Longfellow

Angry Birds

2011-08-31T13:09:00.005-06:00

It's that time of year again...Soccer season! Koen had his first ever soccer game this past weekend. It was so fun to see him playing. All the boys had us laughing. This age is the best!
Team Name: Angry Birds, they even had a mascot! Payton was in one of her moods where she didn't want to play so no pics of her this time around...

A much needed break...

2011-05-08T14:28:00.008-06:00

So we, and by we I mean me and the kids, had the opportunity to head to Canada to see Heather's family and newest edition. We have been just hanging out and relaxing, and me enjoying not having to work! Here's a lot of pics from the hospital that I took with the kids and baby. Ha ha, sorry for the picture overload, but that's what I do...

2 in 1 week! I'm on a roll!

2011-02-20T14:24:00.008-07:00

I guess this is what happens when your husband is out of town. So I should be great at blogging this summer! Here's what we did over New Years!

1. We decided to go down the Living Planet Aquarium to their "Noon Years Eve" celebration. The kids had a blast, they got there faces painted, and were even on the radio--B98.7. (if your my friend and reading this you probably didn't hear it, cuz it's a lame station and you were listening to something better!... :) ha ha.) But they thought it was pretty cool! Any who, here's some pics of the day...

Payton wanted to make it look like she was killed by the frog...She's crazy!

The beautiful Jellies!
Ko's favorite is always the sharks.
The newest edition...
I LOVE this pic of the penguins!
and this one too!
Koen was kind of upset after he had his dragon. He said he was sad cuz he wanted a night fury... I told him that next time he needs to be more specific when he says he wants a dragon!
More beautiful fish2. I thinks it's becoming a tradition to have New Years Eve at my house?! We had a blast. Casey and Brock brought up Michael Jackson for the wii, and the kids played it almost all night! Here's a few pics and a video of them... Nevermind on the video, it was taking way to long to load.

3. New Years Day the kids went sledding up at Longfellow's. They had fun, but man it was COLD! I didn't stay out to long, so not may pics. (I'm sure your cheering since this is a really
L O N G post!)

Koen had his first experience with a white wash! ha ha, he was not happy about it!

THE END! :)

Worst. Blogger. EVER!

2011-02-19T16:11:00.007-07:00

I seriously should be crowned worst blogger ever! I just have not had a lot of time for it lately. I'll try and do better...I said try, no guarantees. :) Here's a little peak at our Christmas season. We went to Clark Planetarium to see a Christmas light show, it was ok. The kids liked it, so that's all matters! Then we headed over to temple square to see the lights. Such a beautiful and peaceful place, even with hundreds of people around. {Look close you can see Janet behind Russ}

Christmas eve at my Grandma Giffords...

My ornaments this year. They looked quite small once I put them on our HUGE tree! I need to get some huge ornaments next year for sure!

Now just a collage of Christmas Morning. Melissa came and stayed with us to see the kids open presents, They loved having her there! I had Shingles and it sucked!!! Russ got me a bow! I was so excited! I had no idea he was getting me one. Sometimes that boy surprises me. {Sorry about the horrible bed head in my pic :)}

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T13:28:00.005-06:00

Not much on this post, just some photos. Russ couldn't decide on a costume until about a week before Halloween. There were a lot of sleepless nights working on this one of a kind costume. If you've ever seen clips from the video game Batman Arkham Asylum this is Scarecrow....

Our little "Green Reaper" and Dead Rag Doll

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-17T15:18:00.004-06:00

It's that time again, the time to head out to Pack's Pumpkin Patch in Farmington, to get our pumpkins for Halloween! The kids always have a great time picking their own pumpkins that they can carve. That will come later....

From Kinder Grad to 1st Grade!

2010-09-14T21:53:00.007-06:00

I really wish I had a little more time to get everything done that I want to...This blog is on the list! Going through my files of pics I realized just how behind I really am. Payton is now in 1st grade! I can't believe how big she's getting! She loves her teacher, but her computer teacher she says looks like a vampire and she really needs to learn how to do her makeup! She got in trouble cuz she didn't want to ask her a question cuz she was scared of her, so she just did whatever she wanted...She has now at least started asking friends when she's not sure what to do. Anyway, here is some pics from kinder grad and her 1st day of 1st grade...

4th of July

2010-07-08T20:07:00.004-06:00

This year we went to Bear Lake for the 4th. Of course we had to stop in Evanston and get some fireworks. I was a bit hesitant because of what happened a few years back with those dang things!! My finger still has issues from it! Any way It was a lot of fun. Payton lost her 1st tooth while up there! She was so excited! Her Aunts told her that the tooth fairy in bear lake had more money since there is not many kids up there....Thank you Aunties!! Well we were home on Monday and did a few fireworks at home with Melissa and Valerie. Yep Melissa was in town, It was great to see her. Ok now for some pics. We also did a little model shoot with some experimenting with flash. check those out on the photo blog! rmrzphotoz.blogspot.com

My toothless girl!

Crazy Face!
Doesn't Russ look excited to be in this photo? My kids Love their Aunt Melissa!
Koen with his 4-wheeling faces

Zoo, Stitches, and Mothers day!

2010-05-09T19:17:00.006-06:00

Heather was in town this last week, so we headed to the zoo. I didn't take many pics, since I have a ton of every animal from previous trips!

