"Deck the Halls" Boutique

All us girls decided to get a little crafty a couple weeks ago and do a boutique in Vernal, we made everything from watch bands, to blankets, to bows, home decor, and tutu's. So fun, especially just to get to hang out with everyone...
Michelle, Jamie, Jillie, Me, Jillian, Autumn, Alisha and Megan

Oh, and if any of you are needing any of these things we do have some leftovers we would love to get rid of :).......

The Jazz Game!!!

My Bro-in-law and new Sis-in-law invited us to a Jazz Game game, complete with a free dinner at the terrace in the arena before the game and nachos and snacks at half time, we felt like VIP's... Kelli LOVES sports (lucky Tyson) so they do a lot of games, for their honeymoon SHE wanted to go to a Baseball game, all your husbands are jealous right now (I know) maybe she can help me a little. Anyway, it was a really good game until the fourth quarter, the Jazz ended up losing :( We still had a great time though, Thanks Kelli and Tyson for a fun night and great company!!!

Kelli & Tyson

D'will's ,wife, cute new baby, and brother, because obviously I spent more of the game people watching than actually watching the game :)

Halloween 2009

This year it felt like we celebrated Halloween for about a week. We were crazy busy, with church carnivals, pumpkin walks, school parties, kids parties, adult parties, trunk-or-treating, trick-or-treating, etc., etc., etc... We had a lot of fun but got a little tired of taking on and off Halloween costumes and make-up, every day for a week. Taya was a 50's Girl, Jett was a Sky View Bobcat football Player/Optimus Prime, and Lincoln was a Pirate/Robin the boys couldn't decide what they wanted to be so they were both (depended on the activity of the day)!

Da da, da da, da da, da da... Batman (and Robin, of coarse)

Look at those two football stars...and in full character of coarse. (Jett and his friend Braden Alder)

Lincoln's new favorite part of Halloween...


My kids went to the Pumpkin walk with my sister and brother and their families, Justin and I couldn't go. Of coarse, Justin was just devastated that he missed the pumpkin walk this year... it is like his favorite thing :) (not really) Thank you for taking them Alisha and Dave!

Happy Halloween!!!

"PROM NIGHT"

Every year our friends the Cale's Have a themed Halloween dance party...this year's theme was "Prom Night". It was any era so we thought it would be fun to go 80's but I couldn't find an 80's dress like the other girls so I just went with normal prom attire (I guess) I have no idea what they wear to prom these days!!! Any way we have a ton of fun! Happy Halloween!!!

Some of our pic's turned out way blurry, they had the fog machine a little heavy...this whole room was filled with smoke, the fire alarm kept going off... seriously!

The Guys

The Gals

Gettin' our groove on!!!

San Fransisco!

Justin, my Dad, brothers and brother-in-law spent a weekend in San Fransisco, one last guys trip before my little brother Nate leaves on his mission (in Dec.) They went to a 49er's game and to Alcatraz and I guess just hung out. I think they had a great time other than their 11 hour drive turned into a 14 hour drive when my brother Sid, a little past SLC remembered he left the football game tickets at his house in LOGAN! (they all to turn around and come back to get them) all I'll say about that is... and you guys are always saying that I'm getting more like Mom all the time!!! See Sid maybe it is just something that happens when you have kids, and you only have one :)! Ha Ha Ha

Dad, Justin, Jesse, Nate, Sidney, Dave

Alcatraz Prison

49er's VS Falcon's

Soakin' Up the last little bit of Summer!

Obviously this was a couple weeks ago, being that it is now freezing cold. Alisha and I made a quick trip to Vernal for a cousins wedding a couple weeks ago without our husbands, and the weather was so nice we decided to soak up the last little bit of weather while we could. We hit the last open day of the water slide, and on Sunday had a picnic with my Dad's side of the family at Remember the Maine park. It was such a nice day the kids LOVED it and did not want to leave, they had so much fun playing in the water. I had not been here forever, (maybe since high school) and I had forgot how great this place is. Defiantly my idea of "the perfect" day, hanging out with all my family in a beautiful place on a beautiful day! Oh, it's making me miss summer (and my family) already :(
just relaxing and soakin' up the last little bit of summer weather.
My Grandma Bev and Grandpa Pudge




Grandpa Terel teaching Jett how to skip rocks!

Taya and Grandpa playing in the water and crossing the river!

Miley Cyrus!

Taya's best mother/daughter date EVER! A couple months ago I got tickets to the Miley Cyrus concert. Taya has been anxiously awaiting the concert since then. She spent the night before picking out her outfit and boots just like ones that looked like Mileys. We invited our friends Saige and Tyra to come with us, and we all had so much fun. The girls were in heaven. It was so fun to watch thier excitment and remember how cool things like this were when you were a kid. We went to SLC a little earlier, did some shopping and ate before the concert, and after 2 1/2 hours of LOUD music and thousands of SCREAMING little girls, the first thing Taya asked was why it was so short?

