The Westenskows

Our week

2012-02-11T23:29:00.001-07:00

Ali had a birthday. Happy birthday!

Hank cheered on the New York Giants during the super bowl and loved the half time performance!

Zoe had her baby blessing.

Hank and I played lots.

His new fav activity is playing with the water at the sink. He will pull the chair over to the sink.. by himself.. climb up on the chair.. by himself.. and whine until I turn the water on. Silly boy!

Uh, Whitney had us playing lots of pretend play and gave me a run for my money on the amount of times she changed her outfit each day.

1. She wanted to dress up as a cow girl. She said she needed a big necklace so she is wearing my medal from the Top of Utah 1/2 marathon. She is holding her horse which is proudly named Scala and wearing a random belt.

2. Ooohhh her new favorite game. I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of it, but Hank and I played anyways. She is the bad cop.. with a mask on (which is actually one of my head bands).. and she had a pretend knife (spoon) in her pants. She would take me and Hank to jail and guarded us by pacing back and forth so we couldn't get out. If I said anything she would scream, "Silence!" and would pull out her spoon to 'get us.' Yikes! I think I am going to have to veto this game.

3. Dressed like a fairy, holding her baby. During this pretend play session she said the following:

(her baby had pooped and she was 'pretend' changing her diaper on the couch):

"OMG, this poop is disgusting." As she stomped over to get a diaper wipe and pretended to wipe the baby's bum.

I replied, "Where did you learn the word 'omg'?"

She just shrugs and said, "I don't know, but I know that it spells poop."

Uh, ok.

Lastly, this week Whitney did a mini cheer session at Brighton high school with Gabi.

Fun times.

Friday

2012-02-06T23:53:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed nice enough weather that we were able to go to the park:

Hank thinks that he is a baby again. I got out the swing for Zoe, but he won't even let her lay in it.. IT'S HIS!!

And Friday night I went out to dinner with the old young women leaders that I served with in the previous presidency. (We get together every couple of months to celebrate birthday's and what not..) We went to Zupa's and 4 1/2 hours.. oops.. still there and talking! We had to leave only because Zupa's was closing. Lots of catching up to do! We laughed and cried and talked about everything in between.

I love them.. like a lot.

Today, I read a FANASTIC article in the New Era. If anyone needs a good one, this article is great. It really helped me today (as I was in a weird sorta depressing mood) so maybe it will help someone else too.. ;)

Resolutions

2012-02-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

1. Run a marathon:

I signed up through my work for the Utah Valley Marathon on June 8th. They will pay for it and help me train.. so what the heck, I'm gonna do it!

2.Be proactive

3. Go to the temple monthly

4. Read the Book of Mormon with Danny.

To be completely honest, Danny and I suck at reading our scriptures TOGETHER. So far for 2012 we are in 1 Nephi chapter 3 which is farther than we got last year. Go us! ;)

5. Enjoy Utah.

There is a lot to do here and we don't ever take full advantage of it. Danny has never been to Moab so that is a MUST. He has also never been to Jackson Hole.. I realize that JH is not in Utah but close enough.

Our house hold motto for the year:

-Thoreau

Leftovers

2012-02-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

..from January.

1. Uh, Danny started P90X and apparently so did the kids. ;)

2. I tried sushi for the first time and I loved it! We ate at the Naked Fish in Salt Lake and it was delicious!

3. We built a snowman.

4. Danny fell asleep waiting for his mistress (Jared Davis) to call him so they could get online together and play some MW3.

5. We made some goodies and tried out a few new recipes.

6. Babysat these cute boys. They're all enjoying their ba's while watching Mickey Mouse.

7. Breakfast for champions. Oatmeal with Diet Coke.. yummm

8. While watching the boys, we went to Airborne and tried to jump out all their energy! :)

9. One morning Whitney came out and was so excited to show me that she had dressed herself for the day. She is wearing a green skirt with pink leggings and a blue bow. I love it! She is such a sweet girl.
10. We started watching Zoe a couple of days a week and she is the cutest thing in the world! Not to mention the best baby ever. If I could guarantee a baby like her the next time around we might have a 3rd sooner than expected.. I just gotta convince the hubby. :)

I read this from the Ensign a couple of days ago and I loved it:
"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."
-- Elder Marvin J Ashton

I have learned a lot about charity this month, not necessarily because I have given it, but rather I have been placed in situations where I have wrongly judged. When you understand other's paradigms better, you are less likely to judge and your empathy and love for that person(s) grow. Hopefully I can better! But I have definitely learned some good lessons this month. :)

Poor Pup's

2012-02-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

I really do love having dogs. Despite the fact that they stink up my house and have ruined my couches, they provide hours of entertainment/torture for the children and have been great.

Muffins and Mo do put up with A LOT from the kiddos. Hank loves chasing Muffins around the house with the fire truck. She hates it but endures it every time.

Whitney is constantly trapping the dogs in random places. Mostly her room. She wants them in there when she is playing, apparently she needs an audience and her brother isn't good enough.

Hank loves riding the dogs like horses.

Yes, the dogs do get their fair share of torture but are also rewarded very much so by the 2 that like to do the torturing. Hank's favorite thing in the world right now is feeding the dogs AT LEAST half of all his meals. (Hence the picture below.. He laughs and laughs.)

And the dogs do get some good cuddle time late at night.

Arizona

2012-01-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

Last week we tagged along with Danny on a business trip.
It was our first trip with just the 4 of us and we had a great time.

We ate at lots of yummy places.
Hank is not at the age where he enjoys sit down restaurants and it's a lot of work to keep him entertained. I don't know why we force it, but it's worth it for good sushi!!

So we drove to Arizona which is an awfully loonnnggg drive.

However, the kids did AMAZING!

I think I was more annoying than they were.