Payton and Kwynn
They really do LOVE each other. Really!

Payton eating cotton candy. you'd think they were starved as fast as this stuff was gone!
Koen crying over something? not sure what it was now.

Koen on the Merry go Round.
And if your wondering about the stitches, take a wild guess and who it was.... Right. RUSS. This makes for his 1st for the year. ugh! I was able to put in 2 of the 7 stitches, so that was fun!

Mother's day was great. Friday at work Russ and the kids sent me 2 dozen roses! It was so sweet! I also got a new camera bag, but it's still too small for all my stuff. Oh well we'll find one that works! I woke up to a spotless kitchen and family room, laundry folded and put away. Russ stayed up until 5 am cleaning up! Who new he had it in him?! (btw, the house was a real mess) The kids made me their own bouquet of "flowers". LOVE it! I also got a home made card from Payton, and a picture with frame that she made at school. I LOVE BEING A MOM!!!

The kids' bouquet!

Just thought I would share what I get to look at every day out my back windows!

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T16:42:00.003-06:00

Now I do realize I have been horrible at keeping up on my blog. Life has been crazy busy and I just haven't had time to post much. Well here is Easter! I know, I know it is Easter and I'm posting... see I'm trying to get better! On a suckier note I'm pretty sure Russ has the flu. Flu A, which is a respiratory flu, the same that we would look for when looking for H1N1. Although I'm not sure it's that, since we have not seen any of that is quite some time, but you never know. And as for me, yesterday I was running to help Koen go poop ( he can't quite reach the toilet to sit yet) and I guess he thought I was not coming so he stopped and I ran right into him, hitting my foot on the back of his, and well I think I might have broken my foot! We'll see tomorrow when/if I get an xray. Anyway here are some pics of coloring eggs and Easter morning! I've decided to put it into a collage cuz there were so many pics to choose from.

Angel...

2010-02-27T18:15:00.003-07:00

My little angel gets herself all dressed up and asks me to take some pictures. "I don't know why I love pictures so much." She says.... Hmmmm... I think it's pretty obvious!

Grateful!

2010-02-18T17:20:00.002-07:00

I am soooo grateful for all my family and friends giving us so much support! Love you all!

My Family...

2010-02-04T20:10:00.003-07:00

I just Love my Family!! 'nough said!

Love, Love, Love....

2010-01-13T17:51:00.002-07:00

3 years ago...

2009-12-17T16:40:00.007-07:00

I was blessed with the sweetest boy, and now my sweet baby is 3 today!

OMG I can't believe how fast time has gone by. It's been great having him around, and can't imagine life without this boy! He makes my day with his smile and always sayin "Love you mom!" and then saluting me! Ha ha, he cracks me up! I wish I could explain just how much I LOVE my little Koen!!

Cousins

2009-11-10T15:20:00.004-07:00

Just wanted to post a few pics of the kids with their cousin. They were just so cute not to post!

H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N

2009-11-04T17:16:00.005-07:00

Any one remember the way you learned how to spell Halloween? Every time I spell it I sing the song. H, A, double L, O, double U, double E, N spells Halloween! Ha ha!
Any who Halloween was great this year! Pumpkins are always fun, This year Payton was really into it! She dug out the "guts" drew and carved her pumpkin all by herself! She's getting so big! On the other hand, Koen wanted NOTHING to do with it. He told Russ "Let me know when your done with my pumpkin Dad!" and ran off to watch Casper! Oh well, maybe next year!

Trick or Treating...
Payton got sick that morning, but that did not stop her! Turns out she has strep! You wouldn't know it the way she acts. She just sounds like crap! They had tonz of fun. First we hit the wards Trunk or Treat, then went out to trick or treat a bit more.

The cutest pirate there ever was. Arrrr. And of course the best looking cowboy in town!

Then there's the parents who spawned this gorgeous duo! Ha ha like the word spawned? Sounds like something out of Chucky!

Wow this is a long post. Just one more promise!

We love to dress up at work so here's just a few pics of us all!

Sara and I were Twinners this year. Don't we look great!

I {heart} ZOMBIES!!

2009-10-21T12:45:00.017-06:00

For my nieces birthday this year we did a Zombie Prom theme. It was so fun! Here's a few of Payton in her zombie attire. (make-up and hair)

South Dakota II

2009-09-26T14:12:00.006-06:00

Part 2 of our SD trip. Mt. Rushmore! It was fun to actually see this in person. It's crazy how big and amazing it looks. I knew it was big, but it's definitely bigger than I was expecting! It's crazy to think someone actually sculpted this! Amazing!! Here's a few of that wonderful monument!

This shot was at night. It was windy, freezing and raining!! It would've been a better experience had it not been such horrible weather. All I wanted was a shot of it lit up and get out of there!!

Veterans cemetery, just outside of Deadwood(more of that to come soon). Such a humbling experience to see all the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom. It was great to have Payton walk around with me. It was a great teaching moment. I was glad to share it with my baby girl! I am truly Proud to be an American!!

South Dakota

2009-09-20T16:36:00.012-06:00

Finally got some time to post some pics from our trip this year. I've decided to post several post with different part of our vacation. So here goes with part one in no particular order.