Taya, me, Saige and Tyra!

Miley got really sick during the show and ended up running off stage during her third song. Her stage manger came out and announced that they were going to give her little break, that she had the flu that was going around. Tyra and I were little concerned they might cancel the show, but after a fifteen minute break she came back on and did a really good job. I felt really bad that she had to perform feeling so crappy, but purely selfishly was glad she did, I couldn't have imagined the ride home if we'd not got to see the concert that night!

Taya and Saige jammin' to their favorite songs...

What a great night, thanks Miley, for some really great memories!!!

5 Years Old!!!

Last week Jett turned 5 years old! I can't believe he is is getting so big! Jett is about as BOY as you get, he is FULL of energy and keeps our family laughing, he loves most all SPORTS (he has loved balls since he was a baby) it depends on the season, but football is probably his favorite... and of course Jett wanted a football party, what else? So we went to Mac Park with some of his little friends and played ball...

Jett's Uncle Sid got this Adrian Peterson Jeresy for him and he has worn it almost everyday for a week now. He LOVES it!


as we were cleaning up I turned around and found Lincoln and Simon (my neighbors little boy) taking care of the rest of the boys cake and and ice-cream! (if my sis-in law is reading this, she is freaking out right now, major germs I know, but we figured the damage was already done and it kept them in one spot for a while so we just let them go at it!)


Jett and Lincoln playing with his new farm set from Great Grandma Bev, check out Jett's "farmers"...because when do you not see football players in a coral? right?

Happy Birthday Jetter, We love you!

First Day of School!

Taya is in 2nd grade this year, Mrs. Honeymiller is her teacher this year. Taya LOVES school, she never wants to miss a day and last year even cried when I had to check her out early one time. The first day of school, for her, is better than Christmas morning. I just wish her enthusiasm could still be the same when highschool rolls around, but I have a feeling it might not always be this way. So I guess I'll just have to enjoy it for as long as it lasts!


This is Jett's 2nd year of preschool, he has a September birthday, so he just misses the cut off for kindergarten. and I'm just great with that, I think it will be good to be the oldest, rather than the youngest. He unlike Taya, could do with or without school, I think to Jett, the best part about school is just the social aspect, and I have no idea where he gets that from (wink, wink) This first pic. is just one of many attempts of me trying to get a picture of him, doesn't his look alone tell you just how excited he is... time to break out the magic...
...all I have to do when I "need" a good picture of Jett is give him a ball, and wallah...he is all full of SMILES (and poses)!

Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon

Last weekend Justin ran his first half marathon!!! I'm ALOT proud and a little disgusted, okay... or maybe just a little bit jealous, being that he hasn't ran for years and he and my brother decided 2 weeks before the race to run it (we all thought at first they were totally joking), they trained on the treadmill 4 or 5 times (seriously) and ran 13.1 miles in 2:03 without stopping once! Really? Who does that?!?! He must have got those genes from his Mom, who also ran in it and placed 1st in her division (GO! Cheryl!) My Dad and sister also ran it, and the rest of us would have love to do it (because we totally could have ;) but who would have stood at the finish line and cheered everyone on??? They all did so AWESOME!
Sid and Justin, look at them... they look like they could of gone another few miles!

Alisha 1:59

Dad 1:52

The moral support team... hey, at least we didn't have to get all sweaty or mess our hair up :) look on the the bright side, right?

Way to Go Dad!!!

Park City Vacation #3

So, for the third time this summer we headed back to Park City, apparently we can't get enough of the place this year, and who can? it's such a great place. We spent almost a full week with my parents in their time share, soakin' up some sun for one last hoo-rah! before the kids had to head back to school. One day we bought an all day pass and did the Alpine Slide, Alpine Coaster, Mini golf, Trampoline and kiddie rides from 11:00 a.m. until 8:30 that night. The adults were wiped out by the end of the day and the kids could have keep going for a few more hours. We all had a ton of FUN and I loved spending the time with my Family!




