The Punkinaze

For Riley's first field trip we went to the Punkinaze! It was so much fun.  She loved it, I had taken Boston and had a hard time getting him to go home.  He wanted to keep going down the huge slide.  Jason was able to come for a few minutes since it was right by his work and Riley loved having her "daddy" there.

A LOT TO BLOG ABOUT

I am catching my second wind on blogging! I have missed it so and have a new goal to take more pictures and be better at it.  If not for me for my kids, this is really the only way I keep track of what happens in our lives.  A few things have gone on:

• Boston turned two (not sure why his ticker says 3???)  
• I had another birthday I finally turned 21!
• Riley started a new year of preschool and dance
• Halloween has come and gone
• I started at a new branch
• Jason bought a new business cleaning garbage cans
• We had a crazy but fun summer with not near enough swimming
• Many many other things have happened but I can't think of them all!

Anyway, this is my new beginning and I am so excited! My sweet cousin Kaesy always sparks something in me...Thanks Kaes for keeping me motivated!



Spider Season: How to keep the pests away.

Spider Season: How to keep the pests away.

Check this out! They did this news story at my house and I didn't even know! Too bad I wasn't there maybe they would have interviewed me or something :) Just watch the video off to the right of the story.

Family Drives

One of our favorite things to do as a family is go for a drive.  We usually head up the divide and then over Trappers loop, and up through Snow Basin, then back down Ogden Canyon.  We have seen quite a few animals one night we saw two moose right off the road about a mile apart.  We also always see turkeys and some little furry things sit on the rocks all the time (we aren't exactly sure what they are!)  The kids love the waterfall so one day we thought we would stop and get a picture. 

Heaven Help Me

This is the blurry picture so you don't see all my unmentionables!

This is how I found the monkey one day while I was cleaning...he had pulled every single item out of my top drawer and climbed right up to watch some TV.  I cannot take my eyes off him for a second! He is always into something!

JUST MY SIZE

We had been wanting to take the kids fishing so badly, but we weren't exactly sure how it would go...luckily Jas had most Saturdays off lately :) So we decided to head up to East Canyon a couple weeks ago and try it out.

It ended up being a fun adventure! Boston just wanted to play in the water the whole time and Riley was the only one to get a fish. Last time she caught a fish she was terrified of it so she promised Jas that she wouldn't be scared this time.  She was so excited and kept saying that this little fish was "just her size"! She was so cute.

P.S. I did get a picture of Riley and her fish but I couldn't get it to flip...so maybe I will post it later!!!

Pure Laziness

I have decided I am just too lazy lately to post anything! Someday I will get the energy to download some pictures! But for now I am just being a bum!  That's all :)

Happy Father's Day Babe!!!

This is a little late, but I wanted to tell Jason how much we love him and appreciate all he does for our family!  I thought this picture was funny.  It has absolutely NOTHING to do with him as a father but EVERYTHING to do with how he always makes me laugh :)  He is such a good daddy and a wonderful husband, I couldn't ask for more.  He knows just what to do when I am having a bad day (which is the reason for this picture, I came into the bedroom to find this and laughed my head off!) and he knows how to make our kids laugh so hard they can't stand it.  He is the hardest working person I know and takes pride in that, I am so proud of him and the man he has become!  I love you, Jas! Thanks for being the best daddy and hubby we could ask for.

Family Fun

We started out our day visiting Arin's carnival at U of U that her class at school was putting on for their project.  It was REALLY fun and Riley had a blast!  She loved the pet rock and hasn't stopped talking about it!

Riley and A.J.!!

Boston found a ball and a basketball hoop and I couldn't get him to leave!

We didn't drive the Trailblazer due to the gigantic "Y" on the back! Jason was afraid we would get vandalized :)

We also went to the Gateway and they were having a Family Fun Festival! It was really cool, they had sidewalk art and this is one of the pictures.  I just thought it was so amazing what they did with chalk!

Riley enjoying her FREE cotton candy! Can't ask for more than free treats!

We took the kids to Temple Square. Riley has been asking me about the statue of Jesus that she sees pictures of, so I wanted to take her there...she wouldn't let us take her picture by it, she didn't like that His robe didn't cover His chest completely, in her words "I don't like that His 'boob' is showing mommy" I tried to explain to her that they wore robes back then and He was a boy so it was okay!

Also, at the Gateway they had the princesses there as long as some other Disney characters.  Riley kept telling me it was like Disneyland! It was really fun.  We had such a good day! I love just spending time together when Jason can get some time off work to hang out with us.  I love my little family and I am SO lucky to have them!

visitors

We have had some visitors out on our deck recently :) Jason is not happy about it because they are pooping EVERYWHERE but the kids are thrilled! Boston loves it and yells "birdie, birdie!!"  They aren't so afraid of us either, they just sit there while we look at them.  We have seen them out there about three times so far...Jason is sure he is going to find their nest and be done with them :( Sorry little birdies...

Thanks to Kaesy!!!

Graduation!!!