The CAVES. We went to 2 caves while in SD. Black Hills Caverns and then Jewel Caves. The were pretty cool, and as usually better looking than the photos. I don't like having to use flash!

The Family

'Cave Bacon' it was pretty cool looking
Davey Jones anyone?
This is the farthest we went into the cave.
My boys. Koen did not like being there. He was really bored!
StoryBook Island! This place was really cool I wish we had something out here like this! Child Photographers heaven!! Here's just a few with the kids.

Check out these last 2. Um... Payton... How about you move your hand :)

My little Dragon!!

2009-08-26T13:12:00.003-06:00

As many of you know Payton started Kindergarten this year!! I can't believe my baby is going to school. She looks so cute in her little uniforms, I just love it!! She was so brave and confident her first day I am one proud mother!! All the other kids started school on Aug 20th, but we were out of town, so she officially started on the 24th. Like any kid, I ask her what she did in school and all she can tell me is she did the monkey bars all by herself!! I Just love her!! I promise I'll blog the vacation when I'm no so busy!

More of my "brides"

2009-08-02T22:23:00.004-06:00

So I finally got around to finishing the photos from the bridal session I did a few weeks ago. Just thought I'd post a few more for you all. There's more posted on my photo blog and ALL of them are on the website rmrzphotography.com under the client section. password: brides {if you fancy checkin those out}

Brides

2009-07-24T08:32:00.010-06:00

Here's just a quick peek at the photo shoot we had on Wed. check out my photography blog to see a few more. Drum roll please....

Yes, our own little rendition of Abbey Road! (Sorry it's a little grainy)

Mock Bridal Shoot!!

2009-07-15T13:14:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone, sorry I've been out of the blog seen for a while. Life has been crazy with me working full time now with Russ not working, and working on my photography, blogging has been the last thing on my mind these days!

But on a lighter note I need about 5-6 "brides" for a mock bridal shoot I'm going to be doing. I want to plan for around the last week in July or 1st of august some time. Let me know if any of you are interested. If any of you have a man that has a great looking suit or tux that would be willing to come we could get a few groomals in too! The location will be announced when I know who I'm working with. I want several locations so it will be a limited time frame. You must have a dress or able to borrow someones. You will get an 11x14 print of your favorite shot for your time.

Thanks so much everyone! I'm really excited!!

heidi@rmrzphotography.com

Camping with Dinosaurs

2009-06-13T12:55:00.008-06:00

This was our first camping trip of the year. It was actually about a month ago. Yeah, I'm a bit behind.
We took the kids to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. Seriously cool! It definitely puts Eccles to shame. The kids had a great time. If you haven't been, I suggest you check it out!

After the museum we went camping out by Payson somewhere. We went fishing at a small lake. It was fun. The kids have never been camping(that they can remember) so they had a great time! Now here's our trip in photos....

How would it be swimming knowing this was in with you! No way!!

Yep playing with sand and water. You can tell it's a little boys dream come true!
These were HUGE! It was as I would call it a Long Neck. Ha ha Russ makes fun of me for my Land before time references.
All together our family weighs closest to this dinosaur.
Payton and Koen posing on the Triceratops.
Had to pose with "Manny"It was really funny how they had this set up. Here's a picture of one of the hunters about to get smooshed by the mammoth.
Little paleontologists digging for bones.Camping
Koen giving his kiss face

Payton waiting to catch a fish
And here they are. Yes I said they, She caught 2!

You are the Love of my life...

2009-05-12T22:28:00.005-06:00

I was just going through some old photos of the fam that we took last May. My parents Love each other so much and it shows! I'm so glad I have them as an example to me about what Love really is! Thanks guys I Love you!!

Don't smile, Don't smile...

They had such a hard time keeping a straight face while looking at each other, you'd think they were newlyweds!!

Aren't they just so cute!! It's no wonder we all turned out so good lookin! ha ha

The "K" Family

2009-05-12T07:07:00.006-06:00

B and her gorgeous T and J! I just love these guys!!

The "B" Family

2009-05-08T08:57:00.009-06:00

Wednesday I had a session with my sisters family. They're so cute. Here's a preview, and you know where to see more, and they're bigger too...

Signature anyone?

2009-05-06T10:24:00.008-06:00

So here's how to add a signature to your posts...

1: You need to come up with your signature. I used Photoshop for mine, but you can use any editing software that lets you do a text box. You can also use www.mylivesignature.com, and follow the steps there. For photoshop here's your steps.
+ Open a new document. go to File, New.
+ Width: 2in Height: 1in Resolution:100px/in And the most important BACKGROUND CONTENTS: TRANSPARENT
+Next you'll select your text tool 'T' Select your background and type away! Play with your fonts and have fun! It's your signature so you want something that screams you!
+ Save as a 'PNG' file so your background will stay transparent. (I think even in my live signature you need to save it as a png as well, but not for sure.)

2: After you've saved it to your computer, you'll need to save it in photobucket, or another online photo hosting site. Now to add it to your posts.

3: Copy the DIRECT LINK code your hosting site gives you.

4: Go to your dashboard in Blogger
+ Select the SETTINGS tab
+ from there you'll want to select the FORMATTING tab
+ scroll down to where it says POST TEMPLATE. and add this code (img src=" ") in that box, then add the DIRECT LINK code you copied in part 3 in between the " "
and it should look something like this

(img src="http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk178/hidalicious/blogsignaturediff.png")

Now just replace these ( ) with these < >

make sure there are no spaces between your quotations.