Grandpa and Taya on the coaster...
One of my most embarrassing moments... as Taya, Jett, I and Michelle were riding up to the alpine slide on the lift I got talking to Michelle and not paying attention accidentally kicked off one of my sandals (* note to self: next time don't wear flip flops on the ski lift!!!) From on the lift it looked like it was only about 5 feet from one of the slides, so my bright idea was to go down that slide jump off by it and retrieve my sandal. When I actually got there I realized it was much farther than 5 feet away and the weeds that didn't look so tall from the lift, came up to my chest. There was no way I was going to find it. With all the people on the lift yelling at me, that my kid (Jett who was still sitting on my stopped sled) was go to get hit by the next sled coming down, (which was my Sister-in law, that was the plan, people, for her to go down after me, it might not have been a brilliant plan, but I did think that part through) my bare foot now cut and legs scraped from the bushes, I jumped back on my sled and finished coming down. When I got to bottom my sweet Mom volunteered to hike back up the mountain and help me look for it, so I could have shoes for the rest of the day. So I borrowed Michelle's sandals and with some nice people's help from the lift above directing me I finally found my flip-flop. The funnist part was it made Jett (our little worrier) so nervous that the next time we got on the lift, I took my sandals off and held them, Jett just sat and looked at them and finally asked "Mom do you want me to hold them for you?" :)
My mom and I retrieving my stupid flip-flop! I'm just glad I was able provide a little entertainment for everyone!!!






Taya, making a necklace at one of the craft classes, she loved all the free little kids classes this year, she went to about two everyday.
We spent most of our time hanging out by the pool, playing games, relaxing and B-B-Qing!






...and of coarse a good vacation always includes reading a good book, right??? It's just not usually the activity of a 7 yr. old :) that's our little Taya!

On our way home we stopped with my parents to get lunch at the Last Samurai. I thought the kids would think it was cool, they had never eaten anywhere like here before.
Notice Jett in the next picture...5 seconds after I took the picture he had jumped off his chair and was headed back out the front door :) it was so funny. I don't think that was what he was expecting when we told him we got to watch them cook the food!

We talked him into coming back and the next little volcano he ended up thinking was "awesome!"
ummm! I hadn't eaten at one of these places since we lived in Sun Valley, 7 years ago, it was so delicious!!!

The Living Planet Aquarium

In between our Cherry Hill reunion and our Park City family reunion we had an extra day in SLC to kill, we had heard that the living aquarium was kinda neat so we decided to take the kids. It was really fun, even Lincoln was totally digging it. We just happen to get there right before they fed the sting rays so the kids got to help feed them little anchovies. Taya loved it, Jett wasn't as sure but it was a really neat place.









That clump of stuff in the corner would be an Octopus!

Cherry Hill !

Justin's family Reunion was at Chery hill this year, we usually go here at least once every year. The kids love it! This year was nice because Taya and Jett could do most of the rides themselves. Justin couldn't come up until the last night, but luckily Uncle Tyson didn't really have anyone to hang out with ( his fiance' couldn't get work off either) so he entertained my kids! Or maybe they entertained him :)


Uncle Tyson & Lincoln going down the slide




Cardiac Canyon


The kids & Grammy

Bear Lake Trip!

This summer we started our first annual Ballard/Petersen Reunion with Justin's step-dad (Terry's) kids. We're all around the same age and have kids all similar in age. It was so fun for all of our kids to get to meet their cousins, they had so much fun playing together. Us adults had great time getting to know each other better also. Hopefully we can make it yearly thing. Bear Lake was perfect, it was such a nice day and it's all kids need: Water & Sand and they 're entertained for hours.

Happy 4th of July!!!

The 4th is always a fun holiday, I've decided I think it's partly because it's the only major holiday that's in the summer and everything is OUTSIDE! (including the messes) that and Justin has always been very patriotic, he'll probably kill me, but the the song "God Bless The USA" is one of the few things that always choke him up a little so I think our family has just always loved the 4th. We are thankful for those who fought and fight today for our country and we are very proud to be Americans!!!

On the 3rd we watched the Logan fireworks with Alisha and Dave (at Dave's work)

For the last few years, after the Lewiston parade we have been privileged to be invited to "Ma Halls" (Jake's Moms) 4th of July party! It is quite the shin dig, way bigger than Christmas for them. Ma Hall loves the 4th and her home is decked out in stars and stripes year 'round. The kids of course love this one, its better than a carnival. Complete with Razzle Dazzle castles and about every blow up, play land, swim pool, and all the food, you can imagine. Thanks Hall Family for always making us feel like part of the family :)

Jake and Justin




Jett, Taya and Davis having fun in the Razzle Dazzle Castle!


Linc & Bella found a pool just their size!

I'm not sure if that smile means "Yipee" or "Yikes that's pretty high"???



Then every year, in the evening (following the Halls Party) we have a B-B-Q with some of our friends, family, and neighbors. In the past we have always got illegal fireworks, and put on quite the show for the whole neighborhood. but after two years of the cops stopping by we decided to play it safe this year, so no big ones :( but the kids still had a good time, I think it was only us adults that were a little disappointed.
Hayden, Jett, Davis, Taya, Cole, & Linc

Taya and the cute babies ( Davion & Brock)

Our friends: Nikki, DaSheek's mom (who was out visiting from Africa), DaSheek, Jocelyn, Jake & Traci


My first Sparkler!

The girls & the babies watching the fireworks!

Justin and the kiddos exhausted on the tramp after a long day!!!