Every time we stopped at a gas station, Whitney had to get her pink bubble gum and Hank always picked out powdered donuts. Awesome! ;) You can imagine how crazy that made Danny.. all the powder in his car. Ha ha love it!

While Danny worked we played at the hotel. The weather was great. Low 70's, but the pool was heated so we swam and the kids loved that!

Hotel play time.

Horse back riding:

Hank didn't like it so much, but Whitney absolutely loved it!

She talked non stop to the cowboy and told Danny that she wants a mini horse for her 4th birthday.

One of the main reason for tagging a long on was the anticipation of doing a little bit of shopping! In Arizona they have a store called Last Chance. It quite literally looks and is just like a DI buuuttt it is a Nordstrom's DI. Any returns that come back to Nordstrom's comes to this store and you can find some crazy good deals for super super cheap. Fabulous! In past trips, Danny has found some awesome stuff for himself and the kids. This time around though, the selection was not so great. Bummer! :(

On the way home we did the 10 hour drive in 1 day.. again.. the kids were awesome! We stopped in St George for a couple of hours and hiked on the red rocks. They thought it was pretty cool.

Fun times.

Lets Wrestle!

2012-01-11T22:09:00.001-07:00

I am loving the ages of my kids right now!!
Whit will be 4 in April and Hank will be 18 months in February. They have been playing so good together lately and Hank is a sponge. He is picking up on so much and it is fun to watch!
One thing that they love to do together: WRESTLE, WRESTLE, WRESTLE!
...AND Hank is finally holding his own.
Love it!

Wrestling... Hank attacking Whitney

More wrestling..

..and now a little break to watch Bambi for a few minutes.

And back to the wrestling. Hank head butting Whitney..

Another Bambi break..

WRESTLE!!

And yet again, another Bambi break.

I love these two crazies!!!!

New Year's Eve

2012-01-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderfully low key evening with the Gleason's.
Cafe Rio
Fire works
Made chocolate chip cookies
and ate lots of yummy cookie dough!

Welcome 2012

Christmas with Friends

2012-01-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Christmas break wouldn't be Christmas break without spending time with friends.
Although I didn't pull out my camera until the very end of the night and didn't get pic's of everyone.. a little bummed about that.. I did capture a few:

Boys are funny. Every time they get together they talk about the same things:

Sports- Jared's Gaykers and Kobe Bryant.

If they had a ba-gillion dollars what would they do with it

And this evening we were lucky enough to hear them argue and banter about who can run the fastest. I don't know why that matters???.. but it does to them.

I'm sure when they are all 100 years old, no teeth, and in wheelchairs they will talk about the same things because boys don't seem to change much.. but that's why we love them. :)

Christmas

2012-01-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Christmas was great this year:

Santa brought Whit some princess things, pretend make up, and accessories for her doll house.

Hank got some sport paraphernalia. His favorite is his basketball hoop!

Playing with some of her toys and dressed up as Tinkerbell:

We went to church and had an awesome Christmas message:

And then spent lots of time with our families:

We had a great Christmas.
We are grateful for our families and
the birth of our Savior.
Hope that everyone had a great one!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Grandma Donna's

Danny getting attacked as Samuel the Lamanite with arrows (or just aluminum.)

Joseph and Mary

Mary and Joseph with their baby Jesus.

The kids performing their talent: dancing to Justin Bieber's, Baby Baby.

7 Years

2011-12-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

7 years ago today I quite literally married the man of my dreams:

A couple of years later we decided to add a sweet and sassy little girl to our family:

Following Whit, we experimented for a few years Danny's hobbies with chickens and turtles:

And then added another little one, handsome Hank:

7 years later, Dannystill makes me laugh every day, sometimes makes me so mad I don’t know what todo with my self, is a FABULOUS father and still gives me the butterflies. Ilove him more and more every day. Happy Anniversary Danny!

Decorating the House

2011-12-14T13:53:00.002-07:00

Whit loves to re-arrange and "decorate" her toys/trinkets all over the house.

Every day she is "organizing" something.

Her are a few of her latest creations:

After she is finished with her decorating she goes around and takes pictures of everything she has done:

Silly girl. :)

Temple Square

2011-12-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

We Chopped It!

2011-12-13T13:11:00.003-07:00

My cousin, Ali Gleason, is a fabulous hair dresser and cut Whit's hair for me. I was nervous to chop it, but I absolutely LOVE it and it's 100 times easier to do!!

Hank did not get a hair cut but every time I take out my camera he comes running to me and says, "cheese." So I had to post some pic's of him too.

The Tebow Fever-- We've Caught It!

2011-12-12T23:30:00.003-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Danny asked me the following question: “Are you the happiest you have ever been?” I said, “yes” but thought what a weird question to ask me. So I asked him, “Are you the happiest you have ever been?” He responded, “Yes, because of Tim Tebow and the Broncos.” That’s awesome. He’s not the happiest because of me or the kids or a good job but the Bronco’s make him the happiest.

I knew what I was getting into when I married Danny and all of his Bronco craziness. We have an entire house filled with Bronco paraphernalia including but not excluding: blankets, sweatshirts, ties, shoes, hats, binkies, cups, snuggies, baby mobiles, posters, jersey’s, party supply stuff, chairs.. and that is just the tip of the ice berg. BUT, now that the Broncos have the “Chosen One” – as they call him—the Bronco fever has gone to a whole new level.

I have always enjoyed watching football but I would call myself a bandwagon fan. I really love to love any football player who is dating someone famous. I loved when Reggie dated Kim. It broke my heart when Tony broke up with cute Jess. And Tom and Giselle still seem to be going strong.. Tom seems to have some anger issue’s (I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side) but he is still fun to look at.

