Preschool with Miss Jeri. He gets to attend with 3 of his little friends from our ward...Stetson (his best bud), Tre Dyn, and Reagan. It is really a bittersweet thing. I'm happy for him because he's really wanted to go for a while. But it's sad because it means he's growing up too fast! I don't want my little bud to be leaving me so soon. Hopefully this will help ease us into a kindergarten schedule for next fall. After all it is only 2 days a week for 2 hours each. The good thing about it is that I get an opportunity for some one on one time with Carter.

Carter's Curious George Birthday Bash

2010-09-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

August 20th was Carter's 2nd Birthday. He was so cute. All week long we'd been watching Curious George to get him really excited for the party. All day that day I'd been telling him "Happy Birthday" and calling him the "Birthday Boy". I don't think it really sunk in though until we were all set up for the party. Once he saw all the treats and presents I think he finally realized...wow this is all for me! Of course we had our jumbo George there since he was the inspiration. I had to do some sewing repairs on his ears before the big party since Maddix had cut them off a while back! The party wouldn't have been complete without our monkey cupcakes and banana splits. The regular party crowd turned out and it couldn't have been more fun. I'm so blessed to have Carter as a son. He is just the sweetest little boy. He has such a tender heart. He loves little babies. Ben and I have the opportunity to serve in the nursery that Carter attends at church. He is so sweet to all the little ones. He is just drawn to whoever is the youngest. He'll give them hugs all the time. He's usually easy going. However Maddix knows how to get him upset. And he definitely means business if anyone (i.e. big brother) tries to cheat him out of his precious tractor time. He's really affectionate and cuddly. It's my favorite when he gives me a kiss on the lips...cracks me up. I love my little blondie!

Cabin Fever...

2010-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

My Dad has a cabin up Farmington Canyon. We went there a lot growing up. I have a lot of fond memories of catching salamanders in the beaver pond, hiking around, making moose calls, playing the game of Aggravation and getting soooo aggravated when someone sent us back to home base, and of course playing Clue, one of my all time favorites. My brothers and I got to the age where it was boring to be up in the mountains with no music, tv, phones, etc. So it has been a long time since we've all been up there together. This year we all said how much we missed it and wanted to take a trip back up there. Well, we did it finally! Unfortunately Ian and Jayme weren't able to make it this time, but hopefully next year. It was the first time my boys have been there. We had a good time. We went to the infamous beaver pond that we'd discovered as kids and threw rocks into it. I even scored a sweet smacker on the the lips from my angel Carter and caught it on camera! We played games and even did a little 4-wheeling. This is definitely on my to-do-once-a-year-list from now on! Also on that list...go snow skiing once a year at least, go boating/water-skiing/wake boarding once a year at least, and maybe go to Lagoon once each summer?!?

Lagoon...It's What Fun Is!?!

2010-09-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

I love love love the first pic of the boys! That is the look of pure joy! That was Carter's first time ever at Lagoon and he loved it at first. He's my little daredevil so I thought he'd like all the rides, but not so much. He was sort of in a bad mood after they told him he couldn't ride one of the rides (too short). He then was on strike for a little bit and wouldn't even go on the bumper cars (which he would have loved...he's an awesome driver on his tractor). After he got some food in his tummy he was in a better mood and cheered up some. His favorite ride definitely was the old antique Ford cars on the rails. He rode that one like 4 times. Maddix liked almost all the rides except the Dinosaur Drop scared him a little. He said the swings and "old tique" cars were his favorite. It was a fun family time. We went with the Roberts family and their three boys. All in all we enjoyed ourselves and look forward to next years trip to Lagoon.

Summer Photos of My Boys!

2010-09-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Anniversary/ Las Vegas Trip

2010-09-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

For our 7th Anniversary we went to Las Vegas. It was so much fun. We got tickets to see Garth Brooks. He put on such a great show! I totally see why he got entertainer of the year every year before he retired. He's awesome. Ben has loved Garth's music forever. He wanted to go to a concert so bad before he went on his mission, but wasn't able to. Then during his mission he went into retirement and since then Ben's always said that we'd go anywhere to see a Garth Brooks concert. Well, he's not officially out of retirement yet, but is under contract to perform one weekend a month at the Wynn/Encore resort. So that's where we stayed and saw him. If anyone gets the chance to go see him, you should definitely do it...you won't regret it. Also while we were there, we went to Phantom of the Opera. It was good too! There were some technical difficulties that postponed the show for over a half hour and that detracted from the mood, but it was still really good. And then the final highlight of the trip was our last stop into the Gold & Silver Pawn shop. We are fans of the "Pawn Stars" show on the History channel and wanted to check it out. As you can tell from the pics, the "Old Man" made an appearance while we were in there. He cracked me up. He acted so put out, like here we go again. I've got to go make the fans happy. He actually agreed to sign memorabilia from the customers! He looks like he's asleep in all of our pics! It was a really fun trip. We want to go back sometime soon and see Ka...we've heard great things about that one.

Our First Official Wedding For A Piece Of Cake Weddings & Events

2010-06-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

This was the first wedding we helped plan and coordinate outside of Chantilly Place. This was for my neighbors the Arnold's. It was a lot of work but worth it in the end. It turned out nice and they were really happy with it. It was the first time I really felt like a real professional. Everyone was asking me where to put stuff and how I wanted it! They just kind of turned to me and told me to take the reins and run with it. I felt like it really helped me get my feet wet. I loved that they had the lights and chinese lanterns (that added so much to that space). Our backdrop along with our linens and chair covers made everything look really nice. It was a great wedding!

Meet Miss GiGi Amor

2010-06-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally decided to name our dog GiGi. What a cute little girlie. Too bad she's probably already doubled in size since these pics. I couldn't resist putting some bling bling on her. She's the only girl I can dress up. We came up with the name sort of by accident. We still couldn't decide what to call her and I was grasping at straws and threw the name Gidget out there...because I love that show (totally an oldie, but a a goody). Anyway, I was like "Gidget Glines" and then Ben said "GiGi" and I instantly fell in love with it. So, GiGi it is. I think her papered name will be Miss GiGi Amor. I like it, it has a nice ring to it! It kind of sounds like Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Nicole's Vintage Dick & Jane Inspired Baby Shower