I can't believe Riley already graduated from her first year of preschool! She is such a big girl and did such a good job at the program.  She said her part perfect and sang so cute, she even did all the actions :)  She was the only girl not in a dress, but I didn't want to worry about her "sitting like a lady" while up on stage.  Here are some fun pics of her special night! Thanks to everyone who came and supported her we love you all and she was so excited to have all of you there.

Our Lovely Railing

We switched insurances and when they came to inspect our house for our homeowners they told us we had to have a railing up or they would cancel us in 30 days...we have been trying to wait until we can get the railing we want (which we really haven't decided what that is yet, most likely vinyl) so that means saving our pennies...so up went this lovely beauty until we can afford what we want :) Thanks to Jason, Blake, Taylor and Brooklyn for a job well done.  I think the made the best of what they were working with!  At least I won't be stressing that someone will fall off anymore.

The REAL Reason I am Up all Night

There is no room for me in the bed!

A BIT OF A SCARE

Two weeks ago I had Riley and Boston at the doctor for their well child checks.  Everything went fine with Riley other than her massive freak out when having the shots, but as the doctor got examining Boston she found that his liver was enlarged :(  She was really concerned and told me that the liver isn't something you mess with.  He had recently had an ear infection so she thought that it could just be from that but she wanted to be sure.  It could be CANCER, and then she rattled off some other things...all I heard was CANCER.  So, I scheduled a two week follow up appointment to get it checked.  Those two weeks were TERRIBLE.  I had it on my mind constantly and noticed any little thing that was different with him that may be symptoms of something terrible.  I took him back in yesterday and his liver was back to normal. She said there was no cause for concern! Thank goodness!!!!! I am so relieved, scares like this help me to appreciate my kids even more and remind me how much I love them.

Spring Dance Recital 2010

Riley and Brynn had their spring recital and did such a good job! Riley went to the front row when she was suppose to be in the back (oops) so she was squished between two other dancers, but she still did a great job! I just love watching those darling girls dance. I can't wait for the next one.

CAKE BLOG

As some of you may know I have decided to make cakes and sell them. (Just birthday and all occasion I can't do wedding cakes, I am not that talented!) Anyway, I started a blog to showcase the cakes as I do them.  The blog address is: http://www.stephiescakes.blogspot.com/ if you want to take a look.  I just did a Transformer one and I think it turned out pretty cute.

thanks to the BEST big sister EVER!!!

Thanks to Penni I have pictures of Easter! She always comes to my rescue :) This is Riley with her gigantic bag of eggs...I heart the Easter Egg Hunt that we have with my extended family!

Then there is THIS character!!!! He was hilarious at the hunt.  Thanks to Ashley for the tape...he just loves to be the center of attention that is for sure.

EASTER 2010

Here is the problem...I did not get ONE picture at all of our Easter this year! So I suck. I want to document what we did anyway.  We started out Saturday morning at a brunch with the Hicken family.  It was soooo yummy, Jason's mom makes the yummiest breakfast foods.  After that we colored eggs with them and Riley loved it, Boston just loved to crack and eat the eggs.  After that we headed to my mom and dad's church where we had an Easter egg hunt with the Williams family ( this is normally outside at my Aunt Connie's but it was way too cold this year).  So much fun, Boston just kept picking eggs up and throwing them in his bag, that was until we hit the nursery and then he just wanted to play on the toys.  Riley came home with a TON of candy.  After that we went up to Aunt Connie's for lunch and had super yummy sloppy joes with salads and of course deviled eggs.  The aunts always have the tradition of buying prizes for the all the kids so we got some fun prizes as well, Riley's favorite was her Zhu Zhu pet which she absolutely loves.  Sunday, we went out to Hicken's for lunch/brunch after conference and again, delicious!!! That night was Titan's 1st birthday party, it's crazy that he is one already :) Needless to say I am pretty sure I put on at least 5 pounds over the weekend, but it was fun!

Dino Park

Yes, it is that time of year again! Our first outing to the Dino Park!!! We had so much fun.  I absolutely LOVE taking my kiddos there, they have such a good time and don't want to leave.  This year Boston sort of knew what was going on and he was so funny!  What a good day :)

Little Mother

My sweet Riley is so good to her little brother :)   It makes me so happy.  She can entertain him for quite some time and they play so good together!  The other day they were just being way too cute so I had to get a few pictures so that someday I can show them what they used to be like!

They love to play with the laundry basket!  It is such  a fun toy....maybe I ought to go purchase some more of them!

Hi-ho Hi-ho it's back to work I go

It's final, I am headed back to America First!  You didn't really think I could leave that place did you?  I did, but I guess I can't.  Things have been sort of rough so I decided I better head back until we are in a better financial position (who knows when that will ever be).  I am going to work at the Roy Kent's branch as a 30 hour teller for now, hopefully I will get to move to a 20 soon :)  I am working for one of my old managers so it will be fun.  I will miss my kiddos though :(  But you have to do what you have to do and I can't think of a better place to work than AFCU, they have always been so good to me.  I am not sure when I am starting yet.  Guess I better start practicing by waking my kids up at the crack of dawn!!!

Just Another Day in Paradise...