I also like to push my limits with Danny. See how far I can go. A couple of years ago, I jumped on the Drew Brees/ Saints bandwagon and really wanted a Saints sweatshirt. Danny got very mad and said that if there was anything in our house other than Bronco gear, he would throw it away. Totally rude, right?! Why can’t I support a different team? We don’t have to have the same teams.. but according to Danny we need to be united as a family.. whatever!

Even when the Broncos were terrible Danny was still loyal. He would try and convince me that Jay Cutler (who has recently been tied to Kristin Cavallari) was the best quarterback in the NFL … uh ok Danny. Sometimes your vision can become blinded when you love a team so much! Such was/is the case with him.

This season Danny bought Tim Tebow’s new book and has recommended that I read it. We have watched every Bronco game and every Tim Tebow documentary on TV.. together because we needed to be “united”, right. AND… I am finally sold. I love Tim Tebow. I love the Broncos this year and I’m about as crazy as Danny is. I have also reached a new low.. I watch Sportscenter all morning yesterday just to catch highlights and commentary on Tim Tebow and Danny wasn’t even home. What is wrong with me??? He has got me in some sort of trance. I love him! I love that he wears his religion on his sleeve. I love that he thanks “his Savior and Lord Jesus Christ” after every football game. I think it is awesome!! Way to stand up for what you believe despite what others will think. We need more of that!

So after reflecting on my 26 years of life, I do have to agree with Danny. I am the happiest I have ever been, in part, thanks to Tim Tebow and the Broncos. We have got the Tebow fever. Go Broncos and bring on the Patriots this week!!

Girls Nights..

2011-12-08T21:38:00.002-07:00

.. Are the best!

Shante hosted this month and we had a fun hot chocolate/ pajama party.

Love these girls!

My loonnggg dilemma

2011-12-08T21:19:00.002-07:00

Does this happen to anybody else or is it just me? My long toes have caused a lot disorder in my life, not to mention many self esteem issues. My second toe is a gazillion times longer than my first and my 3rd toe is about the same length as the second. Long skinny nasty things.

Which brings me to my issues:
1. I go through socks at a rapid pace because my second toe is constantly pushing its way out creating lovely holes hence the picture above.
2. I can't wear high heeled shoes with open toes. My second toe curls over the edge of the shoe which, really, isn’t very cute. Also, I get ridiculed often from the husband (and others..cousins) about the beautiful feet that I have.. especially when I am wearing high heeled shoes with open toes.

My solutions:
1. I tried wearing Danny’s socks for awhile. They are bigger so I don’t get the holes, but they do crunch up.. which I could get use too.. but Danny has now forbade me from wearing his socks. He doesn’t like me wearing them for whatever reason, I don’t know.
2. Opened toed high heeled shoes are dang cute, but I have just come to realize they probably are not in the cards for me. (Which doesn't mean that I don't own any and that I don't try to wear them.. I still do, they just don't look good.)
3.** I like this one the best** cosmetic surgery on my toes. What do ya think? No more holes, no more ‘make fun of Mindi’s feet parties’ and I could flaunt them all day long!!

Whit's Dance Performance

2011-12-06T12:49:00.002-07:00

Whitney had her first dance performance at the Festival of Tree's and she did a great job!

She insisted on putting on her own make up.. She did her own eye shadow, mas sacra and lots of red lipstick. I mean lots of lipstick!!

Danny looks thrilled..:)

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-01T22:55:00.002-07:00

One of our family traditions each year is to buy a real Christmas tree.

I love real tree's!!

This year Danny picked a huge one (go big or go home, right??--Danny's motto) but the tree has a blueish tint to it and smells sooo yummy!

Whit was a great helper in putting up the decorations.

I also have already had to rearrange some things. The bottom half of the tree is now void of all ornaments because the cute toe-headed toddler thought they were balls and chucked them all. ;)

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T22:30:00.004-07:00

We enjoy lots of turkey feasts every year..

We started out with the Hart Thanksgiving on the Saturday before Thanksgiving hosted by Scott and Lori:

The following day we had a Thanksgiving dinner with Danny's family:

And the actual day of Thanksgiving we split it up. This year we went up to my dad's sister's in Heber:

...And then ended at Vicki and Harold's.

You would think 4 meals would be plenty ... but every year on the following Sunday we have a Thanksgiving dinner at my parents:

Soo, 5 Thanksgiving dinners later, our family always comes out a little bit more plump. Just bulking up for the cold winter. :)

Sleep Beauties

2011-12-01T22:09:00.003-07:00

Whitney likes to put the house to sleep. She wants to make sure everyone is comfortable and cozy.. including the dogs.

She also likes to dictate where she would like to sleep and sometimes I let her get away with it. A couple of weekends ago, this is where she decided to sleep:

On the kitchen floor. She set up her own bed and eventually fell asleep.

Kids

2011-11-29T22:38:00.003-07:00

This week I have had such an intense love for my kids. You always love your kids, but for some reason it has been all consuming to the point that I want to wake up Hank from his naps to play with him or let Whit stay up real late just to spend time with her.

I just finished my 8 hour work shift today and had aching pains because I missed my kids so bad. Every time I get home from work I drill Danny with the 20 questions. How were the kids? Did Hank do anything funny? What time did he go to sleep? Did Whitney eat a good dinner? Tell me everything... You can imagine Danny. He just loves my annoying questions.

My work has a gym that I go to after and as I was on my way I called Danny and cute Whitney answered the phone (she should have been asleep) but she said, "Mommy, I want you to come home." in thee sweetest voice possible! So I rushed home just so I could spend 5 minutes with her before she fell asleep. A work out can wait..

We have finally come up with a good bedtime routine with Whitney (that doesn't take 3 hours long) and I am so excited about it! We have been using some Love and Logic techniques and they have been working beautifully! We will read a couple of chapters from her kid BOM. I do still have to lay with her until she falls asleep, but she likes me to read whatever book I'm reading out loud. She just likes to hear my voice, I guess. But she usually falls asleep within 5 to 1o minutes which is soo much better than the 1 hour +. So I'm grateful for that!

