Esplin Family

Week 3 flew by!!

2012-01-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Mon. Jan. 16th

Who says you can't play Volleyball in the house???

NOT ME!!!

We busted out a mean game of Balloon Volleyball in the middle of Grandma Linda's kitchen.

This was some serious business PEOPLE!!

Just so you know, no one was hurt or injured in any way :)

Jace sported his layered PJ's. He LOVES all of his different PJ's.

He really wanted to wear his summer ones so he added his winter ones underneath.

He got a little sweaty after the first couple games :)

As you can see I did too!!!

Jace and Soph had a "people with gloves" competition.

I'm still not sure what was going on here.

I had to grab the camera!!!

Tues. Jan. 17th

Mom is taking WAY too long to make my lunch.

I'll make it myself!

I was SO surprised to see that she knew EXACTLY what to pull out for her PB & J.

Here she is cutting it with our little sandwich cutter.

Wed. Jan. 18th

Pancakes for Dinner,

YUMMY!!!

This was a new "healthy" pancake recipe.

I thought I would try them out and see if anyone noticed a difference.

They ALL loved them.

I'm keeping this recipe for sure.

Thur. Jan. 19th

I brought in a load of towels from the dryer.

Then, I went back out to throw another load in dryer.

I came back in and found almost ALL my towels folded.

Thanks SOPH!!

She did a great job, and she was pretty proud of it!

Fri. Jan. 20th

I planned for and had Activity Days today.

WOW!! The day flew by!

It's so much fun having these girlies come over and craft away with me!!!

Sat. Jan. 21st

Nothing like 30 mph winds with 65 mph gusts and a squirt gun filled with.... MOUTHWASH???

I was concerned about the water gun and the wind!

Then Jace comes in smelling like Listerine.

REALLY???

What will they think of next??

I'm glad they didn't get any in their eyes.

Wardrobe change!

This is one of Jace's favorite outfits to wear,

all the way down to the cleats.

NO, Jace is not in baseball, at least not yet!

Linc used his mad shopping skills and scored this whole ouftit for something like less than 5 bucks at Target.

Way to go LINC!!

Christina's Birthday lunch.

This was during our dessert at Nubi's frozen yogurt.

We kept telling Marianne the one on the left to do a silly face.

It took a few shots before she figured out what we were doing.

Then, we were all confused!!

I was DYING laughing!!

Meet YUM!!!

Chocolate yogurt with vanilla then reeses and skor bar.

To top it all off,

Strawberries and mini chocolate chips.

I was in heaven.

Sun. Jan. 22

We had Stake Conference today.

We enjoyed sitting with Linc at church and then playing with him ALL day.

He has been in the bishopric for a little over a year and Sundays are busy days.

What a blessing it was for him to relax a little :)

Here he is playing Mr. Pony!

Good thing Mannie was watching his football game when this was going on.

We would have had a dad with a broken back!!!

Week 2 of 365

2012-01-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Mon. Jan. 9

We finally put our chore chart into action!!

Jace did his chore with a smile.

He got to vacuum all the tile with this awesome little vacuum.

Just his size!

Tues. Jan. 10

Soph practiced the letter "A" again today.

She's can almost write it all by herself.

She has the sound down too.

She finished off her lesson with a stamp and some playdoh.

Good work Soph!

Wed. Jan. 11

RUN AWAY!!!

That's what I kept doing.

How can a girl so little make such a BIG mess?!

I tackled her room today.

I have to admit, I've neglected cleaning it up since before Christmas.

Poor girl!!!

I'm glad she didn't trip over something and really hurt herself.

It only took me all day to clean it all up.

A new room is in the works!!

Thur. Jan. 12

Every Thursday, I get to play Volleyball with an amazing group of friends.

I am with most of them EVERY. DAY. of the week.

I can honestly say, they bring me so much joy.

I love my Thursdays!

Most of all, I love who I get to spend them with :)

Fri. Jan. 13

Soph sported my fun hat while she had a sing/dance party ALL morning long.

Work it girl!!

I'm guessing the hat got too hot??

She threw it off and made this move.

Maybe the hat throwing was part of the act??? I'm sure it was!

Washing the car with Dad

We ended our day at Mannie and Ty's Cub Scout pack Mtg.

(Ty is the one with the yellow hankie. Mannie is over to the left by the flag.)

Aren't they CUTE??

I'm so proud of Mr. Man posting the colors.

It's fun to see them growing up and enjoying the same things together!

Sat. Jan.13

I started my morning off with 24 degree weather

"hills sprints" with some of my favorite people.

We ran over to that LARGE hill behind us,

sprinted up it as fast as we could, ran all the way down and around

then back.

We did that 2 more times.

WHEW!!!

I burned 610 calories in 20 minutes.

I usually burn that in like 60 minutes.

HARD, HARD HARD!

But, totally awesome!!

Off to Char's house to...

eat cookies!!!

Oh and to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Rodriguez.

We gobbled down a yummy dinner too.

Pasta Arribiata, tomatoes with fresh basil, olive oil and vinegar, a green salad, Italian sausage and peppers and homemade bread sticks.

You can't forget the homemade salsa.

Heeheeee!!!

I LOVE being Italian and Mexican!!

After dinner we went and watched the BYU Men's Volleyball team face off UCI for first place in the Country.

Can you say

AWESOOOOMMMEEE???!!!

Front row seats, BABY!!

The only thing that stinks,

I couldn't use my flash.

It wasn't allowed!!!

Ugggh...no flash =blurry pictures...GRRRR!

Here they are all lined up getting introduced.

Gettin' riled up...ROAR!!!

And the game begins!

It was INTENSE!

It was the best out of 5.

They won the first 2,

THEN, they LOST the 3rd and 4th. UGH, they were killing me!!

They came back and ROCKED the last game.

It ended on an AMAZING block.

UCI got STUFFED big time.

MAN, I left there sweating, like I played the game.

THEY WON!!!!
Check out the coaches, hugging with the biggest smiles.

I REALLY wanted a picture of the boys with the whole team.

My brother told me to go over and ask.

EEEKKKK...I was a little scared, don't know why!

I'm such a nerd!

One of the guys went to sit down and I tapped him on the shoulder and asked if I could get a picture with all of them.

He looks back at me and says,"Pshh, YEAH!!" Then he yells,"GUYS... picture time!!" They all ran over SO excited to have their picture taken.

Who'd have guessed!!

They grabbed the boys and lifted them up over the chairs.

I started shooting away.

I had NO idea how the pictures turned out...until I got home.

I have ALL these random people in my picture!

WHAT THE???

Really people???

Next time I will have to pay better attention to what is going on.

Oh well, It was still SO much fun!

They were super sweet too!!

Pictures of good times!! Make me smile.

GO BYU!!! First PLACE, baby!!

We layed our tired little heads down on these comfy little beds.

Char hooked us up with a nice hotel room to chill for the night!

They had the fluffiest pillows and handed out the yummiest cookies.

My kind of hotel!!

Thanks for all the yummy food, the AWESOME game and wonderful hotel, Char.
You DA BEST!!

Sun. Jan. 15

Off to Grandma and Papi's

It's nice to have the boys old enough to be able to play games with now.

We played Speed, Go Fish and Double Solitaire.

Cuddle time watching the new Napoleon Dynamite Series.

They laughed like crazy!!!

What a fun week!!

365 Project

2012-01-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

I'm starting the 365 Project.

One of my goals this year was to get caught up on scrapbooking and keep a better record of not only my life, but the life of those I have been blessed to spend MINE with.

The project is exactly what it's name says.

Each day you take pictures of little moments that you don't want to forget.

Each picture is then labeled and dated. FUN, right??!!

Well, I ALREADY have lots to catch up on.

(I hear you laughing!!)

I didn't exactly start on the first of January.

I JUST came across the idea on the 7th.

(Luckily, I had already made a promise to myself that I would

try and capture more of our everyday moments. SO, I'm not too far behind.)

Anywhooo,

Here is our first week.

(I threw in extra pictures on Sunday to make up for the days I missed.)

Tues. Jan. 3, 2012

This was after the first day back to school.

Mannie thought he might die if he couldn't have his snack soon.

They scarfed it all down!

Little star shaped apples,

yogurt with sprinkles and banana chunks on

toothpicks with peanut butter on the bottom.

YUM!!

Thurs. Jan. 5, 2012

Sophie enjoyed a bubble bath before bed.

We did her hair, used her kitchen stuff and made

bubble soup, bubble cupcakes and

Soph was even sporting a Santa beard for a while.