Whala! here's your beautiful signature!
(You might want to take off your image borders or they might show up on your signature)

My Babies!

2009-04-25T20:11:00.005-06:00

I finally made my kids get there pictures taken. It's so much easier having someone else do them, cuz they just don't listen to me. But I think they turned out great, even with the fighting. Bribery always does the job!

My sweet Payt!

My sweet little Ko Ko!

Photo discounts

2009-04-17T16:35:00.005-06:00

For those of you who don't follow my photography blog. I've got some great discounts available. check it out at rmrzphotoz.blogspot.com. Check out my cute new signature...I love it. Super easy too if anyone wants to know how.

Happy Birthday Payton!!!!

2009-04-14T22:57:00.010-06:00

Payton designed her sign.

Payton turned 5 on April 13. I can't believe it. It's crazy to look back and see how wonderful life has been with her around. She is so beautiful and brings a smile to any and everyone around her. She has the BEST personality. She's my crazy payt! We Love ya Payt!

She had her 1st birthday party on April 11. She wanted a Harry Potter themed party. Needless to say I went a bit overboard. But it was fun, and turned out wonderfully! Here's a run down of the activities...

Let's start with the invites...You guessed it acceptance letters to Hogwarts. The "students" were to meet at platform 9 3/4. Once they were all there we realized we had forgotten all our essentials. Back to Diagon Alley we went.

Our stops at Diagon Alley

Off to Hogwarts we go... We split the 13 kids into 3 groups by means of the Sorting Hat. We left Slytherin out. (no one wants to be the bad guys) Makenna, my niece, was the voice. She used the baby monitor. The kids thought that was pretty cool. They couldn't understand why the hat was talking, and It didn't even have a mouth? ha ha.(Not the best pics but can't complain when someone else is willing to do it)

Once we had our 3 groups we went off to our classes.

We ended it all with a trip down to Hagrids Hut. He lost some Dragon Eggs. The kids went on a "hunt" to find the Dragon Eggs. Gifts and Cake followed the hunt. They had such a great time. Payton told me it was "Special and she loved it". Isn't she great!

The Cake. Brandy decorated our Hogwarts cake, and it looked amazing. She's great!

The Students...Russ made wands for each child. Isn't he amazing?!

Later that night, we had family over to celebrate.

April 13... Payton woke up so excited. She opened her gifts from Mom and Dad. Her favorite, of course, was her 2 Wheel Scooter. She wanted that cuz the neighbor boy got one for his birthday too. Of course she ate it a few times, but nothing band aids and neo wont fix.

Playin around

2009-04-02T17:34:00.002-06:00

Just playing around with some photos, and I came across this one of my Sister that I just love. Obviously this was awhile ago, but she's just so beautiful!

Introducing...

2009-03-22T17:58:00.005-06:00

MAKENNA!

We went out on a windy Saturday to take some photos. She was a good sport, well not at first, but she warmed up quickly :) Here's a teaser from her shoot. check out my photo blog to see more.

Here comes the sun...

2009-03-16T10:51:00.003-06:00

It's finally getting warmer! I'm so excited, I'm sick of being bored inside.
Payton learned to ride her bike with out training wheels. She picked it up really quick. took her all of 2 days. Even on the first day she was ok, but she just needed the confidence. Yesterday we were out just enjoying the sunshine. Here's some pics of the day.

Koen Flying his Spider-Man Kite.

Payton riding her bike on her own.

Oh, she ate it!

My cute family!

2009-03-02T16:54:00.006-07:00

I was able to take some photos of my sisters kids this last weekend. Casey's little Tatum, and Brandy's Tyran & Jaiden. We have some of the cutest kids in our family, not to brag, but it's true! Here's a few from the photo sessions. Check out my photo blog to see more...

Energy Savings!

2009-02-27T14:33:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone. I wanted to post this cuz I think It's a great thing for every home.
Russ is starting a new job going around and making homes more energy efficient. There are many things you can do to a home including adding insulation, replace old thermostats with new electronic ones, and much more. Many of which you may get a rebate for from Questar Gas, and Rocky Mtn Power. The rebates make it so your spending next to nothing for the upgrade, and you save money each month on your gas and electric bills. If any of you are interested let me know. I can see a huge difference with our new home, we're paying close to HALF!

Tatum has arrived...

2009-02-20T18:27:00.006-07:00

Warning LOTS of pics!

Casey had her baby early this morning, and by early I mean 12:02 am! We were all there waiting for his arrival. He is so cute! I'm already baby hungry, and this really doesn't help. He weighed in at 5 lbs 10 oz, and was 20 in. I can't wait to see this little guy's personality. Oh yeah they named him Tatum Lee Barney.

At the hospital...

Be Mine!

2009-02-15T20:50:00.005-07:00

Russ and I really didn't get each other much since money is tight, we decided to focus on our birthdays, which are both this month. I decided to make him some cinnamon rolls. (It was a bit selfish too, since I've been addicted to these lately). Don't you just want one!