Now Hank.. He is the funniest goofiest kid alive. I'm obsessed with his sweetness. He is constantly making us laugh by the goofy things that he does. Sometimes, Whit and I get laughing so hard at Hank that he starts laughing and it just cycles. He keeps doing whatever goofy thing he is doing.. whether it be dancing, funny faces, glares/squints. He just wants to make us laugh.. He is just like his daddy in that regard.

Kids are so fun. They make life so much more meaningful. I love my 2 little crazies and am so grateful for them!

Look how cute Zoe is. My kids LOVE their new baby cousin!!

Well

2011-11-23T23:05:00.003-07:00

I guess there is 1 perk about Danny playing on the Xbox at night.. I have lots of time to blog.

Today, I went to Costco. Big mistake. I think the whole valley was there getting last minute Thanksgiving items. Besides the fact that they didn't even have what I was wanting, I couldn't find my Costco card. So, I waited for 10 minutes to get a temporary card and when I was finally summoned up by one of the workers we had the following conversation:

The Costco worker (didn't even look at me) says: "Your hair looks nice today."

I laughed because I hadn't even touched my hair and had just gotten done working out so I said: "Are you being serious?"

The Costco worker.. actually looks at me this time and says, "Ya, your right. It doesn't look that good."

At least he was honest. It didn't look good. And to tell you the truth, I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet.. so gross, I know. I should've gotten real close to the worker so he could smell my breath.. That might have put him over the edge. ;) I got home and took a picture so the whole wide web could see just what the Costco worker saw:

And he was right. It doesn't really look great, and I probably shouldn't go out in public looking like that, but sometimes I just don't have the time to care.

A Few Things

2011-11-22T22:08:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away and I ran out of time..

I am thankful for my family. They are so supportive and helpful. Thanks Jessie, you are the ultimate babysitter while I am working. I really couldn’t do it without ya!

I am thankful for eternal families and temples.

I am thankful for beautiful sunsets.

I am thankful for my job. Really. I love it! They have been so great about my schedule and are super flexible.. It is the perfect part time job for our family and a great outlet for me.

I am thankful for repentance. I fail as a mom 6 days out of the week and I am grateful that I am able to get on my knee’s and ask for forgiveness and help for a better tomorrow.

I am grateful for the power of prayer and the spirit.

I am grateful for a husband who dreams big and then makes it happen.

I am grateful for my calling.. that I am able to learn from the beautiful young women and their great examples every week.

I am grateful for good friends and girl’s nights. I need them.

Last but not least, I am grateful for my Savior, His sacrifice for me and the example He set.

HaPpY TuRkEy DaY EvErYoNe!

Disney on Ice...

2011-11-21T22:55:00.003-07:00

... was FANTASTIC!

We loved every second of it.

During the scary parts Whit would pretend to cover her eyes, but she made sure she always had 1 eye poking out to make sure she didn't miss anything.

We love princesses!

All About Hank

2011-11-16T22:02:00.006-07:00

@14 months.

Picture taken by Jenny.

Hank is still my sweetest little man. He is getting more personality in the form of sassy-ness but I can't help but just laugh at him.

I have enjoyed very much our quiet mornings when Whitney is at preschool. Just me and my little buddy. His favorite thing to do is read books. We will sometimes read them for up to 45 minutes. He will grab a book from the book box and bring it to me. He loves to kiss the cute babies in the books (picture below) and his favorite book is Goodnight Moon. We read this book multiple times a day. He points to the moon in every page and thinks he is the smartest kid alive because he always gets so excited and laughs.

Giving kisses to the cute girls in his book.

Being a little stinker.. He knows he isn't suppose to stand in his high chair but likes to push his limits.

He is the best little helper..

..And absolutely loves the dogs

In the morning he has a special routine:

Couch, Mickey Mouse, holding a football and a baba

He is a little grumpy in this pic, because mama hasn't fulfilled all of his requests.. He did get a bottle and Mickey Mouse shortly after this pic was taken. All is well.

After nap time Hank often sports some awesome hair and lots of jack o lantern smiles.

And his favorite person in the world is his big sis, Whit. When she is being nice and lets him play with her, he is the happiest little guy around.

Books

2011-11-15T22:04:00.002-07:00

I am grateful for good books. I soo enjoy reading for pleasure and for educational purposes.

I am currently reading, Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood and it is FAN- FREAKIN TASTIC!!!!!! I strongly think that EVERY PARENT WHO HAS A TODDLER NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK!

Parenting is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done and I need as much help as possible. This book is exactly how I want to raise my children... it's loving, very logical and easy to do. And, as a learning love and logic parent, I can say, hands down, Whitney's behavior has improved 10 fold by following what they say. THANK YOU, LOVE AND LOGIC!!! (I seriously might write them a thank you letter because I am that grateful for this book!;) )

If any one needs a good book to read over the busy holiday season, here is a list of my other favorite books that I am grateful for:

Pride and Prejudice
These is my Words
The Kingdom and Crown Series
Maniac Magee
President Monson's Biography
As a Man Thinketh
The Harry Potter series.

Halloween

2011-11-11T14:39:00.002-07:00

Halloween 2011

Whit choose to be her favorite princess, Ariel.

In memory of the chickens, Hank was a rooster.

Today I am grateful for my 2 beautiful kids. They are my whole world.

Today

2011-11-06T22:00:00.002-07:00

Grateful???? Does anyone have days that are just a little bit off? Danny made it very clear to me tonight that I haven't been very nice today.. and I really haven't.

Having said that, thinking about writing a post on something I am grateful was/is the last thing that I wanted to do today soo that is exactly why I am forcing myself to do just that. Because I really do have a lot to be grateful for. Even if I am grouchy.