Fri. Jan. 6

One of Sophie's most favorite things to do is to dance.
Her other favorite thing is to hang out with Daddy.
She was in heaven when Daddy turned up the music and
took her hands to dance.
Such a Princess!

Sat. Jan. 7

Nothing like a handful of weeds from the chitlins.
Ty climbed the fence just so he could pick these just for me.
So SWEET!!
He and Soph proudly carried them in and plopped them in
one of our beloved plastic cups filled with water.
They sit on my kitchen counter as a remind of just how much I am loved.
Love you too, Ty, Ty!

Sun. Jan. 8

(5)

Boy toys have almost become extinct in this house.

Thank goodness we still have Jace!

(6)

Jace likes to turn our fireplace into a battle arena.

He will have teams of cars and dinosaurs lined up and

ready to battle each other.

I LOVE sitting back and listening to the battle noises he

makes with his little lips!

(7)

Dear PSP,

Mannie sure does LOVE you :)

(8)

Ty is speedily getting his Cub Scout stuff passed off.

Here he is sharing his Beyblade collection with Jace.

CHECK!!!
Another requirement done.

(9)

Soph has figured out how to throw the perfect fit!
Kick your legs REALLY hard.

(10)

We LOVE oranges.

We can go through a BIG bag in just a few days.

Only problem is, I find little piles like THIS all around the house.

I look forward to the moments I will capture this year!!

YAY for goals and cameras :)

Kids Costumes!

2011-10-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

I feel like I was JUST posting Halloween pictures last week!!! This year has flown by. Costumes this year were pretty easy. The older boys wanted to be zombies and Jace wanted to be a ghost. Soph, ummm, as long as she has a tutu on, she is good to go.

Here they are all Hallowed out for our churches Trunk or Treat!!

Mannie The Soccer Zombie

I'm lucky I got this picture of him. He was too busy kicking the ball around!! All of his pictures are fuzzy except for this one. He's SO big. It REALLY hit me when he told me he would help me hand out the candy. I'm excited to have a little friend by my side, but ,how sad to think that the days of Trick or Treating are almost over :/

Ty The Ty Zombie :)

This boy gets into his Halloween pictures!!!

I love it when you already have everything for your costume.

PERFECT!!!

Pepto Cowgirl Princess Sophie :)

Ya think she has enough pink on?!!

She loves tutus, pink and just dressing up.

This was all that plus MORE pink, just for her. She loves it!!

Jace The Ghost

Another super easy costume.

All old window sheers from my Mom's house.

He looks kinda scary, huh?!!

Ty left to help set up for the Trunk or Treat along with the other cub scouts in his group.

Here's a picture of the three with out Ty.

Here they are all together, hyper and happy.

We had a nice time. Everyone is tuckered out and ready for another day of soccer games tomorrow.

HAppy Halloween!!

My Muddy Day

2011-08-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend I ran my first race EVER!

{Well, actually, I remember I ran in the Turkey Trot in middle school.

I totally should have tripped that girl that beat me.

I came in third....Only first and second won turkey's! UGHHH...Totally annoying!

I know you all really wanted to hear about my bitter childhood memories :/ }

Okay so back to the race. It was a MUD run. I ran with a group of fabulous friends.

SEEEEEEEEEE! Cute, huh?!

Nothing like mud in your teeth, up your nose, in your shoes and of course in places that don't ever

see day light! Better yet, nothing like a friend to tell you that you have mud in all these places.

THE BEST!

Thanks for being here so I can blab to you all about my Mud day with friends!

I LOVE giving tutorials so here is my tutorial on

How To Run In A Mud Run

What you need:

Friends who will lift you up when you are down! Cause, you will be going down. This is mud people. It will eat you alive!

It also helps if you have a few morefriends to lean on, even when your armpits are totally sweaty!

Duct tape... We don't want to loose our shoes!

...On your marks, get set, go!

Okay, so if you decide to run through the middle

of a large puddle of mud that is being sprayed by

your local firemen and their powerful hoses , take a friend. This is where they come in pretty handy!

Unless, your friend is totally stuck along with you! That's when her awesome sister, {the happy on in the blue} comes in pretty handy!

I've never laughed so hard in my life.

Both of us were so tired from laughing and struggling to get out.

Thanks Mags and Amy, you rock!

Now don't forget to flex them neck muscles!

That way you look like one tough mud Queen!!

Grrrrr...

Don't forget...keep smilin' you wanna get as

much mud as possible on your teeth!

Just make sure you have your friend do a tooth

check before you head home.

Thanks Heather :)

This is about when I was wishing I had my hikin' boots on. Up the little hill

Then down, down, down the little hill!!

Now, they will tell you to keep your arms crossed

as you go down the big slide.

I'm here to tell you....

close your mouth!

Muddy water up the nose and in the mouth!

Naaaassstttyyy!!

Okay, so after the 6,789th muddy hill and mud puddle,

stay strong my friends,

there are only 5,674 more to go.

Just keep runnin', just keep runnin'!

Hold up,

I totally lied, there are 5,675 more

hills!

Some of the thoughts that may go through your mud filled little head

about now,

"Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!"

"Alrighty then,

Let's do this!"

"One foot, now the other foot."

"Oh, I'm still moving, sweet!"

Then comes the time when the Finish line is in sight.

Move that muddy booty girl!

Don't forget to celebrate at the Finish Line!

Make sure you high five a total stranger who you thought was

coming to congratulate you.

{she really just wants the time chip off you shoe.}

She will think you are a total rock star and not know what to say.

Oh yeah, I blew her away with my fabulousness.

{She totally asked for my autograph!}

Now, go celebrate!

have a nice dip in the mud!

sling some mud around...

Don't forget,

Capture every moment!!

We had the best camera man in the universe!

Thanks Alan, you da best!

Thanks fabulous girlies,

what an amazing day!

I will never forget it!

10 things I love about Our Mannie

2011-05-24T00:08:00.000-07:00

(Char and Mannie posing with one of his birthday gifts on his head!)

1. Always so thoughtful.

2. Loves to teach others.

3. Laugh is contagious.

4. High energy!

5. Best hugger.

6. A good example no matter what.

7. Helpful

8. I love the way you sing in Primary!

9. Happy, happy, happy!

10. Always my Little Man!

Sweet boy, another year has flewn by! WHY?! You just keep getting older and I just can't believe it. You are growing taller, getting smarter, and you just keep getting better at all you do. I admire you and the testimony that you carry around in your big heart. I am grateful for the humble example you are to me. Little Man, don't EVER forget we love you and that you have a Father in Heaven who loves you even more. I know he is smilling down on you and is so proud of who you are becoming. Hope your day was SUPER Happy. We love you!

Our SOCCER lives

2011-05-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

The boys' Spring Soccer season is half way over. It's been SO much fun watching the boys play. Practices can be crazy and most of the time their game schedules overlap which is...SUPER CRAZY! Seeing the smiles and the growth in all of them has made the craziness all worth it. Just to warn you, LOT OF PICTURES and CRAZY screaming Moms!

Jace the Mini Striker

Position: Coach puts him in Defense and he lets him cover the whole field. So really, he plays Defense, Mid AND Forward. He loves having Daddy there to cheer him on to run and score!
Goals so far: 1 really should be 2...one of his team mates blocked his kick right before it went in. Poor kid was a little confused! Heehee! SO CUTE.

Strength: Speed and you better watch out, he wont let you get passed him with that ball!

Ty the Fighting Titan

Position: He loves to play them all. He mostly plays forward. He is also the Team Captain. GO TYTY Titan!
Goals so far: 8 the field is way too small for him. He's about ready to move up in the world!
Strength: His super strong kick and speedy legs. Thanks to his super Esplin legs He can out run just about anyone on the field and kick over them too! He is SO fun to watch. Sometimes I am so involved in the game, I forget to take pictures. EEEKKKK! Make sure you watch the video:)

Mannie the Green Machine

Position: Forward. It's an exciting season for Man. He has always played defense. This season he's had the chance to try out some new skills. He's doing great!
Goals So far: 4 Whoot,Whoot!
Strength: Speed and Endurance. I don't know if I could keep RUNNING up and down that LARGE field. I can't believe it's only going to get BIGGER! AHHHH! He does it with such ease! He is defintly a MACHINE! As for his games, I have one word for ya, INTENSE! Most of the time I want to get out on the field with him! Heehee!

Be on the look out for more videos to be uploaded SOON!

Spring Break!