Earlier this week Koen hit a glass table right between the eyes. I'm glad It didn't bruise to bad. I was expecting 2 full blown black eyes. Pretty much just a little bruising and a lot of swelling. Sorry for the bad picture. Koen hates me taking pic of him.

And Last but certainly not least I took some Maternity photos of my Sis in Law. She's due about a week after Casey. More of those posted on my photography blog.

Maternity session

2009-02-09T19:29:00.004-07:00

I had the privilege to photograph my sister Casey. She is so beautiful, and even more with the 'glow' of pregnancy. It was so fun, and the pictures are amazing. Here's a preview for you, to see more, go to my photography blog at rmrzphotoz.blogspot.com.

Baby Shower

2009-02-07T10:42:00.003-07:00

A bit late, but Casey had her baby shower last week. I can't believe my baby sis is going to have a baby! She's due in about 4 wks. I'm doing some maternity photos of her this morning, so wish me luck. I've never done a session like this, so I'm a bit nervous. Here's just a few of the many from the shower.

We got the Lottery!

2009-02-04T21:14:00.002-07:00

Payton is now officially enrolled in Kindergarten at Syracuse Arts Academy! Crazy that my little girl is going to school next year. SAA is a charter school that I thought would be really great for Payton to attend. She was selected from their Lottery. They wear uniforms, which for Payton is a great thing seeming that she is so picky about her clothes. Now at least I know she wont look like an orphan child going to school in the clothes she picks out some days! Today she wore a green shirt, black shin high leggings with lace bottoms and white grown up ankle socks that said Angel on them, pulled up to the leggings. Yep, that's my girl! It's a battle I'm willing to let go.

VEGAS!

2009-01-25T20:47:00.006-07:00

Well I didn't manage to get many pictures while we were down there. We spent most of our time at the builders convention, and by the time that was over I was so exhausted that I just wanted to go home and get off my feet! Took a few pics here of the Eiffel tower, the closest I'll ever get to the real thing, unless I strike it rich someday!

As you all know some of the strangest people in the world you'll find in Vegas. Then there's those crazy religious ones that hold their signs telling you your going to hell. I had to take a pic of this sign cuz it made me laugh.
We went on a hike at red rock canyon or something like that, and Russ took some pictures of me. It was funny cuz he holds down the shutter to hard and takes like 20 pics all at once, so I started making faces for every frame. He thinks he's a pro now.

We drove up to the Las Vegas Temple and took some pictures. I would've loved to have gone through a session while we were there, but then Russ would've been all alone for 2 hrs and complaining. Just being on the grounds gives you a great feeling I almost started crying. It's a beautiful temple and I'm sure its even more wonderful on the inside.

My Boys!

2009-01-11T20:00:00.004-07:00

Koen is nothing like Payton, especially when it comes down to being my model. I did manage to get a few cheesers from him, but that's about it. Russ came down and helped with Koen for a bit. Here's what I was able to get. I know you get tired of seeing pictures of Payton, so I'd love to photograph any of you. I'm thinking of adding to my blog and setting up a Photography one as well, so keep a look out for that coming soon....

Got it!

2009-01-08T21:01:00.003-07:00

I think I've got it! Here's some way cute pictures of Payton modeling for me again. These are my favorite because they really capture her personality. For those that know her, you can't help but smile at these. They just SCREAM Payton!

January

2009-01-05T19:56:00.003-07:00

I just wanted to post this picture because I Like it.
I know total randomness, but I really don't care, it's my blog and I can do what I want with it!
Ha ha. I've decided to choose a favorite picture every month and post it. Strictly for my own pleasure, so just DEAL!
(sorry I don't know what's gotten into me today, I'll blame the stress.)

Taken just outside the front door of the cabin in Bear Lake

Model

2008-12-31T12:58:00.005-07:00

So, I'm trying to get my lights set up in my basement, and get my camera at a setting so that my pictures come out nice. Payton has been great being my little model. She gets bored quick, but enjoys it anyway. Here's a few pictures of her. My backgrounds aren't up yet so there is a lot of white going on.

Happy Birthday Koen part 1

2008-12-17T15:26:00.005-07:00

Koen is 2 today! He seems so grown up, not much of a shock to me, he's been 2 in my mind for quite a while now. He's so funny I had to post this video of him opening some presents this morning. Make sure you watch the whole thing cuz the best part is what he says at the end! It makes me laugh, he's been saying it all day! I'll post more of the days events when I get more time.

Before I got the camera out I'd tell him we needed to go change his diaper, his reply "Oh...Mine... Gosh!" He says it the same way every time. He used to only say Oh. The things they pick up from big sisters.

We are truely Amazing

2008-12-13T22:05:00.006-07:00

Payton and I went to Body Worlds today. She loved it. She's our future of medicine. It was such a great educational tool for her. She loves learning about her body, and what everything does. She was the youngest in our group out of the kids, and she was the most interested and attentive. I love that she loves this stuff! I asked her what her favorite part about it was, and she said the one with the hair. since there was only one, here's a picture. She asked so many questions and it was fun for me to answer them in a way that she understood, and to see her expression of understanding and excitement. I would recommend this to everyone, as long as you don't have a weak stomach. It's only here for a while longer. It's a bit pricey but worth it. $22 for adult and $16 for child. Makes you appreciate more what God gave us. Go to www.theleonardo.org/bodyworlds for more info.