Today I am grateful for that extra hour daylight savings gave us. It really helped me get the kids ready for church.

I am grateful for the opportunity to go to church. AND that we didn't have to leave sacrament once because the kids were soo good. That is definitely something to be grateful for!

And even though I am kinda mad at Danny ;), I am extremely grateful for him. For his patience and his help with the kids. He is really great.

Soo there you have it. Writing this post did actually make me feel a little less grouchy so I'm glad I forced it! Happy Sunday everyone!

New Life

2011-11-05T23:12:00.003-06:00

Today I am grateful for the miracle of birth.

My awesome sister had her baby today on 11/5/11 @ 11:05 AM

A beautiful baby girl

Zoe Suzanne Hilton

6 lb 10 oz 19 1/2 inches

She has lots of dark brown hair

and is soooo perfect in every way!

Megan was amazing during the delivery and her and Aaron are just elated on how beautiful she is.

I love her!!!!

On a side note, the husband is back into playing Halo online. I thought that fad was over.. darn. ;) but look who he is dragging into it.. his sidekick Whitney. Lovely.

Grateful

2011-11-04T13:43:00.004-06:00

November is the perfect month to express gratitude. After the hiatus of October and the craziness it brings November has a calming effect on me. I have much to be grateful for this year and I would like to try and express it daily on my blog. I will likely miss a day or two or three… but I will try. :)

Today, I am grateful for the wonderful fall weather we had. I have a feeling that good weather is coming to an end, but we had a nice long fall and it was amazing. I was talking to my family and I can’t believe how extremely beautiful it is this year. The leaves everywhere are incredible. Really. Incredible. I can’t ever remember a more beautiful fall.

I am no photographer nor do I have a nice camera, but everywhere I went I couldn’t help but try and capture the beauty of everything:

With the awesome weather, we have also enjoyed many nice walks to Bear Park... with lots of swing rides. Hank's very favorite!

Danny's 30th Birthday

2011-11-03T12:37:00.008-06:00

Pure Imagination presents:

Danny's 30th Birthday Bash.

Hosted by himself

located at Wheeler Farm

Catered with his favorite foods: Chick Fila & chocolate chip cookies

With a full blown program with special numbers from the special people in Danny's life.

Some of the guests:

First on the program:

A live performance with Danny and friends.

Danny sang to "Pure Imagination" featured on the show Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Second:

Danny and Mark sang a duet, "Tonight I Celebrate my Love for You."

Danny created his own program for everyone and this is what he had to say about the infamous Mark Stallings:

"A best friend of Daniel's for over 17 years. Mark and Daniel have performed on several occasions together. Watch for the long charismatic history to spark tonight."

Third:

A special dance routine with Jared Davis. They danced to Party Rock Anthem.

Jared Davis's (program entry): "A best friend of Daniel's for close to 18 years. Daniel recalls the first time he met Jared in the lunch room at Crescent View Middle School, where Jared started eating Daniel's fries without permission. Watch these two light the stage on fire as 'Masters of Movement.'"

Fourth:

Scott performing his Phantom of the Opera, Music of the Night accompanied by my mom.

Here is what Danny had to say about them:

Scott Hart: "Uncle of Mindi. Scott took Daniel under his wing and taught him everything he knows about selling merchant services and singing.

Suzy Wettstein: "Daniel's favorite mother in law. Suzy is a master pianist with a capital "p". The family often recounts the joyful time learning to play the piano with this wonderfully talented lady. Do not be blinded by her beauty, rather, observe and let her fingers teach you a lesson that will not soon be forgotten."

Fifth:

Danny did a power point presentation with pictures/ comedy routine of himself recounting his 30 years. It was very funny.

Here is what Danny had to say about himself:

Daniel Westenskow: "In a conference, while serving a mission for his church, Daniel heard one of the leaders offer a secret to success to become a productive missionary. "It's not skill, it's instensity." From that day, Daniel has attempted to make that statement his life's mission, knowing that he may not always have the skill, but he can always bring the intensity. Tonight Daniel offers you his venerable intensity as a token of gratitude."

Sixth:

A performance by John Anderson. It was awesome! Before the program began he went around and recorded birthday wishes from everyone and incorporated it into his performance on the piano, flute and guitar.

John Anderson: " A best friend of Daniel's for almost 16 years. Daniel has fully authorized John to take as much time as needed with no repercussions for his actions. You will be amazed to know that the majority of John's talent has been self taught."

Last but not least:

Yes, I did perform. I will let you know that I was taken off of the program 3-4 times for my lack of enthusiasm, but at the last minute he put me back on and we performed the final number on the program. It was completely out of my comfort zone to sing and dance on stage in front of people but the things we do for our husbands. We sang to Starship's, If this World Runs out of Lovers.

After the program there was a little bit of Karoake:

It was a great night. Thank you to everyone that helped!!

Happy 30th to my handsome husband.

I love him lots and appreciate everything that he does for the family.

Just the other day, Hank woke up in the middle of the night. I didn't even hear him, but Danny got up and went into his room and just held and rocked him on his shoulders until he went back to sleep. I asked Danny why he didn't wake me up and he said that he loves being a dad so much that he is excited to wake up even in the middle of the night to hold them.

It's the little things that Danny does, day in and day out, that makes him the wonderful person that he is.

Girls Trip

2011-10-31T22:17:00.007-06:00

We headed down to St. George with all of the girls in the Hart clan and had a fabulous time.

We went to Tuachan and saw the Little Mermaid...

...followed by a late night dinner at Denny's with lots of laughs and many stares from the neighboring tables.