2010-05-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks! I have been prepping for this shower and my neighbors wedding, and game night at my house, and taking care of our new baby...I mean puppy. Now I just can't wait until our little nephew arrives! This shower was so much fun to get ready for. The inspiration was the classic Dick & Jane books. So I got ambitious and made my first quilt. I must say that it turned out great considering my sewing skills. I am really proud of it. It is probably the best quilt I'll ever make. Although I couldn't have done it without some help from Ben's sweet Grandma Vella. She showed me how to do the picot trim. I actually learned a lot about sewing from this little project. Now it's too bad my machine is on the fritz. I was really on a roll. I must admit, I didn't 100% sew the blanket. I had to rely a tiny bit on my BFF Stitch Witchery! Pam, Connie and I collaborated and came up with the decoration ideas. We incorporated yellow, white, red, and vintage teal blue as our color scheme. Pam did the main course...yummy french dip sandwiches. Connie, Vella, and Julie provided the delicious fruit and green salads. And I was in charge of the desserts. We had lemon bars, chocolate cupcakes, sugar cookies and huge lollipops as the take home treat. I have to give a shout out to my girls Rachel and Hollie for the help with the lollipops...I couldn't have done it without Rachel telling me about them and Hollie shopping for me and shipping it out to me. Thanks chicas! We had a great turnout and Nicole got the nicest gifts. Their little guy is going to be totally styling. Nicole is such a sweetie and I was so glad to be able to have her a fun shower. I know I am a little biased, but it was my favorite baby shower. Now I just need Malissa to have a baby girl so I can throw the sweetest tea party inspired shower!! I'm already dreaming it up in my head...

Meet the dog without a name...aka the newest member of our family!

2010-05-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally did it. We took the plunge and got a dog. And it's a girl!! I had to insist on a girl, since she may be the only baby girl I'll ever get? She's a purebred Lab. We got her on Wednesday, April 28th. She was exactly 7 weeks old. She was born on March 10th. We weren't really planning on a dog lately, but the timing just seemed right. One of Ben's friends/subcontractors breeds them and had a litter. He asked us if we wanted one. We thought about it for almost a week and decided it may be now or never. I'm not prego, I don't have small baby and it's almost summer, the perfect time to get/train a dog (at least in my opinion). So we just did it. It's been an adventure so far. I think she'll really be a good fit for our family. I didn't realize how much doggies did #2 a day. I thought once maybe twice?!? Think again! Hopefully it's just a puppy thing, kind of like a newborn baby and they poop a lot at first? Now our latest dilemma with her is the we haven't found a name yet. There are a few that have made the cut, but we haven't settled on one yet. The possibilities are Zoey, Lola, Gigi, and Leia (like Princess Leia of Star Wars). I think Gigi is my favorite for her. The reason is she is kind of prissy (a dog after my own heart) but she is kind of spunky too. That is what I think of when I hear Gigi. Ben comes up with the names that he likes off his sci-fi shows, hence Leia and Zoey. I hope we figure it out soon, it would be a lot easier to train her. Ben and I are both indecisive so it could be a while. Were open to suggestions!

Diddle Diddle Dumpling and Crushing On Carly...

2010-05-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't made a post for a while and wanted to do an update of what's been going on around our house lately. So, Carter has a shoe fetish. He loves to a) say the word shoe or "shheewww" as he pronounces it. It is one of the latest words in his repertoire and b) he loves to put them on all by himself. He walks around the majority of the time in shoes, even in the house. He sometimes gets upset if we try to take them off. He's just all around addicted to shoes lately. The only problem is he often goes around with one shoe off and one shoe on...so he's adopted the nickname of Diddle Diddle Dumpling!

And for Maddix, I think he's crushing on Carly...i Carly that is. He loves that show lately and always asks to watch it. His fascination with her started from School Of Rock, which she has a major part in. This is a show Maddix has watched a few times and gets a kick out of, as do I. Well, one day i Carly was on and I pointed out that she was the girl from School Of Rock and he was hooked. I have to admit though, Maddix isn't the only one who likes i Carly...it's actually a really cute show and I enjoy it right along with him!

Window Treatment...Before & After

2010-03-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

So, I guess you could say I've had the winter blues lately. It is freezing cold here and we still have a ton of snow. Not to mention the fact that nothing eventful has been going on lately. So, when I get really bored and am basically homebound, what else is there do to except spruce things up a bit? Well, I've been surfing the net a lot lately and have been inspired by one of my favorite blogs...The Thrifty Decor Chick @ thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com. She has great ideas and all on the cheap. Well she has opened my eyes and made me realize how important window treatments can be. I've always been intimidated by them and not really known what to do. Also, since our plan has been to build & sell several times I didn't want drill holes into the walls even though fixing them with a builder in the house would be super easy....well for anyone really. Just a little spackle paste and touch up paint. Anyhow, I got thinking about this tablecloth I've had that I absolutely love (it's a toile, and I love anything french country) but can not use anymore because my new table is square and the table cloth is oval. So, I decided to make a window treatment for the breakfast nook out of it. It was pretty simple, but took a lot of tweaking until I got it just right. And best of all it was almost free. The material, ribbon and liner (an old bed sheet...a liner was really a must for this, and was something I figured out later in the process) all were free b/c I had them on hand. The only thing I had to pay for was a tension rod (still couldn't bring myself to drill anything yet) which was about $8 or $9. Overall I am pretty pleased with the outcome. I do realize just how much more custom window treatments make a home look and I'm totally converted! I'm even working on some for the master bedroom made out of the matching bedskirt. I haven't quite gotten those right yet...but I'm working on it. So we'll see, at least I've been occupied for a while. Here is the before and after.

Maddix's 4th Birthday Bash

2010-02-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

Maddix was lucky this year and had a two day celebration for his 4th Birthday. His Grandpa Lou came out for the weekend and he had lots of fun. Maddix, Grandpa, and Mom built a snowman and a snow fort. He and Grandpa even had a little snowball fight. We then went bowling. It was his first time bowling and enjoyed it for a while. At the end he was kind of done with it. We then went home and had pizza and some ice cream and cake and got to open gifts from Grandpa and Brenda. Then on Sunday he got sung to by the primary kids for the first time. He thought that was pretty cool! And finally he had another party Sunday evening with the rest of the family! This year he wanted a scooter...so a scooter he got, a long with a ton of other things from all the grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles. He definitely is loved and spoiled by us all! Oh yeah, the theme for this party was Mickey Mouse. We dodged the Spongebob bullet, luckily, only because they were out of the invitations!

Happy Everything

2010-01-04T09:39:00.001-08:00

You know those holiday decorations that say "Happy Everything" and have something to represent each holiday throughout the year? Well this is what I feel like saying. I've totally been slacking in the journal/blog department for the last part of the year and haven't made any entries. So here is a recap of the holiday season for the end of 2009. Halloween Super Heroes...