I would make a TERRIBLE single mom!

2008-12-06T18:22:00.003-07:00

I've been couped up this past week with Koen. The doc's are thinking Rota virus. Poor kid. I was so worried I took him in twice this week. The first time to see if there was anything we could do for him. He ended up having an ear infection on top of all the other crap, so he got 2 shots of Rocephin. Poor kid, those hurt! The next day he was still looking dehydrated, every time he would drink anything, it would come right back out, liquid. really gross. I won't go into detail to spare you the gag reflux. Anyway so I took him back in and got some great news, the diarrhea may last up to 6 wks! You've got to be kidding! Not looking to the point of iv fluids yet so that's good. He's still not eating much. As of yesterday all he's had to eat all week has been 1 1/2 pieces of toast. Today he's had 1/2 piece of toast and 1/2 ham sandwich. Today seems to be the turning point for him. Only changed 1 diarrhea diaper today! compared to like 10! We are now getting somewhat wet diapers! yay!

As to the title of this post. Russ is now sick, again. Who knows what he's got, but it's really hard doing everything myself. Kudos to all you Single parents. Payton's getting jealous of all my attention to Koen. She's now saying she's sick too. I feel bad, but not much I can do right now. I try and give her any of my free time. We've been playing a lot of games, and watching a lot of movies. (I could go with out the bee movie and any harry potter for a while. Those have been koen's choices over and over!) I'm tempted to go outside and just scream. It usually helps. :)
Well off to play chutes and ladders with payt!

Christmas Greetings!

2008-11-26T17:52:00.003-07:00

Ok, so a bit early. My mom came over for me to "help" her with a Christmas card for my dad's brothers. Obviously this is them. I had to post it cuz it reminds me of that movie The Christmas Story. It makes me laugh looking at it. I love it. It was such a great idea for my mom to do that, I'm sure they'll love it too. My dad is the youngest of the group. Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks. He looks like my little Koen. Or more appropriately the other way around.

Sick and Lazy

2008-11-21T12:40:00.002-07:00

Russ has been so sick the last 4 days. He's got the flu. When he's home being sick and doing nothing, guess what I do? Right, NOTHING! Surprisingly the kitchen has stayed fairly clean thanks to my Roomba. But the family room has been left in shambles. I'm kickin butt on mario kart though. :) (I've had to start over since our last wii broke and we got a new one. thanks to the warranty we got on it.) Also none of my "honey do" list gets done. I really need shelves in my family room, so the kids stop breaking things. I don't know how many times Koen has broken the heads off of my willow tree statues, and I've had to glue them back on. Anyway, enough of that. I recently came across a photo of Russ that I took this past summer. I just love him. I thought I'd share this picture of my sexy husband with you guys!

You have no power over me...

2008-11-12T21:26:00.008-07:00

Remember that show Labyrinth, with David Bowie? Payton saw it at walmart on one of their tv's, and was just mezmorized. I couldn't find it to buy it so we borrowed Crystals, since she has pretty much any movie we would want to see. I had to watch that movie everyday! She would even have her friends come over, just to see her favorite part. That part would be the dance magic dance part, she can sing almost every word of it now. Here's a sample of her dancing along with the Goblin King!

"So Who are you?"

2008-11-06T18:08:00.005-07:00

Sometimes I can't believe how out of touch some people are. Then again, maybe its me!

Payton wanted to be Wanda from The Fairly Odd Parents for Halloween. I thought it was a great idea and decided to have Koen be Cosmo. So first of all no costumes out there for them, so I had to come up with my own. Not to hard considering they just wear regular clothes. Then I had to find the "Wands, and Wings, and little Crowny things." We went to Casey's work in the afternoon for some trick or treating. Koen had his green wings on, and that's when I realized that probably wasn't the best idea for my little boy to be a FAIRY for Halloween. It would've been fine if people knew who they were!!! Whatever, I thought they were cute anyway!

So as you can see by the end of the night they wouldn't wear their wings, Koen refused to wear his tie, and my fault for slacking and not buying wands.

Koen wanted nothing to do with pictures

Payton, Koen, Jaron and Colby. They live across the street. Payton and Jaron are always playing together. He's her little protector, he wont leave class at church until i get there to pick up payton. It's cute!

The G Family

2008-10-30T18:52:00.012-06:00

My first "real" photo shoot, besides my family of course. My friend Jamie asked if I could take some pictures for her family. Not just the 4 of them, but her husbands whole family! I was soo nervous until I started shooting, then it was like: Oh, I so got this! I was in my element. I think they turned out quite nicely. Shout out to Casey, Thanks for your help!! I can't figure out which photo of the whole family I want to post, so I wont. :)

Jamie and her family

I love this picture of Jamie's family. They all look so happy.

Jared's brother and his family are in the bottom picture. They have some pics taken by the small waterfall, and I swear there's a ghost in them. Just in time for Halloween right.

Kiara and Kelton. Beautiful kids!

Jared's sisters and their families

CUTE!!

2008-10-27T14:37:00.002-06:00

I just got a picture that I took with my sister in laws camera at the wedding. I was so mad that I didn't bring my good camera for this shot. But it turned out AWESOME! With a little help from photoshop it's definitely going on my wall!! In case you don't know this is my son Koen, and niece Adalynn

Val's Wedding

2008-10-24T15:16:00.006-06:00

Russ' little sister got married on October 18th. Payton was a Flower Girl, and Koen the Ring Bearer. They were so so cute. Here's some pics of the day. I brought my small camera, so not the best shots, but they're still cute!