Saturday we headed to Vegas for some shopping. My cute cousin Brittney is pregnant with her 3rd. (She has 2 older boys.) For shopping purposes, she needed to find out the gender of her baby so we went to Babies First Image and we all got to watch the movie and see the baby in 2 and 3 D. We all cheered and cried when the technician told us that she is having a girl! We had Brittney's parents on Skype (they are serving as mission presidents in Brazil) and Jake (her hubby) on speaker phone. Fun fun times!!!

We ended our night back in St George and at Neilson's Custard. Gabi and I sported some sweet do's. Danny always makes fun of me that I've lost all my game so my goal over the weekend was to prove to him that I've still got it. ;) I actually never had game but I'm looking good with my fluffy hair and red lipstick.. so good in fact that I got a picture of me and a 14 year old boy with a mullet and sent it to Danny to make him soo jealous.

I kinda look like I'm on drugs in this picture.. I promise I'm not ;) and check out my sweet hair re-growth. One of the joys of having children.

We had a great time. A trip I will never forget. Love my family!

*While away, Danny was soo good to watch the kids. He did lots of fun things in the short 2 days. I got this cute text from him:

"Whitney is being so funny, she told me that I don't have to go to timeout when we get home because when I broke the glass cup it was an accident. She told me that she would tell you not to be mad at me. She just showed me how to wiggle my bum when I was done pooping, and she made me turn on the light in the car so she could show me a dance move. Both kids pounded and danced almost the entire dinner. Hank is just playing and Whit can't wait for me to be done so she can show me the new closet for her pet." :) :)

Wheeler Farm

2011-10-27T22:49:00.002-06:00

Chick Fila picnic.. no surprise there. Probably the only fast food joint we eat at these days.

Look at my little man. Is he not the cutest thing in the entire world???!!

I l.o.v.e him.

Having lots of fun on our wagon ride. Probably the one and only time we will ever do that!

The 3 amigo's.

Whit, Driggs, and Hank.

Jessie's Cornbelly Birthday

2011-10-27T22:35:00.002-06:00

We went to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point for Jessie's birthday this year.

It was fun.. and really cold..

The things we do for her!

Happy Birthday sis!

A little too much fun with the whip cream.

Picking Pumpkins

2011-10-27T09:16:00.001-06:00

Birthday Dinner

2011-10-19T13:40:00.002-06:00

Chef John threw a birthday dinner for Jeremy. He made us organic/vegetarian taco's. I'm not sure what was in the garnish, but it was AMAZING! The meal was delicious. like really really good.

Happy Birthday Jeremy!!

I love these boys and their life long friendships. They make me happy! ;)

Park City Pink 1/2 Marathon

2011-10-13T14:22:00.001-06:00

I woke up at 5:30 AM for this race thinking I was crazy and then I looked outside.. it was raining. I knew, for sure, I was crazy and was secretly wishing that I had "accidently" slept in. Buuttt, I couldn't let my partner down.

AND..

It turned out to be a beautiful experience.

The scenery was amazing. really. Breathtaking.

I couldn't have picked a better partner. We really had a great time!!

And, I think that we may make this a yearly tradition, right Jamie?? :)

Go us!

I love Fridays. They are so "sopping" cool.

2011-10-07T12:43:00.005-06:00

"Sopping" like in "sopping wet." It's the newest adjective in our house. Created, of course, by the 3 year old.

It's great in emphasizing a point.

Example in a sentence:

Whitney: "Mom, I was so sopping nice to Hank." or "Mom, I love dance so sopping much."

Try it out, it's kinda catchy and, in fact, I have started saying it myself. "I am so sopping mad it's so sopping cold!"

Uuuggghhhh. This weather makes me grumpy! Poor Hank just wants to be outside every second of every day. And I don't blame him. He is use to spending at least half the day outside, exploring, playing in dirt, driving his mini coop. Every time we get out of the car he instantly withers and whines to get out of my arms and onto the ground.Yesterday, he didn't care that it was FREEZING and SNOWING... ggrrr... he still wanted to play outside. So I bundled him up and let him. And I watched him from the window, inside.

This week we started a new regime. The mom regime. I was finally able to change my work schedule and instead of working 30 hours a week I work 15 hours just 2 nights per week. Super fabulous, right!!!?? I think so! Instead of waking up at 6 AM every day, I get to sleep in and let me tell ya... I am loving it! It is amazing what you can get done in the morning when you are not working.

Earlier this week Whitney came up to me and said that I had a rainbow on my forehead because of the lines... wrinkles. Lovely, I'm getting older!

Tonight, despite the cold weather, we are doing our very favorite thing: watching uncle Parker play football. We love OUR Friday Night Lights!

Parker's biggest fan!

Go Huskies! We hope you do sopping amazing!!

Lake Powell 2011

2011-10-05T13:26:00.004-06:00

Another great year:

Playtime on the house boat. The boys loved playing poker.. like all day long.

The boating activities.

Danny clearing the wake.

Dave on the air chair

Us, ladies, tubing.

I love tubing.

We laugh so hard everytime.

Night time on the house boat.

My cute kiddos.

I love them!

The many different sleeping positions of my little man.

The house boat.

The sand hill.

Man challenges.

*The funniest man challenge was Wayne and Scott vs Danny and Rob. They took turns going on tube rides being pulled by the jet ski and had golf balls hit at them and tried to catch them. Don't ask me how that would be fun, but they thought it was hilarious. Honestly, they couldn't stop laughing.

Beach play.

Grandma Donna and 3 of her boys:

Wayne, Bill, and Scott.

My cousin Jenny took this awesome picture and I stole it from her blog.

Till next year.. we will miss you Lake Powell!

Danny's new love

2011-09-26T21:11:00.002-06:00

Danny has been on the hunt. The car hunt. Saturday morning he said “Lets go on a drive up to Morgan, Utah (over an hour from us). There is a car there that I want to look at. I probably won’t buy it, but it will be a fun drive.” I declined. He was pretty persistent. But I was not interested in going on a “scenic” drive for over an hour with 2 kids. He finally won me over and reluctantly went. (I should have known right then and there that there was a hidden agenda.. I didn’t even realize it until we were at the car dealership and he actually decided to PURCHASE the car… that duh, he couldn’t get the car home if I hadn’t come.)