Maddix debated between being Wolverine and Buzz Lightyear, but the Wolverine won out. So Carter got to be Spiderman instead of Woody. Carter was practically busting out of his 12 - 18 month old costume. Good thing it was spandex! We went trick-or-treating on Main St. which I thought would be quaint and fun, but it was way too crowded. We gave up and went home after going only one block! Then on Halloween we took the boys around to the grandparents houses and that was about it. Maddix really just wanted to stay home and answer the door and see all the ghosts and goblins, so we should have just let him do that instead. Maybe next year he'll still want to do that? Who knows? Live and learn I guess. All in all it was a pretty good halloween. My favorite part was the cute pics!

Thanksgiving at Grandma & Grandpa Glines'

2010-01-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

This year we enjoyed Thanksgiving up in Neola at the grandparents house with Ben's immediate family and extended family of some aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was nice because my mom was invited too, so it was great to be able to spend time with both sides of our families. We had a big group with tons of good food. I was a little surprised at Carter. He usually goes to town at meal time and I thought he'd be in heaven on his first Thanksgiving of solid food, but he just ate a little. I guess there was too much going on to sit still and eat!

Christmas Eve

2010-01-04T09:18:00.001-08:00

We did our annual traditions on Christmas Eve of playing in the snow and going sledding at the park, had lasagna dinner, and let the boys open a present of new jammies. This year they got to open jammies and a game...Hungry Hungry Hippos which we played with the 2 grandmas. It was a lot of fun, Carter could even participate in this one!

Christmas Morning

2010-01-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

I think Ben and I were just as excited if not more that Santa brought the boys a ride on tractor. I think it will be so much fun for Maddix to give Carter rides in the trailer. This was a fun Christmas. Like I said we were so excited for them to see everything we had to wake Maddix up (he slept in because he wouldn't go to bed until late) so we (mostly me) wouldn't miss his reaction. At first Carter was more excited about it and wanted to sit on it first. He's a little too short to reach the petal, but he sure likes to try! They've been riding it in the unfinished basement and we can't wait for the snow to melt and they can go all around the yard. We spent Christmas day out in Roosevelt with Nana Connie and Ben's family. Then the day after we headed out to Huntsville to see Grandpa Lou and the rest of the gang.

New Year's Eve Party at the In-Law's house

2010-01-04T08:41:00.001-08:00

We had yummy treats and played games all night, which consisted mostly of Clue to kill the time, which is probably my all time favorite with the "party crowd" a.k.a. the girls, while the hubs watched tv and the little guys played toys. Thanks to Maddix's late nap, he made it into the new year wide awake. Carter zonked out about eleven o' clock and Dad barely made it and then nodded off too. All the girls of course made it. Our brains were fairly sharp playing the game until midnight hit and then it was like somebody clicked a switch and we all were saying silly things and acting crazy. It was a lot of fun!

Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

This was our 2nd Annual trip to the local corn maze/pumpkin patch. This year we went with our friends the Roberts'. It was especially fun for Maddix because they have three boys he could run around and play with. We participated in all they have to offer, starting off with the hay ride over to the pumpkin patch and selected a couple to take home. Then all the boys could play around in the courtyard on large haystacks, slides, sand piles, the house filled with corn kernels, the make-shift cow barrel 4-wheeler ride thing, etc. This year Carter could even participate, not just spectate. Lots of fun things to do. Last but not least we ventured into the corn maze. Thanks to Tobin's navigating, we made it out easily! It was a really nice day to go, the weather was excellent. It was a lot of fun!

30th Birthday...

2009-10-20T10:25:00.001-07:00

Well, my big 30th birthday came and went. It kind of sneaked up on me and I didn't really have time to stress out about it. The only time I even felt different was when I realized I couldn't say that I'm in my 20's anymore...that was kind of sad. Oh well, what can you do? It was a nice birthday. I got to go spend some time with my dad and brothers. I got my first ever massage, something I've always wanted, courtesy of my dear ol' Dad and his wife Brenda. It was awesome...I have to do that at least once a year from here on out. Then we had a nice little celebration with our family in Roosevelt. My Mom was so sweet and really wanted to make it a memorable birthday, hence the decade too early "Over The Hill" decorations, hat, boa, pin, etc! It turned out nice and it was fun to spend time with family.

Carter's 1st Birthday

2009-10-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late in getting this post up. Carter turned 1 years old on August 20th. He had a great day. It got started with one birthday waffle and candle. Then it was time for his television debut on Good Things Utah. Then that night he had his first backyard birthday bash. He had some grandparents, all great grandparents, and Uncle Beau, Aunt Nicole, and Auntie Elva there . He had his very own cake and was allowed to go at it. However, he just discovered a fork for the first time and was determined to use that instead of hands. So, he didn't get very messy...which I guess is a good thing? The messy cake pics are good for the old scrapbook though. He enjoyed opening up presents and playing with new toys. One thing he didn't like was his birthday hat...we could barely get him to keep in on long enough to snap a couple of pics. All in all it was a great day. We're so happy to have Carter as a part of our family. He brings so much joy and happiness into our lives. Here are some of the milestones that Carter reached during the last 13 1/2 months. He started rolling over both ways just a few days shy of 7 mos. He also started sitting up unassisted at 7 mos, but was a pro by 7 1/2 mos. He didn't start doing the army crawl thing until about 10 mos. He did this forever it seemed. I thought he wasn't going to ever really crawl. But he finally did start to crawl at around 11 mos. Then he didn't even start to try to walk for a long time. At about 13 mos he started walking around the furniture. He was kind of chicken and didn't dare try it on his own. Then on Sunday, September 27th he took his first steps by himself at church. Throughout the next week he really started picking it up. He got braver and braver, and by the following Sunday (13 1/2 mos) he was walking long distances all by himself!! He is doing very well and soon will be cruising all over the house. He already knows how to open the doors around the house too. He is suddenly growing so fast. In some ways he still seems like a baby because he LOVES his bottle and his binky. But that's ok...he can stay my baby for as long as he wants!! We love ya Carter, aka Boopsy Boo! Shh don't tell Dad, he hates that nickname.

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-09-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

I had a little photo weekend with the boys. First we got their pics taken at JC Penny's, just in case mine didn't turn out. Then I took them around the Valley for some more. At the time it seemed like things weren't working out very well, but in hind sight I think we did pretty good. I know a lot has to do with our new Macintosh computer that we've wanted for a really long time. It has a pretty good photo editing program, a basic one, but that's good enough for me right now. Now I just need to get some printed out and displayed. I love taking pictures and editing them, but the process usually stops there because now I do all my scrap booking via photo books on the internet and therefore don't really print them out anymore. But I'd like some bigger prints for around the house. Well, hopefully I can keep improving and learning more photo techniques!