This is what you get when you don't take the picture yourself! What else could I do. Russ is always saying that out of all our pictures none of them have me in them, Well here ya go! But sorry, not a wall worthy photo!

I didn't have a good angle to get a good picture of Koen, but I hope the photographer did!

The 2 flower girls, Payton & Addy

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-24T14:58:00.003-06:00

Every October we take a trip to the pumpkin patch. Ever since my mom was a preschool teacher we've been taking the kids there. They always have a great time. Koen's at the age where he is so independent he NEVER wants to look at the camera. Oh well, I get some cute shots anyway.

Pictures from Canada

2008-10-11T18:08:00.007-06:00

Before my parents left to Canada I told them to take pictures and send them to me cuz I was dying to see the kids. So here are a few of the new addition Kodie, and Kwynn.

Here's Kodie

Look at those cheeks!! I just want to kiss em. She's so cute!

Cute little Kwynners. She's getting so big!

This picture below looks like Payton. From the nose up anyway. She has the Jensen chin!

They blessed both girls today 10/12/08.

I love Kwynn's face. She's like do I HAVE to wear this? She looks so annoyed.

I'm guessing this is what my mom wanted when she sent me this pic. Since she has all the others kids feet.

Auntie

2008-10-02T08:43:00.004-06:00

Yes I'm another aunt. Heather had her baby last night sometime in the 8 o'clock hour. A healthy little girl 6 lbs 14 oz. Not sure on a name yet but last I heard they were thinking of Kodie. Congrats Heather, Matt and Kwynn!! She's still in Canada so no cute pics yet :(

The Latest...

2008-09-30T19:45:00.007-06:00

Here's my latest project. I love having my kids pose for my pictures. Koen is surprisingly the easiest!

Just call me TREE!

2008-09-07T14:58:00.006-06:00

Ha ha. Payton is so funny. She started soccer yesterday, and let me tell you she did awesome! She had so much fun, and that's really all that matters. There are 2 Payton's on her team, it got kind of confusing, so after her game she told us she wanted us to call her TREE! She starts Chanting "Go Tree, Go Tree!" That's my crazy girl for ya, always keeping us laughing. At this age they pair them up and play 3 on 3. One of the girls was kind of a ball hog, so Payton didn't really get a chance. Finally the coach mixed it up a bit, so Payton could show off her mad skills :). Any way she starts dribbling the ball up the field, then just stops. She later told me "I just got so excited!" She rocks! Team name: The Pink Ballerina Bears!

Fun in Bear Lake

2008-08-14T15:57:00.010-06:00

I'm sooo far behind! With our move and all everything has been put on hold.

We went to Bear Lake over the 24th. We always have a good time. Russ went up to work earlier in the week, and stopped to get fireworks in Evanston. As they were shooting them off, Russ decided that it would be a great idea to set one off while holding it and aiming it at the water. Meanwhile Hollie and I were walking up to the water to set off some of the small fireworks that were water proof. I was holding the box of about 100 in my hand. So anyways Russ sets his off and we ducked since the sparks flew are way, and as we're running away the box in my hand goes off. Scared the CRAP out of me!! No damage just a little pain and numbness for the next few days.

Here's a few pics of the kids playing at the beach!

Payton picking up shells

Poor Koen had a rash all over. Still so cute though.

Payton walking through to water

Koen picking up shells

Payton keeping her hands warm under Hollies sweater. Hollie's also pregnant, so it looks like she's holding her belly. So cute!

Koen and Grandma Longfellow

Payton and Hollie

BUGS!

2008-07-28T19:51:00.004-06:00

Boys and their bugs! We went to Russ' aunt and uncle's house and they found a cricket in the grass and thought it would be fun to play with. Yuck!

4th of July

2008-07-12T18:30:00.019-06:00

I love the 4th of July! We always have so much fun. We go to the kaysville parade with my family, which you get literally soaked from head to toe. (sorry no pics of that, I thought it best to leave my camera safe at home!) We have a BBQ at my parents house, which always turns into a water fight. I got some great pics of that before I joined in. Then of course fireworks!

Here's Payton getting Jeff with a water balloon. She was so proud of herself!

Courtney taking aim!

Payton & Ally after conspiring against Jeff. (Jeff is Ally and Courtney's dad)
Koen amidst the fun

Ready for the fight
An unsuspecting Payton gets hit by Crystal (my sis)
What a good sport!

Even Mom joined in. (I think that's a first) She's the one with the hose in the dark outfit. Brandy my sis is the one in the red.

Sparklers, always a hit!

SMACKDOWN!

2008-07-02T09:34:00.008-06:00

So I was looking through some pics the other day looking for ideas for a post, and I found the best ones! Most parents would try and break up a fight between siblings, and here I am taking pics of it. Got to love it! Is it sad that I laugh at these pics?

Here's the sequence of events!

Fighting over something they both want It's looking close...
And Payton is Victorious! (Little does she know Koen will be bigger some day and I'm sure we'll have re match!)

I Love little boys!