2011-04-29T16:40:00.001-07:00

Why does it have to end?! I LOVE having my family home. Here are a few pictures from our time together. I was SO bugged...I forgot my camera charger on our trip to Vegas so most of the pictures are from my phone. UGGGHHHHHH! We had so such a fun time!

We were EGGED!

2011-04-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, this has got to be THE cutest idea EVER! Last night we were "EGGED"! They egged our door and RAN! They got away before we could say thanks. SHOOT! I really need to work on my cardio so I can catch them next time! The smile on my Ty's face when he saw the damage was priceless. (Just so you know I totally made him pose for this picture!)

Linc came home from church pleasantly surprised by the egging too!

I LOVED watching him read all the special notes to him and our family. It SERIOUSLY makes me want to cry! It was SO sweet!

CUTE,RIGHT?! I have NEVER seen this idea. Maybe it's all over the web and I'm just clueless...I'm sure that's what it is. Or I just have lots of creative people all around me who love my family. PEOPLE, WE ARE LOVED! This SERIOUSLY made our year! Heeehee! These last 5 or so months since Linc has been in the bishopric, we have been blessed BIG TIME by the wonderful people in our church ward. The best blessings HAVE got to be all the yummy treats. We don't know who to thank. (Unless they are still jumpin' in the van screaming and the driver can't get away fast enough...LAURELS ROCK!) LOVE IT! WOW! WHO DID IT?! COME ON, FESS UP! I just wanna give you a big FAT hug. Yes I said FAT cause we are gettin' FAT from all the goodness! THANK YOU!

Each little egg had a sweet note on it. My favorite ones were...Sorry, we forgot the bacon! We love you, it's no YOLK! SO CUTE!

To top it all off, these little eggs were each filled with yummy candy...Peanut butter M&M's...REALLY?! And lots of other yummy stuff! SCORE!

When people are serving others with a willing heart, they have NO idea how much joy it brings to those who are being served. Our hearts are SO full with gratitude for such thoughtfulness and love. Whoever you are...(you know who you are) we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and guess what?! WE LOVE YOU TOO! Hey, why don't you head out and "egg" someone who may need to know they are loved. It will be the best thing EVER...promise! Happy Egging!

HAppy Day to Miss SOhpie!

2011-03-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

CAN YOU BELIEVE I FORGOT THE CANDLES?! I FORGOT THE DARN CANDLES! What's a loser mom to do? WELL, whip out the matches and sing Happy Birthday as fast as you can. Oh, and make sure you keep the lit matches FAR away from the child. NO TOUCHY! That wasn't a problem she couldn't figure out what was going on. It kinda freaked her out a little!

Present time!

Playtime!

Birthday "flowers" from her brothers. Roots and all!

Monkey stuff! Happy Birthday to OUR little monkey!

Beans, rice and chicken...WHAT ELSE WOULD WE SERVE?! Soph's favorite meal!

Getting ready to head out for a birthday shopping trip with Grandma! WOO HOO!

Pinata time! Grandma made Soph's pinata. It was UNBREAKABLE! Probably because Soph needs to hold the bat right!

Happy Birthday Soph! We love you and we are so grateful to have you in our family. You bring a smile to our faces EVERYDAY! Thanks for keeping us on our toes and for bringing us so much joy! LOVE YOU!

I think she's TWO!

2011-03-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

If you can't find Soph, check the cupboards.

Or the bathroom...

If she's not there check her play kitchen. Who knows what she'll be cookin' up!

You could always check the REAL kitchen. She likes cooking things up in there too.

I think she's two! What do you think?

STINKY LINCKY!

2011-02-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

I CANNOT believe Linc is a whole year older ALREADY! His day was pretty quiet and I'm so happy he was able to stay home and enjoy it. He had NOWHERE to go! SOOO NICE! Just family time. LOVE THAT! Read the shirt...it was totally appropriate for a day of celebrating her daddy!

The day before Mom and Dad came up and brought pizza, a cake and Mom made him an apron. Here he is sportin' it! HE LOVE it.

Enjoying part of his yummy cake!

On his birthday,the boys all had fun picking out their own presents for him. They couldn't wait to give them to him either.
Daddy got hooked up!

Mannie picked out this cool soccer hat!

Ty picked out, of all things, a tie.

Sophie gave him new socks.

Then with a "little" help from Mannie, Jace found this soccer jersey that matches Mannie's hat.

I'm SO happy we were able to celebrate your special day with you Linky! We love you SOOOOOOOO much!

Papa Larry & Mama Nanc!

2011-02-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to have Papa and Mama home! We missed them while they were away on thier mission to Africa. They bring a joy to our family and the kids just LOVE spending time with them. It was fun having them come down at the begining of the month. Soph was able to get to know them and the boys wouldn't leave their side. Here are a few picture of us all playing kickball.

GO Mannie!

Ty stealling bases right in front of his Dad! He must be an Esplin!

Mama Nanc has quite the arm on her!

Those boys had Papa running like crazy. He was on every ball! GO PAPA!

Two kids on first? No wonder they beat us!

Mr. kickball of AMERICA!

Here's one person Linc got his skills from....

Here's the other!

Fun times! I'm so glad these boys will have such wonderful memories to look back on. They have been blessed with the most amazing grandparents. Glad you guys came down. Can't wait to see you again.

Some Winter Family Portraits

2010-12-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

I know Mama Nanc...It's been forever! I can't believe I haven't posted for a whole month. SO BAD! Well, I did just take some family portraits for Christmas cards. I don't LOVE them, but, they will have to do for this year. We wanted to make sure Linc could actually be in a picture WITH us! BUSY MAN! Here we go:

First, Mannie's new obsession...FOOTBALL! He can't play enough of it, watch enough, talk about it enough. He can't get enough football video games. It's kinda scary. I swear it's in the blood!

That's it for now. I hope this makes me less of a slacker. I FINALLY posted something! YAY!

SOCCER and more SOCCER

2010-10-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Soccer season has officially ended. It went by SO fast! We've seen the boys really grow. Their self confidence is up and they've managed to end their season with some pretty fancy soccer skills. Well, since Mannie's team took 2nd in the league, they will be playing in what's called the Commissioners Cup. They will be playing teams from all over the State. Then at Thanksgiving, both of the boys will be playing in the Turkey Tournament. So is soccer really over? UM, NO! We still have quite a while to go. We are so proud of them! I just thought I would share a few pictures of these boys action.
Mannie's field is a lot larger than Ty's, so I wasn't able to get in as close as I'd like to. I need a new lens that gets in nice and close...hint, hint:) Both Mannie and Ty are great defenders. Here's Mannie going against one of the smaller kids in his league. It seemed like everyone else was about as tall as I was. Scary! We're just happy his collar bone wasn't broken after he was kneed really hard by one of the other player's who was going in for a goal. Mannie kicked that baby out of there.
Once again, Mannie had such great coaches. They were energetic and SO positive. PERFECT! GO MANNIE!

Here's Mr. Ty! Wait...did you see him or was he running by way too fast?! That would be Ty! He has the speediest legs ever. They definitly came in handy this season.

DO you see it? Four boys on one. Ya think the coach from the other team was a little concerned when Ty had the ball? UH, YEAH! GO TY!

Today they had both their team parties. I needed a clone today! I needed to be at two places at once. One party was in our town and the other was 30 minutes away! CrAzy! I was able to join Ty for his party and then we rushed over to pick Mannie up from his before his coaches had to leave. AHHHHH! I did sneak in one more picture with his coaches. If you aren't bored to death by now,...scroll down for more pictures!

Wish the boys luck! We'll let you know how things go:) HAPPY SOCCER!

Our little Halloween

2010-10-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our Family Hall0ween Party. We had monster pizzas, Boo Juice, we played games and made rice krispy creatures. We ended it all with a spooky halloween movie. We had fun!

We also had our ward Trunk r Treat tonight. Here are some shots of the kids before we left.

Deja vu anyone?! Yeah, Ty wanted to be a vampire again this year. He was able to just use Mannie's from last year. SWEET! Jace has WAY too many cotumes to choose from. He wore his Bakugan one to all his other parties and wore TY's vampire from last year to the Trunk R Treat. You never know with that kid!

Speaking of Jace...Soph and I went and watched his costume parade at school this morning! SO CUTE! He is growing so fast:)

I think that's it! Hope you all have a super Happy Halloween. Be safe!

PUPPIES!

2010-10-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

The boys have been begging Linc and I for a puppy for years now! I can't believe he actually gave in.
I guess I can see why. They are SO cute.