UBIC Parade

2009-08-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

I was in the UBIC parade this year. I haven't been in a parade in a long time...but it's not what you think. Actually "A Piece of Cake Weddings and Events" my company, was in the parade. It was really cute. I had a convertible car that I borrowed from my neighbors family's car dealership. I had my advertising car magnets on the doors and then decorated it as a just married car. Then my darling little neighbor girl wore my wedding dress and veil. Her boyfriend wore a vintage blue tuxedo t-shirt and top hat and they drove the car while playing some fun wedding songs...(Chapel of Love, etc). Unfortunately the crowd couldn't hear the music...too bad because it was a nice touch. Then following behind the wedding car was myself driving a golf cart, also decorated with advertising signs and wedding bells, etc. I was carrying coolers of Otter Pops. I had four of my sweet little Achievement Day girls help me out by passing out the Popsicle's and also paper fans with my logo and information. In theory it was really cute and in reality it was kind of cute. The little girls were in matching dresses and had floral wreaths in their hair to emulate flower girls. They carried baskets full of the fans and Popsicle's and walked along side the golf cart and passed them out to the crowds. We ran out of stuff and got way behind our convertible car and were pretty much holding up the whole parade...but other than that it went well. I think it at least got our name out there and some awareness. And you know how the saying goes...bad publicity is better than no publicity. So even though we may be remembered as that disorganized wedding place that was holding up the parade...at least we'll be remembered!

Wild West Cuties!

2009-08-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

We entered Maddix & Carter in the UBIC baby show. The theme was Wild West Cuties, so they needed to dress up in Cowboy or Native American attire. Needless to say, they didn't win anything (you only win if you were in cahoots with one of the judges) but they looked absolutely darling and did really well. I don't need someone else to tell me that they are the cutest kids in the whole darn town...in my eyes they are!

Summer Splashing

2009-08-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

2009-08-31T15:56:00.000-07:00

2009-08-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

2009-08-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

2009-08-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

Maddix and Carter's summer splashing events included playing on the Slip & Slide (which Maddix only would run down, never knowing how to slide on his tummy), playing with Fireman Elmo toy, sliding and splashing in the huge backyard water park we borrowed for my activity day girls, going to the pool at the rec center in Vernal, and last but not least going boating at Flaming Gorge with my dear friend Natalie and the whole Rawlings bunch...which I heart. They are so much fun to be around!

1/2 Birthday...My Favorite Things About Maddix Lately

2009-07-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Today is Maddix's 1/2 birthday...so he's 3 1/2. Normally I don't celebrate this, which we didn't do much but I had free store credit at Staple's that had to be used up so I bought him an artist smock and water paints. And I always feel a little bad because he gets the bulk of his presents for the year in the winter and wanted him to have something fun to look forward to in the summer. Of course I sang "Happy Half Birthday" song. And it was so cute because he kept telling me I needed to make him a 'half cake'. What a smartie...half a cake for half a birthday! Anyway this is my little tribute to him because he's just really cracking me up lately. So here's some of my favorite Maddix quirk's recently. He loves the movie "Toy Story" and and also loves to jump off of things lately. So when he jumps he says, "to infinity and beyond" just like Buzz does before he flies. Also he's been so inquisitive recently. I'll tell him something we need to do for example...make the beds. He'll ask why and I'll say something like because we don't use them in the day and it just looks nice. He again ask why and then he'll say, "tell me all about it." I'm not sure where he picked that one up, but it's so cute. Then since it's been the 4th of July and lots of fireworks going on...his new thing is to make me sit down and watch his fireworks show. He'll throw toys up into the air or down the stairs. He'll tell me exactly where I have to sit. But my favorite is how he says the Grand Finale...he'll say,"Look, I've got a really cool granny folly!" Next on the list is his new favorite cartoon...Hong Kong Phooey. He found it while staying up late and watching TV with Grandma Pam. He says it "Honk Honk Phooey" and he'll sing a little song about him being a crazy dancer. It's this old school 1970's cartoon and it is quite entertaining. Luckily we found out it comes on at 9:00 am so he can watch it then. And finally the last thing was when we were shopping with Grandma Pam. She has this habit of buying things in multiples when she finds a good deal. A lot of times she'll buy at least 6 of something and have it on hand for wedding center pieces. Well, she was doing this and Maddix was in her cart. He told her, "Grandma, you don't need that many." Then a little later he said, "Most people only buy one!" How does he know that? He's probably been listening to his Dad and Grandpa Larry! Maddix is such a joy to have around. He is truly one of my best friends and I love him to death.

P.S. His hair is long on purpose. I'm trying to grow it out for that shaggy look. But it's at that I really need a haircut phase...hopefully we'll be over that phase soon!

HAFB Air Show

2009-06-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hill Air Force Base had their Air Show this year. My Dad got some VIP tickets to the rehearsal show on Friday, so Maddix and I went with Grandpa Lou, Brenda, Ian, Jayme, Derek, and Betty. We had a lot of fun. Maddix especially liked checking out the F-16's and the Monster truck. It was really loud and Maddix could not keep his ear plugs in for the life of him. So, towards the end he got a little antsy to get out of there because it was so loud. Then he fell asleep in Uncle Derek's arms for quite a while. All in all it was a good day and something different to see and do. I vaguely remember going as a little kid, but hadn't been in many years. So, we'll wait for a few more years and hopefully get to go again.

Declared....Potty Trained!!!

2009-05-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!! I'm officially declaring Maddix potty trained. I can't believe the day has finally come. I think there are three things that attributed to his success. They are Miralax (my personal miracle in a jar), Batman, and this little bubble gum machine. The first obstacle that we conquered was with Miralax Stool Softener...need I say more. This just really helped soften things up and get rid of the pain for Maddix. The second was the coveted Batman underwear. He got them from Santa Clause and was told he couldn't wear them until he knew how to go pooh-pooh in the potty because he couldn't ever get Batman dirty. Well one day I was out of underwear for Maddix and had to hurry and throw the Batman underwear on. I told him he better not have any accidents in these because Batman would get really mad at him and not be his friend anymore. So, he took this very seriously. Finally I had to find a toy or something I knew he would really want. He loves gum, so a gumball machine seemed fitting. This set on top of our fridge for quite a while because Maddix was told he had to earn this by learning how to go pooh in the potty, not in a diaper anymore. Well, one blessed day, the day he first wore his special Batman underwear, Maddix did the deed all on his own. I was on the telephone and he went in the bathroom all by himself and took care of business. He then called me in and told me he went. I was expecting a really little one, like in the past...not the case this time!! I was so happy and he got lots of praise, kisses, and treats! Then about two weeks more of this with no accidents, he was awarded his gumball machine. I am so proud of Maddix for accomplishing this feat! He really tried hard and it paid off. Way to go Maddix!

Easter Festivities!