I heard this song the other day, you know the one by Phil Vassar, it's a country song so some of you may not know it.  But, I literally almost burst into tears while listening to it.  It is MY life EXACTLY right now.  We don't have much money and EVERYTHING seems to keep breaking, Jason and I have hardly ANY alone time due to him working so much and Riley climbs into our bed just about every night.  Things just seem to be getting harder for some reason.....so I was sure the radio DJ was prompted to play it just for me just at that time....don't you think????  Honestly though, what more can I ask for?  I have a great husband, the two most BEAUTIFUL kids in the world, a great family, and a testimony.  I am honored to be living my life right now, even though it may be a little different than we had planned :) Thank you Phil Vassar for helping me to realize that I need to dwell on the positive instead of the negative!

Riley's 4th Birthday

I can't believe that Riley is 4 already!  It's so crazy, seems like I just had her yesterday :(  She is getting so big and is such a fun little girl.

She got a bike for her birthday and wants to ride it everyday!  It's funny because when we get out there to ride it she struggles with it a little bit because it is bigger than she is used to.  She soon gives up and goes and rides her little trike...so funny.

This is the ladybug cake I made for her, she thought it was so fun.

Happy Birthday baby girl! We love you and hope you had a great day.

Love Tag

I was tagged by my big sis to this "love quiz" on my significant other.  I thought I would give it a try :)

1. What is your husbands name?  Jason Riley Hicken

2.  How long have you been married?  Almost 8 years (YIKES!)

3.  How long did you date?  4 years

4.  How old is he?  28

5.  Who is taller?  Definitely Jason

6.  Who is smarter?  That depends ( I don't understand a thing about his work)

7.  Who does laundry?  Oh, that would be me

8.  Who pays the bills?  Me again

9.  Who does the grocery shopping?  Hey, that's ME again :)

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?  Jason does

11. Who eats more sweets?  For sure me

12. Who cleans?  Me

13. Who cooks dinner?  Usually me

14. What do you like to do together?  Do you really wanna know? We just love to hang out together :)

15. Who drives?  That's Jason's job

16. What are his hobbies?  Fishing, golfing, he wishes hunting, and I am pretty sure he is a professional sleeper :)

17. Who kissed who first?  Oh that would be Jason kissed me for sure...on like our 30th date, he was super slow

18. What is your favorite physical feature about him?  His eyes are amazing, and he has a hot bod!

19. What's a hidden talent that he has?  He is a good leader

20.  What's your favorite quality about him?  He makes me laugh

21. Who has more friends?  Probably me

22. Who does the dishes?  Me

23. Whose parents do you see more often?  Mine

24. Who asked who out first?  That was all his doing

25. Who wears the pants?  Yours truly :)

26. What is your favorite gift he has given you?  My kids

27. Does he have a nickname?  I just call him Jas other than that not really

Another Thing...

I absolute HATE HATE HATE having a private blog :(  I feel like I have lost my luster for blogging since going private.  So help me out here, if you look will you let me know?  This really is a scrapbook for me more than anything, but I miss hearing from you all...

MONKEY MONKEY MONKEY!!!

I am officially raising my first MONKEY!  Boston is an entirely different story than Riley was at this age :)  He is fun but a HUGE trouble maker.  Some of his favorite pastimes include:

Toothpaste (all over my carpet, walls and pillows)

 Toothbrushes (mostly Jasons...ha ha...)

Toiletpaper (it's always EVERYWHERE)

Spices and food coloring (turned his mouth green for a day)

Garbage (all I can say is YUCK!)

SHOES SHOES SHOES

Throwing items into water such as the mop bucket, bathtub, etc. (mainly electronics like phones and ipods)

Chapstick (he likes to eat it)
Last but not least...CLIMBING into and onto EVERYTHING  (tables, chairs, dryer, shelves, couches, beds, toilets, countertops, today I found him in the sink)

Climbing onto this table is no problem for him at all...it is a counter height table and he is up there in zero seconds flat!  So annoying :)

 
I didn't leave him up there long I promise, but I had to get a picture of him up there.  He now climbs up onto the counter by the sink and into the sink...oh my oh my.  I have my work cut out for me!  Love this BOY!

VALENTINES DAY

This Valentines wasn't super exciting but that's okay!  Riley seemed to enjoy anyway and Boston doesn't know any different :)  I did a "Heart Attack" on Riley's closet and she was pleased as could be...we also did her hair in a heart style for church and her Valentine party at school.  I didn't forget about Boston I did decorate his highchair but he had it ripped down before I could even get a picture...imagine that, he is a little stink pot!

After church (and our naps) we visited Pa and Dee Dee and got some fun prizes and then headed to Grandma Hicken's for a scrumptious dinner and some more fun prizes!  Our kids are super spoiled by their grandparents.  We hope everyone had a good Valentines :)

THIS IS WHAT I NEED!!!!!!

A V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

but bad news...it won't be happening any time soon...someone help me!

Pudding Anyone????

This is what happens when you let your kids feed themselves pudding!

They both enjoyed themselves way too much!

Good 'ole Toddler Tantrums!!!

So first he is so sweet...

then something is taken away...

 and it turns to this!!!!

Oh how I love the toddler tantrums, and Boston has some of the best I have ever seen!!