They have been great. I LOVE cleaning up more poop and pee:) It's SO fun. I even love running out to feed them when they cry. I wasn't ready for twins. Linc keeps reminding me,"Just think of the memories these kids are making!" TRUE!

These silly KIDS!

2010-09-21T17:23:00.001-07:00

I just love our little people to death! Thought I would share a few pictures of these little crazies. ENJOY!

Sweeter than pie, Little Soph, decided to help me make apple pie filling by climbing into the pot. CRAZY GIRL!

She also managed to climb out of her dress and rub my blush all over herself. She came in smacking her lips and dancing. When she realized that I had noticed, she took off! In the bath you go little girl!

Here's what she does when I'm cleaning up a different part of the house. She messes it up somewhere else. AHHHHHH! It's like shoveling snow when it's still snowing! Why do I even try?

So linc and I are always trying to figure out where all of our food goes. Here is a conversation I had with Mannie.
ME: Hey Man! What ya doin? MANNIE(as he hovers over his cup hiding it): Getting a little snack. ME: What are you having? MANNIE: A cookie and milk. ME: GASP! One cookie? MANNIE: Okay, eight cookies! I just wanted to see how many I can fit in the cup.

SO THAT'S where it's all going!

Okay, and here is where the rest of the food goes! Yes, this is Ice cream...
...and mixed veggies straight from the freezer! Soph can now pull out just about anything from the freezer if she needs a snack. Isn't that great? She also loves to help UNDO the laundry. Dang IT! I just folded these!

Milkshake mustaches!

NOW, are you ready for this next one?! THIS has got to be the best. I'm not telling you which child did this, I think they would be too embarrassed. Can you tell what this is a picture of?

Well, this particular child decided it would be fun to wrap themselves in their seat belt a couple of times. I'm not sure how, but, they managed to get completely tangled in it. We got home and they could NOT get out. The seat belt decided to lock and they were totally stuck. Anytime they tried to wiggle themselves out, the belt just got tighter and tighter around the tummy. After a call to my wonderful neighbor we decided the only way to remove the child was to cut the belt. SO we did! CRAZY KID! We are now down to 6 stinkin' seat belts! I guess we can call it our little reminder of the moment. The kids all realized it's not so fun to play in the seat belts after all. LIVE AND LEARN! RIGHT?

JACE'S bday!

2010-09-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

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What a fun birthday Jace had. A little crazy but SO fun! Linc and I drop in after lunch to see Jace at school and bring him in a little treat to share with his class. Here he is standing in front of all of the class while they sang Happy Birthday and his teacher helped move his shoulders to do CHA, CHA, CHA during the song.
I made a rice krispy treat on a stick covered in chocolate and sprinkles. Here he is with his treat pop and his buddy too!Here's DADDY and Soph to join the party!

Speaking of parties we had a little one for him, right after school. Here are some of the decorations and treats.
The cupcakes are supposed to look like baseballs just in case you couldn't tell. Shoot, who cares what they look like. Chocolate cake with more chocolate M&m's on top! PERFECT! Jace is totally my son;)

I filled the popcorn buckets up with homemade Craker Jacks. If you want the recipe go
HERE. SO YUMMY! I found red, white and blue tootsie rolls and tootsie pops. That is what is in the apothecary jars.

We had pizza for dinner and used our little water bottles for our drinks.

We also played a few fun games. For the first game we cut out fish put a paper clip on them and wrote single, triple, double, home run and strike on them. Then they fished them out with a magnet at the end of a fishing pole. If they got a single they got one piece of candy, triple, three pieces, home run they got a sucker. You get the drift.

The second game we called "perfect pitch". We stacked cups and had them underhand pitch to see it they could knock down all of the cups. FUN!

Then last we filled up some water balloons and we pitched them a balloon to hit. They loved getting splashed.

Last, we had our cupcakes.

It was a hit! Happy Birthday Jace! We love you.

Back to The old Grind!

2010-08-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have to say our summer was just WAY too long. For a minute there I forgot my husband had a job and that my children even attended school! Today was an emotional day for me. (I know I'm emotional over everything) Seriously, I cried last night, I cried this morning (sniff). I didn't know what I was going to do with myself all day.
I'm a little over it now that they are all home SO grumpy and tired. OKAY, they can ALL go back to school tomorrow!:) Here are a few pictures from our day:
The man I had to send to work today...SO SAD!
Our morning child! Dressed and ready to go. "I think I'll rest for a few more minutes then I'll come have breakfast."

How can I possibly wake such a sweet face. He looks like an angel. HE'S NOT:) (kidding, He is)

My poor TyTy can't even open his little peepers! SO TIRED. Poor baby this is a good excuse to keep him home forever isn't it?

Teacher gifts.

Our big bad Kindergartner...man, I still can't believe it!

Dad snuck home during his prep to wish the boys a super first day of school! Aren't they just so cute? MY BOYS!

First stop, Ty's class!

Here he is with his super sweet teacher. We are looking forward to a great year with her.

Ty at his 2nd grade desk.

Next up...Little Man. Here he is with his fancy new teacher. She also seem super sweet.

I can tell I like her already. Can you see how she decorated her whole entry way into her class? SO CUTE! Love the little flag and flowers.

Last but of course not least...Mr. Jace. He marched on in passed everyone and sat himself right down. I never thought that was going to happen! He's SO excited.

Here he is listening to instructions.

This is his teacher who just adores him already. Ty had her for Kinder and Jace walked him in with me every morning. It was nice for him to know where he was going and what to expect. I think it made our lives a little easier. He only stayed for orientation for today but he can't wait to go back and stay ALL day tomorrow. We shall see!

Happy school boys! I'll miss you.

Lego to Lego Land!

2010-08-04T22:47:00.001-07:00

Oh Lego Land...what a fun little place.

To end our fun day we stopped at Char's to hang out. Night BOYS!

Carlsbad, Ca. Our Last Hoorah!

2010-08-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

We took our "Last Hoorah" trip out to Carlsbad so we could take the kids to Lego Land. On our way out we made a stop at Bass Pro Shop. The boys favorite thing was going up and down the elevator a few hundred times. They even met this super hot fisher man on their way out! Then we made our way to the hotel. The boys LOVE hotels. Here's why:

Jace's favorite thing to do is pretend he's a DJ at the air conditioner.

Our last stop before dinner was at the beach. The weather was perfect! Of course I had to take a few shots of our little people.

sUMMER pORtRAITS

2010-07-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Thought it was about time I update our blog header. So, out we went to do family pictures. The sun was shining...Jace says, "Mom I can't open my eyes!" The wind was blowin' like always which means crazy hair for Soph and I. Here they are!

This was our last picture we took. Jace and Mannie are like SWEET,we are done! Poor Ty is just burning up and Soph and I are TOTALLY wind blown. WOO HOO we lived through another photo shoot. Great job guys!

Our Summer So Far!

2010-07-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Last Day of SchOol!

2010-06-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the events that took place on the last day of school! We are enjoying our SUMMER!
The boys were so excited to be able to have a free dress day. Jace was just wanting to hop in the picture...crazy boy! Ty's class party was the first stop of the day. His teacher informed me that she wasn't going to pass him onto the 2nd grade. WHAT?! She told me he is the best student she has ever had. Then she went on to say, I wish I could have had 19 more just like him. He is such a great kid. She went on to tell me she didn't know what she was going to do without him in her class. So SWEET, right? Good job TY! Each of the kids in his class wrote stories and read them aloud to the parents. Then they followed with a flute concert. I was SO impressed. My video camera decided to die right before they started. OF COURSE! I got a little clip of it on my phone. Super cute! Here he is posing by his mask of himself. We had to guess which one was our child's. Ty tricked me since his person had green eyes. Silly boy! He said, I wanted green eyes so I painted them green. Okay! What a fun time we had!

Next, we hit Mannie's class. We enjoyed root beer floats and Mannie's teacher handed out her own awards for the kids. Mannie's was he gives his all. No matter what the situation he always does his best. His gives 100%. Great Job Man! Here she is teary eyed and so sad to let him go. Man, I'm so lucky they are mine!

To finish off the day all of the students and staff went out to say goodbye to the long time principle who is moving on. He is such an amazing guy. I have never seen a principle out playing on the play ground or a principle who stops to say hello and see how you are doing. We will miss him!

What a fun year we have had! It went by way so fast. I guess it just means my boys are a year old and wiser too. I can't believe it. Here's to a super duper SUMMER!

Happy Birthday Mannie!