2009-04-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

This year for Easter, we had a lot of fun. Maddix and his favorite new friend Stetson kicked off the festivities by having a little Easter party the week before. They helped decorate sugar cookies, color some eggs, and had an Easter egg hunt. Then for the weekend, we went out to the Wasatch front to spend some time with my family. We had a family get together at Uncle Bob and Aunt Julie's house in Layton. Maddix got to participate in another Easter egg hunt with my cousin Shawn's son, Collin and his other cousin Kaitlyn. It was a lot of fun to see this side of the family. It had been about three years since I'd been to one of these get-togethers and they hadn't really ever seen the kids. It was good times visiting with aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. Then on Easter Sunday we spent the day with Nana Connie and my brothers and their families. We had a nice Easter dinner and had a squirt gun fight, blew bubbles, opened more gifts, etc. And finally we stopped by Grandpa Lou's house to visit for a while before we headed back. It was nice to spend time with the whole family. Then on our way back we made our usual drive-by in the Mt. Green area looking at all the available lots and wishing there were some way we could afford to live there...(sigh) maybe some day!

"Peeky Doo"

2009-02-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

This is Pinky Dinky Doo or as Maddix calls her, "Peeky Doo". This is a show that comes on Noggin at 1:00 pm which is when Maddix has quiet time. He watches this show and really enjoys it. Pinky makes up stories and will have a word of the day that correlates with the story such as gargantuan, gigantic, unique, nervous, etc. Maddix has started to use these words lately. He'll say gargantuan and knows it means really big. However, he uses nervous and doesn't really know what it means. It cracks me up. For example, I'll ask him to do something or stop doing something and if he doesn't want to he'll say, "Mom, I can't I getting nervous!" I really get a kick out of this. It just goes to show how much they really are picking up on. Another one of my favorite things he's been saying lately is "stylin" (aka styling). He is into combing my hair and putting clips in it. He'll say, "Mom I comb your hair and make you stylin." Or finally when he gets my hair clipped up, he'll say that it looks like a "cow's tail." Thanks a lot buddy!

Maddix's 3rd Birthday...

2009-01-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

Maddix turned 3 years old on Saturday, the 24th. He had a Shrek party with all his 'girlfriends' and family. It was the first party where we invited his little friends, which the vast majority happens to be girls. In fact his boy buddies were missing in action on this one, so Maddix had all the little ladies to himself. He wasn't complaining. The kids played Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Swamp Hop (a Shrek rendition of musical chairs). All the kids were three except for Dakota who is in first grade. Needless to say the little ones were new to these games and Dakota was the champ for both. Maddix made out well in the gift department. He got a big remote control Ford truck, a train track set, The Jungle Book movie, some books and misc vehicles, dinosaurs, a sweeper vacuum (yes, he's always wanted a toy one so grandma Pam and grandpa Larry got him a real push sweeper/vacuum so he can really help and can sort of clean up his own messes too!!), and of course some more Play-Doh. He had a 'Shrektacular' time and got spoiled by everyone!

Christmas '08

2009-01-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas this year, as every year. We are very blessed and lucky to have great family, friends, and each other. It was especially fun this year because Maddix could understand the concept of baby Jesus being born and Santa Clause. We enjoyed watching Christmas movies this holiday season. We especailly love 'The Grinch' with Jim Carrey and watched it several times. Maddix was able to visit with Santa at our ward party. He was a little shy and didn't really talk. He was mostly interested in getting the candy cane, which has been one of his very favorite treats since last Christmas. We made lots of treats and probably gained a few unwanted pounds too. Maddix enjoyed opening his presents and everyone else's as well. From Santa he received a V-Tech educational video game system, a parking garage, Play Dough set, and some miscellaneous items like Curious George band-aids. He got a lot more toys from grandmas and grandpas. He was very spoiled. Carter got a few infant toys too which he is starting to enjoy now that he's trying to sit up. Maddix and Carter weren't the only ones who got spoiled...Ben and I did as well. We got a nice Canon Rebel camera to take better pictures with and also Rock Band. Rock Band was a lot of fun to play on Christmas day with all the relatives. We stayed in Roosevelt this year and celebrated with Ben's family. However, Nana Connie came out and stayed with us as well. Then a few days later, we went and saw my Dad and brother's and their families. We had a fun time with all our family and enjoyed a wonderful holiday season.

Sleddin' Tradition...

2009-01-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

Last year Maddix and I started the Christmas Eve Day tradition of going sledding at the park by our house. Last year, Maddix was a little apprehensive about going down the hills. But this year he kept wanted to go again and again. We enlisted Dad this year who was a good sport to come even though he was having some serious back pain. It was a lot of fun and it's now our yearly activity to pass the hours more quickly until Santa comes. Plus it helps to tucker the kids out, always a plus!

Halloween

2009-01-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

This was Carter's first Halloween and Maddix's first time he really went trick-or-treating! We had a fun time. Maddix dressed up as Batman or "datman" as he calls him. Carter just chilled in a little teddy bear jogging suit. Maddix went to see his grandmas, grandpas, uncle and aunt. We also had our friends come over for dinner, The Clayburns. Then Maddix went out trick-or-treating with Dad, his friends Dakota and Courtney, and their dad Ryan to the neighbors. The kids were all hyped up because of the sugar and out of control! They had a good time. It was a memorable Halloween. We're already looking forward to next year when Carter can dress up...we're thinking a baby Yoda!?!

Pumpkin Patchin'

2008-10-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

For one of our family fall festivities, we went to a local pumpkin patch/corn maze. Maddix had fun climbing around on the haystacks, looking at the goats, playing with dump trucks, and getting consumed in the little house full of dried corn kernals. It was a fun little family outing. Of course Carter enjoyed being a spectator and got all decked out in appropriate pumpkin patch appearal wearing little overalls and cowboy boots! Later we bought some pumpkins and enjoyed carving them. Maddix is excited for Halloween and is going to be going "real" trick-or-treating (not just going to the relatives homes) for the first time!

Carter's Blessing...

2008-10-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

Carter was blessed on October 12th. It was such a special day. We had our family and friends there to support us. Ben gave him a special blessing asking that he grow in health and strength; have a strong body, mind, spirit; that he be a joy to his parents; that he have a fun childhood; that he have a desire to learn and study in school, the scriptures, the gospel; that he get as much education as he can; that he serve a mission, find a worthy companion to take to the temple, and find a good career to support his family. Carter was really good and didn't cry at all during the whole sacrament meeting. I found the courage to bear my testimony, which is a challenge for me. I almost didn't have the chance because in our ward if you snooze, you lose. We have a very active ward and someone always has the desire to share their testimony.