2008-06-04T14:40:00.007-06:00

Koen is so much fun to have around. I realized I have so many posts about Payton, that I need to give Koen his own spotlight. He's the king of crazy looks. He's always making everyone laugh. You just have to love him!

There he is enjoying an apple. He didn't like being disturbed!

Bath time. His bathroom was under construction so he was taking a bath in our jetted tub. Russ decided to turn on the jets, and as you can see, he wasn't enjoying himself.

Making faces for the camera! He kept trying the grab the camera.

Some fun in the trees.

Little boys and their dirty feet!

Trying to keep is hands out of the way while taking pics of his feet.

I love my little boy!

Let's Dance!

2008-06-01T21:23:00.009-06:00

Payton had her dance recital last night (5/31/08). She did such a great job! She gets so excited when she comes out onto the stage. She's meant to perform! Her class did 2 dance performances. They danced "The bear cha cha cha", and "Hey, What did the blue jay say." The young kids are always the cutest I think. Payton received a dance bag for having 100% attendance. Good job Payt! This was Payton's last performance of the year. No more dance. :(
Payton has loved dance so much and loved meeting new friends.

We'll see if she misses it or not, and who knows, maybe she'll do it again.

These pics are from The Bear Cha Cha Cha. They did Tap for this dance. Way cute!

These pics are from Hey, What did the blue jay say? This one was a ballet. Super cute as well.

Our house in progress!

2008-05-29T08:56:00.008-06:00

This picture is not up to date. There's been a trailer in the way so I haven't been able to get a new photo. All the exterior is complete. Here's a few more pics of the inside.

Payton's room in progress. Her room is going to be so cute, I can't wait!

The master shower is amazing. By far my favorite room in the house!

The kitchen. I love my kitchen, I can't wait to put it to good use! The cabinets were just installed, so no countertops yet.

More Family Pics!

2008-05-18T11:05:00.021-06:00

Ok, so this might look the same, but I had to change my mom's face, because her eyes were a little squinty. Got to love Photoshop!

So here's little Kwynn! I'm so glad I got some great photos of her while she was here. We'll miss you kwynie! Come back soon!

Here's Jaiden and Tyran. Brandy's 2 kiddies. They were by far the easiest kids to photograph.

Makenna is Crystal's not so little girl. (8 going on 28) She's so sweet when she wants to be. We just love her!

And last but not least, the cutest of them all, Koen and Payton. Of course I'm not biast or anything, just cuz they're mine!

I also took some pics of all the kids feet. It turned out way cute!

I almost forgot to post my sith baby! This pic is awesome, Kwynn looks like the sith lord from Star Wars!

Here's a few more of kwynn, cuz we won't be seeing her for a while! :(

Family Pictures!

2008-05-13T17:01:00.006-06:00

(Some of them look like there eyes are closed, but they're not).

Here's the Schow Family Pictures. I knew it would be stressful as soon as my mom asked me to take the pics. It all started with picking what colors to put everyone in. We decided to go with black and brown at first. Then, after trying to find something plain black or brown for the kids, which turned out to be pretty difficult. We decided to add some color to the mix. We went with teal and pink as accents. Some had issues with this at first, but I think it turned out pretty well.
We still need to get one more picture with all the grand kids. The ones we got don't have Kwynn in them, cause she was off crying somewhere. As soon as I get those they'll be posted! This other family photo, I really like, but I think it's to shadowy, so it just didn't turn out that great. I'm thinking, since I don't have the grand kids in this photo, I'll put sort of a montage of pics of the kids underneath the main pic. If that makes sense. I'll post it when it's done, so you'll understand. Enjoy!

Payton's 4!

2008-04-30T08:33:00.006-06:00

Picture taken at Barnes Park by Me!
A bit late since I didn't have my blog up on her birthday. Payton turned 4 on April 13th. I just can't believe my baby is 4. She has been doing a lot this last year. She started dance and has been doing joy school with some neighbor kids. Next year she is eligible to play AYSO soccer, so she has signed up and can't wait until fall to start playing. Every day we are outside "practicing her kicks" as she would call it. She's so cute she puts on some thick tights also called her "soccer tights", her "soccer shirt" which is just a regular shirt that has the number 72 on the back. It's pretty funny to see. Payton wanted a crown cake, which turned out quite nice i think. It was super easy and fun . Some of her favorite gifts were her "mypod" which is like an ipod but it holds 26 princess songs. She loves it. She also got a princess game for the wii, and a new bike.

Discovery Gateway

2008-04-28T12:29:00.009-06:00

Payton has been talking about wanting to go to Discovery Gateway ever since she found out they were doing the Body exhibit. Wow, they really did a great job. So we gathered up Nana, Casey, and Jaiden and took her for her Birthday! Payton loves her body and loves learning how everything works. They had such a fun time. Here's a few pics of their fun day!

I DID IT!

2008-04-25T22:43:00.005-06:00

I figured it out. Yeah! I've been trying to figure out this whole html code crap. I'm so proud! After hours of trying to get my own custom page I realized I was just stupid. I just couldn't get it, even after this great website explained it to me, it went right over my head, then finally a miracle of miracles, I got it! Turns out I just read the instructions wrong. Ha ha. Thank you Trish, and of course this great website she told me about. http://www.sjhblogdesign.blogspot.com/.