Danny’s dream car, an old school Cadillac. Ya, the grandpa cars. He loves them. He bought himself “the most beautiful car”.. in his eye’s for less than $5000. At least he is not hard to please, right?

We took the “scenic” ride home through East Canyon and he let me drive his new beauty by myself.. meaning no kids and it was very peaceful and beautiful. The leaves are just changing colors and it looks pretty amazing.

Danny said that since I was a good girl (meaning: I didn't complain, much) I could do a teensy little bit of shopping at my favorite spot in Park City. I got a couple of super ooper cute shirts on clearance, of course. The only type of shopping I do.

And in return, I got a sitter for the evening, and Danny finally got to see his Transformers at the dollar theater. Gotta love cheap dates.

Love this family picture too. Out of all the pictures I took.. this was the best one. Pretty awesome! :)

The Utah State Fair

2011-09-25T13:21:00.002-06:00

One of Danny's favorite events of the year is going to the Utah State Fair. He pulls out his cowboy best and enjoys an evening of fried food and chickens. Sadly, we didn't see any chickens this year but there was still plenty to do!

**Highlight of the night was the old fashioned pictures we took with the Davis's.. I'm still laughing about it. They are to die for!! Angalee, was in a cute little sexy outfit and me (so self conscious of my body) was dressed in an indian /pioneer outfit.. completely covered from head to toe. I had a cowboy hat on and was holding a fake gun. I looked absolutely ridiculous.

After we had "completed" our picture taking the next group of girls came in and asked if they could look really sexy like that girl that went before. I'm sure they were talking about me. ;)

Stickers

2011-09-18T20:20:00.003-06:00

Who would have thought that stickers would have been such an amazing tool for good behavior?? I wish I would have thought of it a year ago! But they have worked like a CHARM for Whitney. She loves earning her stickers and putting them on her sticker chart. I created a simple "behavior chart" and Whitney gets stickers for good behavior. If she is nice to Hank she can earn a sticker. Taking a bath, brushing her hair, cleaning her room, etc. Obviously she is not perfect and does still have her moments but her behavior has been so much better! After working hard for 2 months she finally earned her princess dolls that she has been wanting. We decided that she couldn't get all of the dolls at once but 1 per week after church if she earns them. Hooray for stickers, they have made my home a much happier place!

Minor Injuries

2011-09-15T06:42:00.004-06:00

At the beginning of the summer Whitney had a nasty little "oowee" on her toe. She won't keep shoes on for the life of her and had stubbed it a couple of times. We kept a band aid on it and tried to clean it as often as she would let us. HOWEVER, Whitney is extremely dramatic when it comes to injuries and even the tiniest scrape is the end of the world.

One night I was explaining to her that we needed to clean it.. it was black from the day's adventures.. and she whined and cried Whitney style, of course and then I thought of a little idea and we had the following conversation:

Mom: Whit, why don't we pray to Heavenly Father and Jesus and they will help your toe feel better?

Whit (while whimpering): Ok, call them and tell them to come over.

Mom: Well, They live in heaven. They can't come down, but if we pray to them they can send the Holy Ghost to help you feel better.

Whit (now full fledge crying): I don't want a ghost to come to my house.

By this point I was losing her. She was SO scared a "ghost" was coming that the screaming and tears just kept on coming.

Goes to show how great of a mom I am. My almost sunbeam doesn't even know what the Holy Ghost is. We have a lot of work to do!

Our week of 1st's:

2011-09-09T09:19:00.003-06:00

1. Whitney's 1st day of dance.

She started at Excite and absolutely L.O.V.E.S it!

She does tumbling and ballet.

2. Whitney's 1st day of preschool.

She is in Ms. Doyle's class.

Ms. Doyle is a great friend of mine and just started a preschool this year.

I couldn't be more happy with where Whitney is at!!

3. Hank got his 1st tooth!

It's about time.. my kids are late bloomers when it comes to teeth.

Happy Friday.. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Hanks 1st birthday

2011-09-06T10:53:00.003-06:00

Hanks big birthday bash.. Every 1 year old should have one.

Being 1 has brought out a new side in this little guy:

He screams and points at what he wants and doesn't stop screaming until we get it.

He hits Whitney when she tries to take things from him.

{ both traits he has learned from the best, his sis.}

He is walking.. pretty much running these days.

And I love it! Being 1 is soo fun.

Hank sat on Aaron's lap pretty much the whole night. You give this guy some cheeto's and watermelon and he will love you!

thee guests.. aunt Sherri, gma Lindsay and Vicki.

gma Donna and Megan

Whit and Driggs

Jason and Jess

The crew

Cotton candy??? Yum! Sign me up.. We did have some wild kiddos on our hands!

got lots of clothes..

LOVE THIS PIC!

Gma Vicki has some mad sewing skills.. She made Hank an amazing quilt. We love it.

Not interested in his toys.. just the bags and paper.

He went to town on his cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN!!! MOMMA AND DADDY AND WHITNEY {sometimes} LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY KNOW!!!

We did it.

2011-09-01T21:53:00.004-06:00

We did the Top of Utah 1/2 marathon in Logan last Saturday { my very first one} and it was AWESOME!

We OBVIOUSLY weren't the fastest runners but we had fun, the pair of us.

This is such a dorky, awful picture of the both of us, but I had to post it. We are true geeks TO THE CORE.. I've got the spirit fingers thing going on and Danny is shootin his guns. Oh boy. :)

**Thanks to my mom, dad, and aunt Jess for watching the lil ones!

Our Adventure..