I can't believe how the time flies. Carter is getting so big. He is at such a fun stage. He loves to smile and be talked to. He's starting to be really social. He is such a blessing in our lives. I heard this saying and really liked it. "We didn't give you the gift of life, life gave us the gift of you." That's so true and I'm so thankful for my little boys. They are truly the light of our lives!

Early Arrival!!

2008-09-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

Our little boy arrived on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008. He was 3 1/2 weeks early. I was hoping/expecting him to come early, but not that early. However, he was very good sized for being almost a month early. He weighed 6 lbs 15oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. At my 36 week check-up on Monday, I was dilated to a 4. I however, anticipated making it to my next check-up...shows how much I know. On Wednesday evening, I was just relaxing at home and lo and behold my water broke at about 5:45 and by the time I had him it was 8:13 pm. It was a whirlwind delivery and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get an epidural in time (since I was a 9 by the time I got it!!) Needless to say, I did get it in time thanks to a good anesthesiologist. Then about 5 or 6 pushes later, our little angel was born. His name came along a few days later since we had a hard time deciding, especially on a middle name. We named him Carter Graham Glines. He had Jaundice and had to stay an extra day in the hospital...and we still had to have him under the lights at home too. I just want to say a big thanks to those who sent us beautiful flowers. The bright mixed bouquet is from my good friend Natalie Rawlings, the purple bouquet is from Ben's Uncle Mervyn and Aunt Julie and their girls. The balloons are from Nana Connie. And the beautiful bouquet in the pitcher was from my sweetheart Ben. I loved all the flowers and well wishes, so thanks to everyone for your kindness and support.

Carter has a good amount of dark hair. His hair is darker than Maddix's was and he has more of it. He even weighed more than Maddix and was a week earlier. He also had sort of an olive skin tone, even before he went tanning in the photo therapy lights. So, I hope his dark hair and olive skin stays, but we'll just have to wait and see. We are so happy our little graham cracker is here and that he is healthy

Summer Projects

2008-08-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

This summer, my main project has been trying to get Maddix potty trained. And let's just say it stinks, both literally and figuratively. We've definitely had our ups and downs. We started in early June and we're pretty much back to square one. He did well at first, especially with #1. It's been a different story with #2. I think the poor kid has pooh anxiety. He just can't go on the potty. We were ambitious in the beginning...from the advice of our pediatrician, we dived right into big boy underpants and bypassed the whole pull-ups thing. Like I said he did well with #1 if I was frequently reminding him and taking him into the potty. So, I was pretty hopeful. I probably could have stuck with it if we didn't have such issues with #2. I'll just say that I got so tired of dealing with poopy underwear. It's not like you can just throw them away like a diaper. So, then I thought, we'll try pull-ups so I can dispose of them. For a while he did even better in them with #1. Now he's regressed and is basically wearing diapers again like a baby. I decided to just back off and let him learn it when he's more ready. I still try to have him go on the potty 3 times a day, to keep the hang of it. Every now and then he'll tell me he needs to go and we'll run to the potty. Yesterday he had a breakthrough moment with #2. He told his dad he needed to go and then sat on the potty and did a little bit. It was better than he's done before in this department, still I'd liked to have seen a bigger deposit if you know what I mean. But, he finally got the toy I'd been bribing him with and he really enjoyed it. That was our big excitement for the day. Oh, the things that will amuse a stay-at-home mom! Anyhow, I hope he'll just one day decided he wants to go potty like a big boy and we'll move past all this. As long as he's potty trained by his 3rd birthday, I'll be happy....that's six months away.

Chantilly Place Summer '08 Weddings

2008-07-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

Chantilly Place had two weddings scheduled this summer and they both came off without a problem. The first wedding was on June 14th and the second was on July 12th. The weather was great for both...a little windy for the first and definitely hot for the second, but no rain or clouds in sight. They both were very pretty weddings. The first was kind of a shabby chic style with the colors being soft peach, pink, cream, and white. They had rented the nice white folding chairs which gave it a very weddingish feel. The second wedding style was more modern and her colors were brown and blue. They had brown folding chairs that went perfectly with the blue sashes they rented. They both had their ceremonies here and then had receptions to follow. It was so much fun to be able to help out and to offer someplace nice for these cute couples to have a pretty wedding. I was only able to get a picture of the second couple, Stephanie Taylor and Chris Carter, but they were adorable and so fun to work with. Stephanie's mom Chris is the biggest sweetheart and was so great to work with as well. She gave Pam and I thank you gifts, cute Scentsy candles and wax, which was totally unexpected and really sweet. And in addition to that, we couldn't even believe it, but she tipped us both $100. We were so grateful but felt we couldn't accept it. We tried to return it, but she wouldn't take it back. Some people are sooo generous!! There is a lot of work involved, but we both enjoy seeing how things turn out. Hopefully next year we'll get a few more weddings!

The Big Five!!

2008-07-10T16:04:00.001-07:00

On June 18th, it was our first big milestone anniversary of 5 years! I look back and wonder where the time has gone? It's crazy, it seems like yesterday we were just getting married. We've lived in three places since we got married, in an apartment in Logan, in our first house in North Ogden, and in our current house in Roosevelt. Within these five years, we've had one child and have one on the way. I will recap the past anniversary's just so that I remember what we've done to commemorate them. For our first anniversary, we went to my parent's cabin in Farmington Canyon. The next year, we went to Jackson Hole and saw the Bar J Wranglers and stayed in a Teton Mountain Resort. The third year, we went to Salt Lake and stayed in the Hilton Hotel and ate at Olive Garden. Last year, we went out to Salt Lake and watched a movie at the IMAX theatre and went to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. This was actually a treat because there were no nice theatres or restaurants around here. Ben started the tradition of getting me two dozen roses. This year was low key, due to busy schedules traveling somewhere was out of the question. So we just went to a nice dinner at the Hollow Moon Cafe (yes, they finally got a nice restaurant nearby) and we went to see the Incredible Hulk. When we got married 5 years ago, that movie had just come out and we saw it on our honeymoon, so it only seemed fitting to see it again.

As I reflect on the past five years, we've had a lot of good times and we've had our share of disagreements too. It hasn't been all rosy, but I suppose it would be naive to expect any marriage to be. All in all, things have been pretty good. So, here's to many more!