2010-05-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly! Mannie is NINE! I'm not sure how or when that happened. I asked him what he wanted to do for a party and he said have some friends over and play the Wii! EASY! That is exactly what we did. Here's the invite.
I loved hearing him laugh and seeing him smile all day. It was also nice to know that he has some great friends!

Watch this, Mannie can turn any piece of tissue paper into a cape! AMAZING! He'll be here all week folks!

Homemade pizza was on the menu along with lots of munchies! Yum! I have the best crust recipe. If you want, it let me know!

Nothing like a game of "wall ball". Yeah, I have no idea! They loved it though.
Here's some more party animals! Jace losing a cupcake before the party even started.

My two little cuties enjoying a snack!

Here's Tyty helping with balloons. I'm glad he was there to pass out with me. Look how huge he blew them up! He came in quite handy! Thanks Tyty!

Well, well, well! Look who stopped by...Mannie from the future. Or is it Char from the past?

Crazy boy...Wii hope you had a happy day! Wii love you SO much!

HapPy CamPers!

2010-05-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

THIS IS THE LONGEST POST I HAVE EVER WRITTEN! Consider yourselves WARNED! I went a little picture happy again;)

A couple of weeks ago our friends invited us to go camping with them. It was quite the LUXURIOUS camping trip. Really! First of all, they were generous enough to let us ALL squish into their fabulous trailer.
Sweet, right? No tents allowed! We had S'mores, burnt marshmallows,

hot chocolate, a movie, an awesome game of RATS!,

yummy breakfast, oh, and dinner. There was no DIRT! (I should have rolled down that hill of grass).

Fancy Soda Pop in glass bottles, OREOS,
Bikes, bikes and more bikes!

A fun park for the kids and adults.

.

Another fun game called, "Help, my hands are stuck together, girls!" courtesy of Mannie Best of all, just a good ol' time with one of BESTIES!

If you don't know her, YOU are missing out. She is AMAZING! She's funny,
CrAzY, the BEST mom, a great COOK, she's sweet, will laugh at your stupid jokes, a total fashionista, she can stay up ALL night, She will do anything for anyone at the drop of a dime. Last but not least, she is an awesome friend! Her husband is a pretty amazing guy too! I love watching him and Linc laugh at who knows what! He's got skills too! NO really, he doesn't need a bottle cap opener to open HIS pop. This is how real men do it!
He can even push a millions pounds of kid up a super steep hill ALL by himself! WOW!
See, aren't they great?! WE HAD A BLAST! I'm so glad we had the chance to get together. THANKS GUYS!

Uncle Char

2010-05-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

When it's time to say goodbye, my boys are just like me. They will cry for about an hour! I know it's silly, but it's true. Well, when it's time to say bye to Uncle Char, they not only cry but they are devistated. Every morning for the next week I have someone asking me when we will be seeing Char again. It makes me happy to know that they have such a great Uncle who they love to spend time with. They are spoiled over at his house. Breakfast usually consists of (by thier choice) Pringles, Gummy Worms and a yummy soda pop. Lunch? Ahhh, who needs lunch? Snack, a Jamba Juice. Dinner, Ice Cream with M&Ms and chocolate chips. They swim, play playstaion, go to Target and come home with something new. I wish I had An Uncle Char, too! This weekend when we all got together, Jace would not let Char go home without him! So, Char went home with a car load of "free loaders" who ended up staying the night! They enjoyed themselves. Here are some pictures he sent me.

One thing Char will not allow is stinky little people! Here they are after they had a bath and raided his closet for a couple new shirts.
Jamba Juice break.

Char, thank you for loving the boys SO much. They still love YOU more! Thanks for letting them come and stay at what they call, "Hotel Char". =)

My PaaPaw and MaaMaw Y'all!

2010-05-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

What a fun Mother's day weekend! My Grandma and Grandpa who we haven't see for almost 5 years came all the way from Tennesse to visit. YAY! We all spent our Sunday down in San Diego at a cousins house with lots of family. I got a little picture happy... our cousin's yard is amazing! My favorite was the tire swing hanging from the tree. Oh, and the bright red barn with the cutest chickens ever. I can't forget the cute little bridge that leads you down the path to see the chickens. Oh man! The geraniums, the lemon trees, the grapefruit trees, the soccer field. Okay, so I loved it all! The best part was being able to see two of the best people I will ever know! My MaaMaw and PaaPaw. They will never know how TRUELY loved they are. My heart always feels like it's being torn out when it's time to say goodbye.
WE LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Here are a few fun shots...

This is from today! We had the honor of having them over for a little visit and dinner. Please excuse our crazy hair the wind was blowing like crazy! Oh, my ears are naked too! No time for blingy today.=)

Sophie knows how to say CHEESE! Check out the beautiful flowers too.

We really did enjoy ourselves. I am SO lucky! I have the best family ever. Hope you all had a happy Mothers Day TOO!

Young Authors

2010-05-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Mannie and the rest of his class all studied penguins a few months ago. They read a book about a penguin named "Captain Cook". From what I understand, this penguin goes on adventures. Well, Mannie's teacher had a stuffed toy penguin that she named "Captain Cook". The Captain went home with someone new everyday and went on "adventures" with them. They took pictures and wrote down what they did. All of the stories were compiled into a book. The class book was entered into a Young Authors contest at school and his class won! They are now having the book published for families to purchase. This was the coolest idea ever! Mannie has never been so excited to write. LOVE THAT! I decided I would post his little story and pictures. We are so proud of all the hard work he does in school. There are days when he is so exhausted from working so hard. Love you Man!

My Adventure with Captain Cook
Written By: Mannie Esplin

My Mom yelled, “Is that Captain Cook?”. I said, “Yes, it is!” I buckled him in next to me in the car. Captain Cook was excited and so was I. When we got home, Mom started making us a snack.

While we were waiting, my brothers and I dressed Captain Cook up as Batman. He looked awesome! We undressed him and my brothers and I took him on a tour of our backyard. We first took him on the slide. Then, we went on the trampoline. Captain Cook loved the trampoline most. He did tricks and flips. We headed back inside for our snack. Mom made cheesy fish tails for us. Captain Cook ate them all and did’t save any for anyone else. He was hungry. Then, we went and played Mario Cart. Captain Cook shot a red turtle shell and destroyed us all! We were tired of losing the game. So, we took him back outside to play some basketball. He dribbled past us and slam dunked on our heads. We lost, again! We went back inside and played a game of Chutes and Ladders. I think he was still hungry. I yelled, “No Captain Cook, don’t eat the game!” I brought him with me to dinner. We ate soup. It was too hot for him. After we finished dinner, we all went to the library. I found a lot of books. Captain Cook found a penguin book. I told him I would read it to him when we got home. As soon as we came home we sat together and I read him his book. He was so tired, he fell asleep. What a fun day!

Our Fun Weekend!

2010-04-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY: PINEWOOD DERBY

Mannie had his first Pinewood Derby! Him and Linc have really enjoyed working on his car. Our wonderful neighbor let us borrow all of his fancy tools to cut this baby out. (THANKS CHET!) They sanded it forever and Mannie painted it all by himself. They needed to add a little more weight to the car so they gave it a Dinosaur driver. Mannie ended up winning the "MOST CREATIVE DRIVER" award. GOOD JOB BOYS!

SATURDAY:

We had some fun company come in on Saturday! The boys have been counting down to see thier cousins! MAN did they have fun!

SUNDAY:
Another exciting day! For Ty at least. He finally lost one of his front teeth. I pulled it out right before church and set it on the counter on a paper towel. A little after we had gotten home from church, Ty asked me for his tooth. OH SHOOT! The paper towel is gone! Ty was heart broken. SOmeone threw it away! We went on a hunt through the garbage. No luck! SO SAD, huh? Finally I thought, I'm going to go through each little piece of paper...I HAVE to find it. Right on top all balled up in the paper towel was his teeny tiny tooth! WHEW! Let me show you a picture of just how happy he was when I found it... Now I have to look at his little smile and realize my TYTY is growing up. I wish they could stay small forever.

Sophie the Fashionista!

2010-04-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Sophie is already picking out her own clothes! After her bath she runs to her dresser to help pick something out to wear. She has also turned into a total cheese in front of the camera! I can't wait for you all to see.

Here's the first. She snatched this dress, slipped it on (upsidedown!) and grabbed her purse on the way out. She ran to go and show Daddy, who was so proud! Soph, so HOT! LOVE IT!

This next outfit she pulled out of her brothers drawer and Daddy helped her get into it. The smile on her face says it all. I think she even went to bed smiling! Work it girl! She totally posed for this last one! So CUTE Soph!

