Last day...

Today was Carson's last day of Preschool! I wanted to take a picture of this day so I can see how much he has grown since the first day of school.
I still can't believe how big Carson is getting! It makes me smile when I see my beautiful children together.....I am so lucky to have both of them! Kaylee always says goodbye to Carson when he leaves for school, and watches out the window until the carpool leaves.

Even though it was May and the last day of school, it looked like it was still Winter outside! This crazy spring weather has us all confused! And sick! I think with all the weather changes, it has caused us all to have colds and fevers! It has been a rough couple of days out our house, but I am optimistic that it will soon get better....as soon as it decides to warm up and stay that way!

So even though Carson has hung up his bag for the last time this year, he is excited to be home for the summer and start kindergarten this fall. I don't think we could send him to another year of preschool if we tried, he has made up his mind that he IS going to kindergarten next year!

He will miss his friends at school and Miss Wendy. She was fantastic and I am so glad we found her preschool. If anyone wants information on her school, I would be more than happy to give it to you!

Father & Sons Camp Out

The boys survived the Father & Son's Camp out! I was excited for them to get home and hear about how much fun it was and to see the pictures they took! I took these before they left. Carson was SO excited to go and was more than happy to help loan the van up!
Of course, Kaylee was right there along with him helping out. When the boys left, Kaylee had a melt down because she wanted to go with them really bad.

Nick offered to help by taking up 7 dutch ovens, so that is what is loaded in the back of the van. So they piled up all the camping gear on top. Nick always says, "Why do I need a truck, I have a minivan?!".

The camp out was held at Peterson Park in Tremonton, which is my home town and where my parents still live. They made it up to Tremonton around 5:30 and stopped at Pizza Plus to get an order of Breadsticks for dinner. Nick thought that would be easier than making a tinfoil dinner and just as yummy! They found a great spot for their tent and got it set up right away!

Shortly after that, Gma & Gpa Brower and Uncle Chris showed up to say hi! Carson wasn't feeling very good at this point and refused to come out of the tent for the picture.

Nick called me around 8:00 and told me that Carson was sleeping in the tent and had a fever. I felt so sad for him! He acted fine most of the day so I thought he was over what ever sickness he had, but apparently not. So most of Friday night for Carson was spent sleeping. It rained all night but cleared up by morning. Carson slept pretty good through the night, his fever broke, and was up bright and early at 6 AM telling dad to go start the fire for breakfast! He was feeling much better and so after making breakfast the boys had fun launching 2 liter bottles with a water rocket launcher.

One of the first things Carson told me about when he got home was how he fell down when he launched the bottles. I was glad to see Nick got a picture of it!

Despite Carson being sick last night, they had a great time and Carson still had a blast! As soon as they got home, they cleaned out the van and Nick headed to a Stake Scout Activity for the Eleven Year Olds, so he was gone again doing "camping" activities. The kids and I stayed home and made cookies and got dinner ready. Nick is excited to take the kids camping next weekend for the Bennett Family Reunion in Holden, which Kaylee I think will love since she couldn't go with the boys this weekend. In fact, we are hoping to take the kids camping a lot more this summer than we did last summer(which was won't be hard since we didn't go camping last summer!).

May Happenings....

What a week! On Monday I went to Carson's school to meet up with them on a mini field trip to a farm that is located right behind Miss Wendy's house. But, I missed them so I was able to help Miss Wendy watch the kids while we wiped horse poop of their shoes!
Then we went inside so the kids could finish making their art project, which was a lamb page to go into their Animal Book they have been working on. Kaylee was with us and had fun sitting next to Carson while the kids worked.

Miss Wendy does such a great job! We are sure going to miss Preschool this summer! They only have one day of school next week and then Graduation is on Wednesday! Monday evening, for our FHE Activity we invited a few neighbors over to play "Don't Eat Pete" with us. It is a fun M&M game! We of course enjoyed every M&M we were able to eat without eating Pete!

Luke wasn't sure if he wanted a turn since he didn't want to be yelled at, but after some convincing he took a turn and did really good! One turn he got really smart and used two hands to eat the M&M's before we had a chance to tell him "Don't Eat Pete!".

It was fun to have Jana's little girl Clara there! I think it was the first time she has hung out at our house! She is adorable and getting so big!!!!

We even made Jana get in on the action!!!!

On Tuesday, Nick had class at work, and got home early so he took the chance to mow our neighbors lawn. The house is empty and I currently have it listed for sale so we are trying to keep it looking as nice as possible. Nick was smart and asked our neighbor Royd if he could use his lawn mower....it made it much faster and Carson enjoyed it too!!