Mommy & Me Swim Class

2008-06-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

This week, Maddix and I have been going to a Mommy & Me swimming class at the pool. It has been fun, except for a couple of days with cold weather. Maddix seems to like the water and his favorite thing to do is to stand on the side of the pool and wait for me to count to three and then jump into my arms. Except, he sometimes doesn't wait for me to get to three. And after doing this a couple of days, he's gotten really brave. On Friday, he just wanted to jump in and did not want me to catch him! I didn't let him do it, because I know he'll freak out when his whole head goes under...crazy little Kamikaze. As for the second picture, we were starting to get ready to go to swimming lessons and Maddix spotted his Grandpa Larry outside and just insisted on trying to get out there. He knows he has to put on shoes and a hat, so he improvised. He had his swimming diaper in hand and put that on his head and slipped his shoes on. Who cares about pants when you've got underwear on? Next thing I know, I see him trying to escape out the front door looking like this! He just kept saying, "I ready Grandpa" over and over. Who knows, maybe he'll be starting a new fashion trend for toddler boys?!?

Chantilly Place

2008-06-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to be an event planner or a wedding planner. I love everything about weddings and have many ideas. I don't really consider myself a creative person, but when it comes to weddings or parties I really feel like I found my creative niche. My mother and father-in-law have a beautiful blue Victorian home with a gorgeous yard. They've had their kids wedding receptions there and various nieces as well. In Roosevelt, there is nowhere nice to have a reception/wedding. Since Pam has had several weddings at her house, all of them I've been around for and helped plan, we really got thinking last summer. My brother-in-law Beau was getting married and we were helping with that wedding. I mentioned many of my ideas and also told Pam how I'd love to be a wedding planner. She said that since she always puts a lot of work into her yard regardless if there is a wedding that summer or not, that I could establish a wedding business and offer it to the public. So, I got to thinking about a name and came up with 'Chantilly Place'...which is a sort of pun on Chantilly Lace a special lace used for wedding dresses. I think it sounds so quaint and weddingish. Then I began designing brochures and distributing them around town to floral departments, hair/tanning salons, etc. Well, it got off to a slow start with no paying customers last year, but we still did two weddings (Beau & Nicole and Pam's niece Laury & Johnny). Well this year I decided to take a chance and put some more money into my advertising. I made up a radio ad and had it played on X94, the young/hip radio station. It went as follows with the classical song that is played at many weddings now by Pachbel, titled 'Canon in D' playing softly in the background. "Nestled on the grounds of a grand Victorian estate, is a beautiful location to have the garden wedding or reception you've always dreamed of. Chantilly Place is a naturally beautiful outdoor area adorned with fountains, pergolas, gazebos, and flower gardens. This a beautiful place to have a wedding from late spring thru early fall. For more information call Lisa at 725-0577. Book your wedding today at Chantilly Place where they say something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue...we'll be your something blue. Located in Roosevelt at the "Blue Victorian." The 'blue Victorian' is the unofficial name people in town use to refer to the Glines' residence. Pam and I are partners. I am in charge of advertising, getting business and being the one with whom the brides work. Pam is in charge of keeping the yard up. Then we both pitch in on the wedding day for set-up, etc. Well, the good news is that this summer we have two bona fide weddings booked that are not pro bono. Both brides are having their wedding and reception with us. Now we just have to pray for good weather on those two dates since we are an outdoor facility only. I am really excited to see how both weddings turn out. I think both brides have great taste and it will be fun to see how things turn out. It has been something to keep me a little busy and has been nice to put some of the things I learned in college to use as far as advertising, PR, etc. Now if we could just get brides with substantial budgets and could decorate very extravagantly, my wedding planning dreams would be complete. My next venture in further establishing this business is creating a website or a blog.

Happy 30th Birthday Ben!

2008-06-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

On May 30th, Ben turned 30 years old. We had a small get together at his parent's house with his brother and sister-in-law, Beau and Nicole, and Granny Helen. We had yummy cake and ice cream! Maddix is such a good little helper, trying to contribute to the blowing out of the candles. He thought the cake was for him. I can't believe Ben is 30, and I'm almost 29! Time really flies when you get older. I remember being little and always waiting to get older. I couldn't wait until I was a teenager, then sixteen, then eighteen, then twenty-one. Twenty-one however seems like the last birthday I was anticipating!

Hallelujah!...Nana Connie, Grandma Pam, Grandpa Lou, Grandpa Larry

2008-05-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is a little tribute to my funny Maddix. He was at his Grandma Pam and Grandpa Larry's house one day. Larry likes to watch old westerns and had one on the television. On the show, the people were sitting around a fire and singing a song that said "Hallelujah" a lot. Grandma and Grandpa started singing it and clapping their hands over their heads like on the movie, they told Maddix to do it too. So, he did and it has really caught on. At first he was a little shy about doing it, but now not so much. One day we were out working in the yard and Maddix was just off by himself not talking to either of us and out of the blue I heard him singing "hal-lou-la!" And that's how he says it. I thought it was so funny! I just wonder what's going this his little mind?!? Which brings me to the next little thing he's picked up. He now knows the first names of all his Grandma's and Grandpa's and Mom and Dad. And just out of the blue, he'll start rattling them off. He'll say Nana Connie, Grandma Pam, Grandpa Lou, and then he sometimes gets a little confused with the other Grandpa's name probably because they both are called grandpa and their names both start with L's. But he does know who his Grandpa Larry is. Well, then he used to call Ben, Ben...except he'd always shout it. Then one day, he started calling Ben the nickname he had when he was a kid, Benji. No one really calls him this, except for me and maybe his mom every once in a while. So, now he always calls him Benji. One day in nursery they gave the kids a little booklet about their bodies. There is a picture of a boys face and they are wanting the children to realize that it is the head. Well, I was reading it to him and asked him what this was called and he says, "Benji." Well, as you can see in the picture above, there is certainly a resemblance. For a while he would never say my name. When asked what my name was, he'd say Mama or Mommy. Well, now he's knows my name and is not afraid to use it. If he's trying to get my attention he'll say Mama and if I don't respond right away, he'll start saying Lisa over and over again. And then, in the middle of the night he wakes up often and he'll call out for me. He'll usually say mom for a while, which I can try to ignore and then if that doesn't work he'll call Lisa which I can't resist any longer and I'll usually go get him...he really knows how to tug on my heartstrings.