Ty's "Three Little Pigs Opera"

2010-04-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

Ty's class did a performance of "The Three Little Pigs Opera". They practiced and painted for months. Ty couldn't wait for his teacher to pick their parts. The day finally came and he found out he was going to be the narrator. I'm not surprised! He loves to read.Isn't he just too cute?
In case you can't tell these are the three little pigs houses that the whole class painted together.

TY WAS GREAT! It ended up being the cutest play ever! Here he is getting ready to start. Here he is at the end of the play with a girl who is in our ward and in his class too! That doesn't happen very often! I took this picture from far away and had to crop it. I just noticed he is showing his sensitive side. I'm not sure what was happening, but it looks like he is trying to console her...so sweet.

Last but not least...here are my two little LOUD pigs. I got quite a few dirty looks! I probably should have found a sitter for them. BUT, I didn't! I wanted them to be able to see TY. I wish someone had gotten a picture of me chasing Soph (with one hand available, I had my big camera around my neck and the video camera in my hand) who was pushing the chairs around the cafeteria making a really loud squeaking noise.

Or maybe even a picture of Jace running after her YELLING, "SOPHIE, YOU ARE BEING TOO LOUD! COME WATCH TY, TY!" If only I had a shot of Sophie swinging her bag of cereal that was opened all over the cafateria floor. Man, what was I thinkin', right? Well, I wanted them to see Ty. His face was pricless when he noticed we were ALL there. He just lit right up! Let me tell you, I got a workout. It was all worth it though. Great job TY! Can't wait for your next one.

Hoppy Day!

2010-04-11T19:31:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Soph!

2010-03-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am finally posting these pictures of Sophie's Birthday. So, I planned on having it at home, but it ended up being "Breakfast at Grandma's". It seemed like nothing went right. Good thing Sophie had no idea. Breakfast ended up being brunch. My cinnamon rolls wouldn't rise or bake right. The camera battery died and my moms camera was set on the wrong setting a couple of times. Anyway, it was all worth watching Sophie clap all through her birthday song. SHE had a happy day!
Here's what we had. Sophie's favorite...beans, homemade tortillas, and potatoes.

I made a pinata that wouldn't need to be hit with a stick. Each piece of ribbon was attached to the bottom of the box so when they were pulled the box would open. EASY!
Now here she is in all her glory! She loved all of the attention. We decided to sit her right in the middle of the table. You could tell she felt pretty special.

The first time we sang to her she clapped. So, we had to keep singing so she would do it again. Happy Birthday Soph! I can't believe it's been a year.

Sophie's Birthday Pics

2010-03-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

Sophie's birthday theme is "Breakfast at Sophie's". Yes, we are having breakfast. Here are the pictures I took for her little invitation for her scrapbook. Oh, did I mention she decided to start full on walking this week? Well, she is! I love how a couple of the pictures capture her first sweet steps. I can't believe she's turning 1!

Ty-Ty

2010-02-23T10:08:00.001-08:00

Here's my recent photo shoot with Ty-Ty. He is growing up so fast. I love how he did a couple of his classic "shy" faces... RIGHT! He's so funny! Love you bud!

February Fun!

2010-02-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

We will never forget you...

2010-02-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

Two years ago yesterday the world lost an amazing woman...my grandma. I think of her everyday. I know it's because she is still here with us. Her legacy still lives on. Her strength that could move mountains is alive. If I find myself struggling in my SIMPLE little life...I think of her. She struggled silently and lifted others while she did so. She never complained...even in the darkest time of her life, she thanked every helping hand. I try each day to be just like her. I know I can get through anything...she did. I can love unconditionally...she did. I can listen, and laugh...she did. I can find the good in people, and I can fight...she did. Grandma.....I miss you. I will work each day to keep your legacy alive. Thank you for being so AMAZING. We will never forget you....

I Love THIS song!

2010-01-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

This song had been playing over and over again in my car! I love it. I love how simple it is. The best part is hearing the boys sing out to it. I realize all that they are learning and all that they see has helped them know that they have a Savior who loves them. I am so grateful for our churches Primary organization. It is so inspired and it truely makes little people into spiriual giants. Hope you like it! I KNOW MY SAVIOR LOVES ME TOO!

Little Bearded Woman

2010-01-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

Sophie has been so fun! She has such a little personality. Her favorite thing right now is COOKIES! If you get a cookie from the cupboard she grabs it out of you hand, right away! She will continue to grab as many cookies as she can hold in her little chubby hand. It's so funny. Here is a picture of her enjoying yet another cookie. I love you little bearded woman!

Firehouse fun!

2010-01-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our recent playschool field trip to the fire station. We had a lot of fun! I love Jace's little hat...little cutie pie.

HOME for Christmas

2010-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

I know people say this all the time but I am realizing this for myself. HOME is not a place...it is being with the people you love. I love Christmas because it gives our family the chance to feel at HOME again. This year Christmas was a little different for me. Part of what I consider HOME was missing. Part of that feeling that is so kind and loving wasn't all there. The feeling of my Mama Nanc's presence was not there. The clanging in the kitchen wasn't quite right. The suds of soap in the sink didn't sparkle the same. I missed her dearly! I knew she was busy clanging just not close enough to hear it. Then the warm, kind smile of a man I will always look up to wasn't there to see. He was sharing it with others who needed it more than I did. The comforting hug of my Papa Larry and his sweet prayers spoken weren't there either. Part of my HOME was gone. That feeling of sadness sunk in. I realized how much of HOME they are to me. They love you no matter what. They serve you, they listen to you. They know you and still love and accept you. HOME is wherever love is. Part of my love is in Africa! We missed you guys. SO, This post is for them. Linc did a great job of capturing the moments of our "3rd" annual Esplin Party!

Hey NEW FOLLOWERS!

2009-12-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

I noticed I have a couple of new followers. SWEET! I decided to start up a new blog with projects that I am working on or just fun stuff that I like. SO, if this sounds fun...follow me over to "Cinnaberry Suite". Thanks I am so excited...See you there!

Sophie

2009-12-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

We have had a sick house. It feels like it's been months. It's only been a few days. A week ago, before this horrible flu bug hit us I was able to take some new pictures of my baby who is turning into a little girl. Seeing these pictures helped me remember how lucky we are to have a healthy baby. I can't stand to see her in such discomfort. I know she will be okay, but I promised myself I would enjoy this little gift we have been given even more. I can't wait for you to be better Soph! Love you.

I WON!

2009-12-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

I WON! I know it's just a couple of cans of spray-paint...but you don't understand! There were so many fabulous ideas that were entered and the people judging them are so talented I never expected this. What an honor! I am so happy! Check out thier blog so you can see all the projects they featured including MINE...SWEET! Shanty2Chic P.S. The boys are famous!

Stocking Holders ReVaMp

2009-12-05T18:51:00.001-08:00

Follow me over to my new blog for my "Stocking Holder ReVaMp"

Thanks for coming!

-Jennie

10 days of Thanksgiving

2009-11-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

I wanted a way for our family to remember how blessed we really are. For the next 10(now 8) days we will be doing something to remind us of our blessings. The first day was to say "Thank You" at least ten times in that day. I have lots of people who have blessed me and who I want to thank. For today, I am spotlighting an AMAZING person...my husband. Thank you a zillion times sweetie!
(click and scroll to see all the pictures)

Night of Fright

2009-11-01T16:32:00.001-08:00

Hey! I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! We had a lot of fun!

First, I just want to say we have the best neighbors ever. We had some stop by today to bring a treat by for the boys! How sweet and thoughtful is that? Thank you guys for being so great! You made our day.

Okay, so if you click on the pictures you can see them up close. Mannie and Ty were both vampires quite handsome ones! They loved playing it up. Jace my "little spunky" was Indiana Jones in search for the best costume for next year. Sophie was our cute little bumble bee! We had fun!

Two Vampires and a Little Cutie

2009-10-30T19:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween Eve!

New Things

2009-10-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

The start of Sophie's room...Thanks Holl for the fun saying!

Going into Sophie's room from office. Those are the mirrored closet doors you see. I still need some curtains and some fun stuff on the wall.

This is the view from the closet wall.

Look who I found standing in her crib. Guess who lowered her crib?

Here's another one. I had this box to take out (I was rotating our toys) guess who was yet again trying to pull herself up to get the toys out...you little sneak!

Mannie has glasses...he has inhereted his mother's loevely eyes. Poor guy!

More Halloween...