On Wednesday I was able to go to Carson's school again and help Miss Wendy while she did testing for the kids. Jana was nice enough to watch Kaylee for me so I could go. I helped the kids make a pig page for their Animal book, sing songs, play games, do snack time, and do learning centers. It was so fun to see Carson in that environment. He is a sweet boy and he makes me so proud!!!! Again, Nick was home early and was able to play with the kids while I worked on some short sale stuff. We made pizza for dinner and just hung out since I didn't have bells practice this week. It was nice to just sit at home and do nothing!!! Thursday Nick was home early again from work so he helped me mow the lawn and spray for bugs. Then we enjoyed Date Night while the kids were at home with a sitter. We ate at Tonysburger (we had a coupon) and it was pretty good. I don't know if I would eat there again really soon, but not a bad experience! Then we went shopping for a twin mattress set for Kaylee, and found one and brought it home with us. We set it up last night so she could use it, and she did pretty good sleeping on it. I was worried she would fall off, since we don't have any type of rail on it, but she did great. I think she felt like a big girl sleeping in her new bed!!!

Today started out a little rough. At 4 AM Carson woke up with a slight fever so I gave him some medicine and let him sleep in bed with me (since Nick was already gone for work). I felt bad because Carson was supposed to have a water party at his school today. But I figured there was no way he was going to be able to go if he was sick. So he stayed home from school, which ended up being okay since the weather was cold and rainy so they ended up cancelling the water party, but I was still sad that he had to miss one of his last days of school. But through out the day he felt better and better. Which was great, because this weekend is the Father and Sons camp out for our ward. It is being held at Peterson Park in Tremonton of all places! So the boys left around 4:30 to head north and so it is just a girls night at our house tonight! I can't wait to post pictures of their camping trip (if Nick remembers to take pictures!). It was a fun week, and next week I think will be even more fun (and busy and crazy!!!)

Big Girl!!!

Kaylee is almost officially a BIG GIRL!!!!! We have been working really hard the past few weeks to get her potty trained. The last 4 days have been great and she is finally getting the hang of things. So last night I had Nick take the front of her crib off so she can get up in the middle of the night if she needed to go potty.
Now, technically, she can crawl OUT and IN to the crib really easily already, but we thought we would make it easier for her! I have been waiting as long as possible to do this, since we had Carson out of his crib by the time he was 18 months and into a twin bed by the time he was 2. Carson and Kaylee had fun enjoying Kaylee's new toddler bed last night after bath time!
Kaylee did great last night about staying in her bed, but never got up to go potty! So this morning her pull up was full! Oh, well, we will keep trying! I have always dreaded the potty training thing but I think the worst of it is over! She had a pull up on during church today, but she kept it dry! (We took her potty a few times during church to make sure she would stay dry!) And while I was at choir practice after church, Dad was able to help her go #2 on the potty!!!! She was pretty excited to tell me about it when I got home!

On another note, since last Sunday was Fast Sunday in our ward, we had the "Mothers Day" Program today. So Carson got to sing with the primary in Sacrament Meeting today. It was so cute! He walked up to the stand, hand in hand with his friend Luke! I love it when the primary gets to sing. I wish they would sing every month!

JeNgA!

After eating dinner on Friday night, Carson was begging us to play a game. So we went downstairs and looked through the games we own and I suggested we play Jenga! I haven't played it forever, but figured it was a game we could ALL play. It was a hit with the kids, they loved it! After we played a few times, I grabbed the camera so I could take a picture of the fun we were having! (Don't mind Kaylee in her underwear.....eventually it is just easier to let her run around with no pants on to make the potty thing easier right now!)
Kaylee loved that she could do it all by herself....we just had to remind her to do it slowly!

There was a few times we got the tower built up pretty high before it would fall!

But of course it eventually did....which was the best part!

After we played for awhile, we headed over to a friends birthday party for some cake and rock band hero! It was fun! It was so nice just hanging with the family! On Saturday, I had an extra bells practice and Nick had to work, so after some yard work and after Nick got home, we decided to have an easy Saturday night as well. We ate dinner (French Dip Sandwiches, which is one of Carson's favorites) and went on a family bike ride. I like when our weekends are nice, easy, and simple. And with all the craziness during the week it is nice to just relax and play with our family!

Day at the Dentist

We have had a lot of visits to the dentist recently. Between Nicholas getting a crown and a cavity filled, and our 6 month cleaning visit, we have kept our Dentists office pretty busy! We love our Dentist and his team. They are so good to us and are very friendly. Carson has been going to the dentist now for over a year and has always been so good about holding still and letting them clean and inspect his teeth. His favorite part is getting a toy at the end! Here he is with Keith, the dental Hygienist. He told me he got bubble gum flavored polish. When we got home he kept telling us how clean his teeth felt!
I normally don't always take pictures of things like this, but ever since I have changed to my big yellow purse and got a new little camera to use while on the go I now almost always have a camera with me! So I had to take pictures of how cute Carson looked laying in the chair!

Dr. Adrien is a great dentist. He was the one who did my braces for me and is super easy going and friendly! And we love all of the dental assistants, they are super cute gals and always remember us and what is going on with our family.