New Baby

2008-05-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

As I stated in my previous entry, I am pregnant. I am due on September 15th. I am currently 21 weeks along. I was not able to find out what I was having until I was 19 weeks. I was very impatient and wanted to know right then because friends that I know who are pregnant and due around the same time as me already knew what they were having. Well, I found this website that claimed they could predict the gender of your baby with nearly 100% accuracy based off the husband and wife's birth dates and the due date. Well, since they were only charging $18 and they claim they'll reimburse you if they are incorrect, I thought what the heck? So I gave it a try. You can imagine my excitement when the results said it was a girl! Well, upon further review of the information I put in, I realized that I had put Ben's birth year in wrong. He was born in '78 and I put it down as '79. Well, I emailed them immediately and asked if this would change the results. They didn't respond right away, in fact I had to email them three times and finally about 2 weeks later, they finally responded saying that now my results were that I was having a boy! Well, a week later, sure enough the big hospital ultrasound revealed it was in fact a boy! I am fine with the fact that it's a boy. I hope he and Maddix will be good little buddies and they'll always have a friend to play with. So, although it does put a dampener on my decorating plans, we will save a lot of money on clothes, bedding, etc. So, we are excited to have another boy in the family. I just hope that I will get one girl, that's all I ask. All our friends that have little girls say that boys are much easier and that we're lucky! So far, we've been really lucky with Maddix since he's been a very mild tempered child. We couldn't ask for a better kid, he's all boy, but not too wild and crazy (yet, at least)! Another plus to having a boy is that it will probably be easier to find a name. He will probably be named Cooper, which is my maiden name. I do like that name for a boy, but I'm just a little worried that I could get tired of it easily since it was attached to my name for 23 years. We'll see what happens. Unless we find another name that...

A. we absolutely love and

B. that we both agree upon

it will be most likely Cooper. The rest of the good news from the ultrasound was that everything looks healthy and that's what matters most. And although I'm not sure Maddix quite understands the whole thing, I'll tell him to talk to the baby, and he says, "Hi brother". But sometimes he thinks that he has a baby in his tummy!

Catching Up

2008-04-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

As I stated before I'm going to start by catching up where I left off in my journal. My last entry was in May 2007, and only that recent because I gave a lesson in Young Women's on journal keeping and felt like a hypocrite, so I made a catch up entry. So, I'll just touch on the main events to get caught up. I went to girl's camp in June. It was the first time I'd spent the night away from Maddix let alone four nights!! I missed him a lot, but I'm glad I got to experience girl's camp again. You don't get to have those week long spiritual highs as an adult, so it was really rewarding. Plus our girl's our truly the best! They are all great, sweet, spiritual, fun girls and just a blast to be around. Also, I made a great friend in the process. I was the assistant camp leader, and the camp leader was the cutest, nicest lady named Vicki Jenkins. Despite our age differences, I sort of felt like we are kindred spirits. We had a lot in common and just loved to talk! I think of Vicki as my favorite new acquaintance in Roosevelt. She actually doesn't live here anymore. She was lucky enough to find love again since her husband passed away and remarried and moved back to where she was from originally. I'm so happy for her, she deserves the best!

Other main events of the summer...there were a lot of firsts for Maddix. It was his first time going to Lagoon, Hogle Zoo, Bear Lake, etc. Ben's little brother Beau got married in July to the sweetest girl name Nicole. Maddix just adores her, as we all do. I couldn't have picked someone better even if I'd chosen her myself. It was a nice wedding in the Vernal temple and the reception was especially nice at "Chantilly Place" aka the Glines' residence. It was nice to have extended family in town for the wedding. Maddix especially enjoyed playing with Aunt Malissa, Uncle Charles, and Amelia. Maddix stole the show when he was dancing!

The rest of the summer flew by of course, and we didn't get to go on vacation until late fall. Ben's family all decided to go back east to visit Malissa's family. We went shortly after Thanksgiving. It was a really fun trip. We got to stay in New Canaan, CT at the Schwart's gorgeous house. We visited the Atlantic Ocean. We also went to NYC. We visited Ellis Island and took a ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty. We went shopping in China Town. Later that weekend we were actually able to stay in the city at Hotel QT right off of Times Square, where Malissa worked. It was fun to stay right down town once. We went to "The Lion King" on Broadway which was wonderful! Thanks to Malissa and Charles, the hotel stay and Broadway tickets were our Christmas gift. That's one we'll always remember! It was fun to be there at that time of year because the city was decorated for Christmas. We got to see the huge tree at Rockefeller center. We got to see all the cute Christmas window displays at Macy's. The city seemed magical at this time of year. Malissa and I took a quick trip into Macy's. It was humongous... like seven floors. There was a whole floor just for women's shoes...heaven! We took a stroll through Central Park, and made a special stop at FAO Schwarz toy store for Maddix. It was a very enjoyable trip. Maddix experienced his first time on an airplane (that was Granny Helen's first plane ride too!), train, subway, ferry, and taxi. Good times.

At this time, Ben decided to quit his job at Newfield, the oil company. He decided to pursue construction full time. He actually joined up with another general contractor, Matt Neilsen. So far so good. They've combined work and have been very busy! Ben is a great provider for our family and I'm thankful that he works hard so that I can stay home.

Also at this time, there was a new addition in the Cooper family. My little brother Derek and his wife Betty had a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Kaitlyn Lucy. She's a doll!! It was a fun time of year because Betty is from Mexico City and her parent's have never been to the United States. So, they were able to come and stay for about a month over Christmas time to see the new baby. We got to celebrate Christmas with her parents, Mario and Lucilla. We all love them and enjoyed having them here.

Although it was Maddix's second Christmas, it was the first one where he kind of got the concept of Santa Clause. Well, he at least could recognize him. He would refer to him as "Ho Ho"! He even got to visit him at the Christmas Village in Ogden. That was fun, he was a little scared, but did pretty well with sitting on a stranger's lap. Maddix had fun opening his presents on Christmas morning. He also went sledding for the first time on Christmas Eve at the park by our house. It was a memorable Christmas!

A few weeks later, Ben and I found out that I am pregnant! We waited to tell our families until I was 12 weeks along. That was tough! Meanwhile, Maddix turned 2 and had a birthday party! He got spoiled as usual by all the relatives. It was a "sports" themed party with a birthday cake that looked like a basketball jersey, and Ben and I got him his first basketball hoop. At first he just liked to knock it over and ride on it like a horse. But now, he is actually good at making baskets.

When we finally broke the news to our families, we had Maddix do it with a message on a specially made t-shirt. It has a little turtle on the front that says, "SHHH I have a secret... then on the the back it says, "I'm going to be a big brother!" Maddix will be the best big brother. He has been carrying a baby boy doll around for a several months now. He loves babies, especially baby girls! Maddix has been growing up so fast. He is suddenly speaking really well. He'll try to say almost anything now. He is so much fun to have around.

Well, I think I've hit the main points in a nutshell. That's a relief to be caught up to the present time.

Bloggin' Bandwagon

2008-04-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

I am jumping on the blogging bandwagon and starting one for our family. My main reason for doing this, is that I want to turn over a new leaf and really make a good effort at the whole journal thing. I've never been successful at keeping a journal, but do understand the importance of them. I am going to be playing catch up from where I left off at in my last journal entry. I will mainly do updates of significant events that happen to our family, with an occasional day-to-day moment that I will want to remember and cherish. Well, here goes nothing!