2009-10-23T14:16:00.001-07:00

I thought these hand treats were so cute. Our Primary program is this Sunday and as a presidency we wanted to let the kids know how proud we were of them. So, I saw something similar to this on the Internet. I decided to add some Halloween candy and a spider ring to it and a fun saying..."Give yourself a "Hand" you did great!". I am about halfway done to making 75 little hands. Aren't they fun?

Here are some more foods from our Halloween lunch menu...

Tombstone sandwiches and eyeballs (cheese with olives)...

Monster snot dip (ranch) and monster fingers (carrots with red pepper) to lick off that snot, yummY !

Last, worm (cut up hot dog) sandwiches.

halloween COUNTDown

2009-10-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

We are counting down to Halloween! We are having fun...

Monster Mouths that made their way into the boy's lunch today. So YUMMY!

Our Family Home Evening Lesson was on how we can become clean and let the light of Christ shine within us. We carved our smallest pumpkin and related it to this. Cut it open, look inside (look inside ourselves...are we a mess? Can a light shine through all this mess?). Clean out the seeds (get rid of all those bad things that keep the spirit away from us). Cut out the eyes ( can we see what our Heavenly Father wants for us?) Cut out the mouth (are we happy?) Light a candle ( When we focus on keeping ourselves clean people can see the light of Christ in our eyes). The boys enjoyed cutting and "gutting" as they said. We love our little pumpkin...what a good reminder!

Monday's lunch had some more visitors... a jack-o-lantern sandwich and spider crackers with missing legs! OHHHH so gruesome!:)

Lastly, bloody pancakes (pancakes with homemade cherry syrup). The boys looked a little nervous until they tasted them. Definitely, a keeper!

Happy BOOing!

Fall Break

2009-10-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

Our fabulous fall break is slowly coming to an end....I'm so sad. I know we're so spoiled! I thought I would share what we've been up to the last couple of weeks. (Click the pages to see up close.) We had fun!

Yes, mud fun again!

2009-09-30T08:18:00.001-07:00

Since the addition we have no grass. We had to turn the sprinklers off since they built on top of them or close to it. Anyway, the boys came in from out back and asked if they could make a slip and slide out by the play set (away from the nails). Linc okayed it. I looked out to see what they meant by a slip and slide and this is what I saw...

AHHHHHHHH! A lake in my backyard! I called for Lincoln and he said,"Oh!" I looked at him like he was crazy, then he said with a big smile,"I remember doing that same thing out at the ranch when I was little. It would rain and we would run through the puddles and the mud. It was so fun!" (Lincoln always has to put things into perspective!) So, I ran and got the camera. Here are some pictures of the boys out in our backyard "making memories", as Lincoln would say!

Collage of Soph

2009-09-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I took these first two pictures so you can all see how crazy little Sophie's hair is growing in. She has lots of "body" just like her mother. Poor thing! I cannot for the life of me get it comb down. It is the first thing people notice when they see her now. So I have found myself explaining..."I tried wetting it and lubing it with lotion. It won't go down." People have even suggested shaving it all off...uh no! It just makes me smile everytime I see it.

This is a picture of a messy faced, bibless child. I was so worried about her. She just would not eat. She didn't want to have anything to do with "baby" food. (WHY WON'T SHE EAT?) I knew she wasn't starving. I just wanted her to get used to eating food. Well, the doctor told me to try everything. Feed her what she wants. So, I did. I put her in her chair with some "regular" food thinking she wouldn't care. I didn't even bother with the bib. (She's not going to eat.) I watched as she reached out onto her table and grabbed some food. She moved it around her mouth. Then the next thing I know she's shoveling the food into her mouth. She loved it! She is now enjoying eating just about everything we do. With a bib of course!

I call this picture of Soph "Sittin' Pretty". She's been sitting up for a couple of weeks now and is so ready to get this show on the road. She rolls to get where she needs to and is so close to crawling. My baby is getting too big too fast.

Blue Ribbon "Sapphire" Contest

2009-09-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Lori at A Cowboys Wife is hosting a Blue Ribbon Photography Contest. This months theme is "Sapphire". Here is my entry:

I took this after school. His eyes say it all...he's got the "Summer Blues". Where did the summer go? No wonder he froze the rest of his drink, He wants it to last forever.;)

Still a work in progress!

2009-09-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

UnDEr CoNStruCtion

2009-09-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Yes folks! It's that time again. I'm ready for a change. I wanted to add the new pictures to our page so...it will be messy for a couple days. Check back soon! I'm excited for you to see it.

Mannie, Ty and Jace's Photo's

2009-08-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

I need your help again which ones do you guys like better?

Sophie's Photo's

2009-08-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

I took these almost a month ago. I'm finally posting them. Which one should I frame?

Best Home Teacher Ever!

2009-08-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many people can say they have the best home teacher. We do! So I lost all those pictures, right?! He read our blog and said he could probably help get them back. Guess What?! He did! I am so excited. So, not all is lost. I am so grateful for home teachers who are there even for the little things. We appreciate you! Thank you!

Below are the pictures from Ty's birthday....

My BIG oops...I'm so sad!

2009-08-17T08:45:00.001-07:00

I am kicking myself! I told myself I was going to take lots of pictures the first day of school. I did! I got a picture of the boys walking together, new backpacks, shoes, teachers, classrooms...you get the point. The following weekend was Ty's birthday get together. Once again, took tons of fun pictures. I went to download them and some how deleted every one of them! I am so sad! I can't get back Ty's birthday pictures, but I think I'll retake the school ones. I'll figure something out. ONE thing I hate about the digital camera world, they are gone forever, so sad!

Summer Part 2

2009-08-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

I'm finally done!

Happy Birthday Ty!

2009-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Six years ago yesterday our little teeny tiny TY TY joined our family. I know all of you reading this probably already know the story. I'm not kidding when I say, just about everyday I relive his birthday. How he almost didn't make it here. It was so scary. I wasn't due for another 3 weeks. He hadn't moved the whole day...I called the doctor...did a "kick count"...still no movement. I felt strongly that I needed to go in. I just knew he was dead. I went in... they monitored him. They found a heart beat...his heart rate began to climb...faster and faster...then slowed down slower and slower until it stopped completely. The nurses moved me around had me stand, roll anything to get the heart beating again. It did...then it raced again only to slow again...then stop. The nurses rushed in and prepared me for a c-section. He made it! He only weighed a little over 5 lbs. He was so tiny and fragile.

I never did get to hold him. They rushed him out to assist with his breathing. The next afternoon they brought him in so I could say hello and then goodbye so he could go to anther hospital that could give him the care that he needed.

He is now 6! He is my tough, sensitive, loving, caring little Ty Ty. I love him so much. I know that he is sent from above. Heavenly Father knew I would need him here. He keeps my brain working. He has questions about just about everything. He loves to cuddle. He love "hot lunch" at school. He will never kill a bug on purpose. He laughs so hard he gets the hiccups. He's my Ty Ty. He loves "his baby Soph". He helps without any hesitation. He always wants to do what is right. Last but now least his little smile warms me from head to toe. I'm happy to be able to celebrate his first 6 years of life. Happy Birthday bud. I love you!

A few DiFfeRenT things

2009-08-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have been taking lots of pictures...I can't keep up! I just wanted to share them with you all.

Our happy girl. She looked so cute, I had to get a picture! I wish I had picked better lighting! Oh, Well.

I found this shark slip and slide at Target half off. I got it for Ty's birthday...I couldn't wait! He loves it!

What king size beds are really for!

I know,what the heck?! Jace did a "SOCK" puppet show for me with his hotdog he was eating for lunch. Very creative Jace! YOu NUT!

I started portraits this last month. I thought I would do them on different days so I don't have kids waiting and crying. Ty is as far as I got. I love how this one turned out. Mannie, Jace and Soph I'm coming for you next!

We just found out yesterday Mannie has swimmers ear. I wonder how he got it?! We've lived in the pool all summer. No more swimming for the next 7-10 days...good thing school starts on Monday!

I just love Sophie's bathing suit (thanks ma). It is so fun having a girl.
I love the rolls!

Jace asked if he could call Char yesterday morning. He dressed himself and thought he was pretty awesome. I guess he felt like he needed to make a phone call. So, we called Char...it was early. (sorry Char!) I could hear Jace say," Char do you want to go outside? Okay! DO you want to go in front or back? Okay! What do you want to do? Do you want to swing? Okay!" SO, this is really a picture of Jace and Char swinging early in the morning. Yes, those are Ty's goggles on his head.

Our summer part 2 is almost done. I'll be posting it in the next few days. HAppy NeW scHooL Year to all our friends... Here we go!