It was a good day at the dentists and Carson was amazing once again for Dr. Adrien and held so still! He thinks watching cartoons on the ceiling TV is pretty fun! Unfortunately, I had one cavity I need to go and have taken care of next week....which makes me sad because I had gone quite a few years without having to deal with getting my mouth numb, which is one of the worst things in the world! But, hey it could be worse....like a root canal or something!

Monday Mania...

We had a productive Monday with cleaning bathrooms, mowing the lawn, sweeping, laundry, exercise, preschool, library, Costco, Credit Union, blogging, tacos for dinner, and finally FHE. But as I was cleaning up dinner and getting things ready for FHE, the kids found a way to entertain themselves. They each wore tutu's, put a flower in their hair, and wore a pair of my shoes!
Yes, even Carson got in on the act....I think the flowers were his idea! Someday, he will die when I show these pictures to his girlfriends!

They were dancing along to Barney on the tv. Carson has some pretty impressive moves don't ya think?

But these two make me smile......flowers and all!!

Tonight's lesson from our FHE Book was on repentance. The activity was to have the kids put their hands in different sticky or dirty things to get the feeling of how it feels when you don't repent. I used pudding, syrup, corn syrup, and saltine crackers.

The kids weren't sure what to think about me telling them to put their hands in the food! But it didn't take them long to get their hands covered!

Even Dad got in on the action to help show them it applies to all of us.

Then we talked about the atonement and how it is like washing our hands when they are dirty. It helps us feel better after we do it and we are able to become clean again! It was a great lesson! I doubt they completely understood what we were trying to teach them, but they thought it was fun! After that, we ate pudding for our snack and worked on a project. Our new house rules. The kids colored while I wrote them down and put them on the fridge. This is what we came up with for our rules:

Then Carson came up with another rule....can you tell what is says?

Translation: No Kids In The Pantry! I told him the letters to write and he did the rest! Cute, huh? Even after FHE, Carson asked for a fruit roll up and I told him he could get one out of the pantry and he was quick to remind me that kids are not allowed in the pantry! What a smart kid!! I hope he remembers the rest of the rules as well as he remembered that one!

A Marvelous Mothers Day Weekend

We had a great weekend! It started on Friday night, when Gma Joy came and stayed at our house since she had to attend the UTGOP conference on Saturday in SLC. So she offered to watch the kids while Nick and I went to the temple and dinner. Before we left, this is what they were up to. Jumping on the Trampoline! Gma took them to McDonalds for dinner and they even went for a walk before settling down for the night.
After we got home from the temple and dinner at Sizzler, Nick was happy to see that his new exhaust system for his truck got delivered! I think Carson was just as excited, since he knew this would mean a day of getting dirty putting it in!

So the next morning, that is exactly what they did! While I was at an extra Bells on Temple Square rehearsal (We have a concert coming up in June to get ready for) the kids played outside and Nick worked on his truck. After I got home, I went for a run and Ryan, Taylor, and Chase showed up to give Nick a hand and play. We made homemade pizza for lunch and just enjoyed the day together! After they left and the truck was finished, we headed to Hogan Park for a Dinner Picnic and to play on the toys. I read my book "Catching Fire" while the kids played. It was a great day! The next morning we got up early and this is what I found waiting for me on the counter.
My wonderful kids got me a Food Processor! I have been wanting one for a while now and so it was a very nice surprise!!!!

We all got ready and headed up to Ogden to attend Matt & Natalie's ward. Natalie was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting, so we thought it would be fun to go listen to her. My Mom, Dad, and Chris were also there. So afterwards, we all met back at Matt & Nat's for a BBQ!

But first we had Gma open her presents. From us she got a picture frame with some cute pictures of the kids and a box of cocoa almonds we know she likes!

The food was great, like always!!

The kids enjoyed the beautiful sunny day and played in the sandbox.

Hallie is getting so big! She is sitting up so well on her own and we caught her doing the cutest thing with her lip! It was so funny!

It will be so much fun when Hallie is a little bigger and can really play along side Carson & Kaylee. But they sure do like their cousin!

I just had to throw in this cute picture of Chris.....next year at this time we will be getting a phone call from him in Brazil!

While the kids were playing, Kaylee got a sliver in her big toe....so dad came to the rescue and was able to get it out!

I couldn't convince Carson to get in the picture with me and Kaylee, but I think it was nap time for both of them, hence why Kaylee isn't smiling!

What a fun weekend it was! I got spoiled with love and hugs from both of my kids. Carson probably told me "Happy Mothers Day" a hundred and one times! I love being a mom, even on the days that I think I could loose my mind! I still wouldn't trade it for a million dollars! This is the best Full Time Job I have ever had and will have! I also am so grateful for my mom and all that she does for us! She is a super busy lady and it means so much to us when she takes the time to spend with our family! I have learned so much from her and am so glad she is my mom! I also have another great mom that I admire. Nick's mom, Karen. She is so talented and is so giving! She is always serving others and I have learned so much from her compassion and dedication to her family. Being a mother is such a gift! And I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with such a wonderful family and children!