I'll miss you Linc! We had fun.

Our Addition

2009-07-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's some pictures of our addition. Sophie came along with a lot of stuff. Our house is bursting at the seams. We needed the space...we were blessed to be able to do this. It's an addition off of our living room. We are adding an office and a bedroom for Mannie. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?! I get to decorate a room all for Sophie! I am sooooooo excited. Can't wait! Click on the pics to see them up close.

Summer Vacation Part 1

2009-07-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying our short but sweet summer. We'll be staying put until school starts up again. I thought I would share some of our pictures. Linc and I were lucky enough to go to Nauvoo with our in laws Derrick and Andrea. We had a great time. What a spiritual trip! Thanks Grandpa Larry and Grandma Nanc...they watched all of our kids.
In the next couple days I will be posting some more pictures. Click on the pics to see them up close if you want... Happy Summer!

Mannie's Baptism

2009-06-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

What an awesome day! We are so proud of Mannie and the person he is growing up to be. Mannie we love you! Thanks to all who came and shared Mannie's special day. HE was so happy you could all come.

What Heaven Sees In You

2009-06-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

I loved this when I saw it...I just had to share. I want to dedicate this to my Laurel Girls who taught ME so much. I miss you girls!(Put my playlist on pause and then press play on the video.)

Kids!

2009-05-27T21:27:00.001-07:00

We invited ourselves over to our friend Juli's house today. Her goat had twins. Jace got to hold the bowl of milk to feed them. He wasn't too sure. When we got home she had sent us these pictures and Jace was so excited. I guess he did enjoy himself after all. Thanks Juli!

Happy Birthday Man!

2009-05-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Oh, man! I'm getting a lump in my throat just thinking about this post. Our baby is eight today!
Mannie, Linc, Char, Kellie(she shares Mannie's b-day!) and her girls are all at Disneyland. It's definitely been a quiet day around here. We all know Mannie, he is one crazy little guy. He has more energy than anyone I know. Some of you may not know what a sweet and gentle spirit he has underneath all that spunk.
He is such a blessing! We're excited to celebrate his birth today!

Mannie, as I have spent this whole day without you I realize how grateful I am to have you in my life. How did we ever live without you? You are such a fun kid. You
have taught me to love life. You laugh and run and jump and giggle. You are so smart...You can give me facts on any bat and just about every dinosaur and spider. You are so kind. On your birthday last year,the primary at church asked me what made you so special. I remember saying..."He is always concerned about others. If he makes you mad or hurts your feelings he hurts too. If you aren't happy he tries his best to cheer you up." You are a good example to your brothers and sister and all those you come in contact with. Your teacher always tells me how you are such a great person and how you are a great example to all of your classmates. She said a lot of the kids need someone good to follow and look up to and you are that person. Wow! I am so proud of you. Then to top it all off, you have decided on your own to be baptized and to make a promise to your Heavenly Father that you will always remember him and to keep his commandments and to be his special witness. You probably don't realize this but you already live in a way that others know you are a follower of Christ.
Thank you for coming into our lives and for choosing me to be your Mom. Thank you for teaching me to be a better person. Thank you for being patient and understanding when I mess up. Thank you for being you! I feel truly blessed Little Man...I love you more than words can express.
We all look forward to spending an eternity with you. I know I'll be exhausted just trying to keep up with you! Happy Birthday! As you say, "It's great to be eight!" Love, Mom

Slip 'n' Slide

2009-05-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

We whipped out the slip and slide. It feels like summer! I love seeing the boys have so much fun together!

Dishes

2009-05-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

The boys are now earning their allowance! Ty is a hard worker when he knows he gets paid. I had a crazy day and wasn't able to get to the dishes. Ty pushed over his little table and scrubbed away. Thanks Ty-Ty you are such a good helper. I love you!

Look I can FLy!

2009-05-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Jace got some new Pjs with a cape! He had to show me how he can fly! I love how the pic turned out.

Buggy

2009-05-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

Jace came in with a stick that had a ladybug on the end of it. He was soooo excited! He introduced the bug..."This is my best friend Buggy!" Well, Buggy fell off his little stick and Jace jumped about ten feet back! He was terrified of his little Buggy...(he has never liked bugs, I was surprised to see him with it). I them talked him into letting me put Buggy on his hand. He wasn't too sure when Buggy past his wrist and worked his way up to his armpit! I had to grab the camera...good thing I did, Buggy flew away never to be seen again. Jace was so upset. Wherever you are buggy Jace loves you!

Sophie's Blessing

2009-05-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we had Sophie's baby blessing. Linc's parents and Grandparents came down from Utah and we had some close friends and family also attend. The spirit was so strong. I am so proud of Linc. His blessing was beautiful. I could feel the special love he has for his princess. Sophie we love you and we are so happy you are here!

I love this picture...I had to share!

Smile!

2009-04-14T12:12:00.001-07:00

Little Soph is smiling and cooing. She's so much fun!

PlAyinG CaTch uP

2009-04-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sophie hit her one month mark a week ago! She's now weighing in at 10 lbs. 9oz. and is now 22 inches long. She's growing so fast!

We went to church for an Easter Egg hunt. Soph and I are not in any pics cause she had a major blow out that went all the way up to her shoulder and went all over my shirt. I didn't have proper equipment for that change...we had to head home early!

Here's some egg coloring pictures! The boys had a good time. They just wanted to eat them after all the work...They are eating us out of our house!

Happy Easter to everyone! We love you all.

We did it!

2009-03-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have this mental list in my head. Now that I have done this twice before I know exactly what to expect. Get to the hospital, get the IV (they had to try in three different places before they could finally get it in), have the spinal (I was warned that I could have some sharp shooting pains down one side or the other, I never had that problem before, this time I did!) OUCH!, feel the pushing and the pulling, hold baby, get up and walk 12 hours later, pee...(if you don't your catheter goes back in, no thank you!!), do number 2 (yes even after they have completely gone through all your stomach muscles!), go home. I mentally checked each one off as I got there and what a relief. I feel like I can finally enjoy life again. WE DID IT LINC! We both couldn't sleep the night before, we were both sick to our stomach and wide eyed laying in bed. We had to be at the hospital by 5 am and the surgery was scheduled for 7 am. I got up thinking it wasn't time to go yet and Linc runs in...it's 5 my alarm was on vibrate, I didn't hear it! After running around like crazy we were 30 minutes late. We both hoped we wouldn't have to reschedule that would be awful! Anyway, we made it and Sophie did too. I can't believe it! She is such a sweetheart. I didn't know babies could be so good. I thought all babies cried all night for their first 2 years of life. She is a blessing. I have been able to rest quite a bit. Heavenly Father knew exactly what I needed. The boys adore her. They are so excited and are more than willing to help. Welcome Sophie we are glad you're here! Our family now feels complete.

It's almost time!

2009-03-03T20:16:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it... I went to my pre-op appointment today! The day is finally here to have this baby! I have been issued the fabulous bright pink hospital bracelet to never to be taken off until I leave the hospital. You can imagine the look on peoples faces when I ran to Target to pick up a few things. They look at me like I have the plague and walk clear on the other side of the aisle. Is she gonna burst?
I just thought I should probably write a little about my feelings about this pregnancy. This is kinda like my little journal so sorry if your reading this and could care less...here goes. Well, It went by super fast for me...probably not anyone else. I could get pretty moody and when I did I would think, "oh, man did I just say that?" I wont miss the three appointments a week, that's for sure. The appointments did give me time to almost finish Twilight. I wont miss the worrying! I will miss the moving and seeing her grow up so fast. I had some fun cravings. First, Marshmallows and anything with marshmallows in it. Thanks for the introduction to Moon Pies, Ma! They are sooooo good. I could eat anything bread, the worst thing ever! I've made cinnamon rolls twice this last week. I love the recipe Mama Nanc! I'll miss the boys talking to and touching my belly. I haven't had a good nights sleep for about the last 3 months I have to remember this...It's going to only get worse! Once she is out I wont be sleeping for a while! It's all good..right? I am just so exhausted! I'm ready, I think. C-sections are so not fun. I can remember everything all too well. I know exactly what is about to happen and so it makes this whole thing so bitter sweet. It's going to be awful and then I will get to meet her. Then It will make it all better. Well, enough babbling. By the next time I post another blog this baby will no long be just for me to experience she will be able to touch the lives of many. I can't wait to see who and what she will become. Being a mom is really the best blessing in my life. I have been given 3 best friends and soon I will have another. Wish me luck! Here goes nothing! Love you all.