2011-09-01T21:22:00.004-06:00

.. to the Great Salt Lake.

I have lived in Utah my whole life and have never been to the Great Salt Lake. Jessie, our adventure planner, planned this fun little adventure.

And it was just what I had expected.. desolate, hot, bug-infested.

The company and conversations were great: grandma Donna, mom, Jess, me and the kids.

We looked like the only "natives" there. There were a lot of tourists.. Europeans from the looks of it, floating in the salty lake.

I asked a man if it was worth it and he replied, "yes, I love it. It's amazing." Uh-huh.

I didn't actually get in the lake but Jessie, my mom and Whitney did and they did actually float.

I can check this off of my bucket list {although I'm pretty sure it was never on it} either way, I CAN say that I have now been to the GSL and don't need to go back for a good 20 years. ;)

Thanks for planning this activity Jess! We are always up for an adventure. :)

Classic

2011-08-31T09:03:00.001-06:00

Classic water park is a hidden gem. I'm sad we've just discovered it. I posted this picture from their website of the water slides.. They are SO fun! They are fast and whip you around the corners..They were so fun in fact, after me and Ali left my mom and Jessie stayed for another hour and just kept going down the slides. Yes, they are that fun! :) We swam for 3 1/2 hours.. kids came home and Hank slept for 3 hours and Whit "rested" by watching a show. I would say it was a successful activity!

The kid pool was perfect. Hank loved playing/crawling/ splashing in the water.

Cecret Lake

2011-08-24T08:38:00.002-06:00

Sunday night we had a picnic with the family up Little Cottonwood canyon and then went on a hike to Cecret lake. It was fun. And it's a very beautiful hike. I quite enjoyed myself. There were A LOT of people up there.. I guess everybody had the same idea!

Check out those shorts!! Megan was SO embarrassed she wouldn't even walk near him. ;)

On the way down the mountain we saw 5 different moose. 2 sets of mom and babies and then one just laying in the wildflowers.

Date Night

2011-08-23T08:07:00.002-06:00

A couple of weekends ago we went on a fun little date night/outing with the Gleason's. We took trax downtown and walked around, ate at a pizza joint.. it was really yummy and I can't remember the name.. and then had Italian ice cream. As we were leaving there was a crazy wind storm that about blew us over.. We had to run our bums to the trax station. Fun times. :)

Playing with friends

2011-08-23T07:46:00.002-06:00

I love these 2 kids..Chloe and Tuscon. We got to "watch" them for a couple of Mondays in the afternoon while their mom, Missie, was working. We had a great time playing and wish we had played more this summer!! I'm sad that summer is winding down..

At Airborne playing on the trampolines.

We went to Wheeler Farm and somehow one of the baby chickens got out of the cage so the kiddos hhaaadd to catch it and hold it.

The Terraces

2011-08-22T07:13:00.002-06:00

We have been going to the Terraces up Millcreek canyon for picnics for as long as I can remember. I have pictures when I was Whitney's age playing here with my cousins.. the tradition continues.

Bridger, Driggs, and Whit.

Gma Donna, Hank and uncle Scott.

Madie, Ali, mom, and Gabi

Cookie and Whit

Jake with Graham, uncle Steve, and Barry.

Brittany and Bridger with Megan in the background

Horse shoe champions.. Kyle and Danny

Of course, both the kids were crying.. sounds about right! ;)

August Confessions:

2011-08-19T14:02:00.002-06:00

I think it's time:

We eat at Chick Fila way too much. There was one week Danny took the kids their for breakfast, we had it for dinner and the following day for lunch.

I feel like I need a new outfit for every "occasion" we have. Although, in my defense, I do find great deals.. but $10 for a new shirt every so often really does add up.

Danny and I are running a half marathon in 1 week and I haven't jogged more than 5 miles at one time.

I forget to brush Whitney's teeth at least a couple times a week.

I drink diet coke every day for breakfast with Wheat Chex cereal.

I hung up on Danny today because the dumb lawn mower broke and I was mad. I'm really just mad that I had to mow the lawn. Another sub confession {and if Danny ever reads this post I'm so busted} I think I am the one who broke lawn mower.. I accidently mowed over a pretty big rock... oops!

I blog surf too much.

We made chocolate chip cookies 4 times last week. {There was a purpose for each batch.. but don't worry I ate way more than my fair share.}.. And I wonder why I complain about my mid section???

Bathtime

2011-08-19T10:21:00.001-06:00

Water Babies

2011-08-18T09:34:00.003-06:00

Whit and Driggs are water babies. Driggs more so that Whit but they are hilarious! They go off the diving board all by themselves at my aunt Cookies house. They jump, swim to the edge, get out on their own, and jump back in again. Cycling that routine over and over.. for like an hour!

Yesterday we went to Murray pool and those 2 are wild. They have a slide.. which is big and goes fast that they LOVE to go down it. We went over and over and they actually started going by themselves (as opposed to sitting on our laps.) After going down the slide MULTIPLE times we told them that we were just going to play in the water for a little while. Well.. that didn't settle well with the little ones... hand in hand they walked over to the slide and walked up 4 flights of stairs BY THEMSELVES, waited patiently in line and went down the water slide. So cute!

They also jumped off the diving board too.. which is pretty high. I was impressed.

Hank also loves the pool. He goes down the slide with me and he loves to splash in the water. Fun times. I'm sad that summer is coming to an end.. we better have a loonnggg fall to make up for the short summer we had!!

Driggs

Whit

The slide

The flight of stairs the kiddos walked up by themselves.

Cabin

2011-08-18T07:30:00.002-06:00

We went with my family up to Danny's cabin and had a good time. My family LOVES to fish so they fished the weekend away!

We took the dogs and they, obviously, loved it. Muffins made friends with a rooming husky.

Danny had gotten 2 of his chickens processed and we tried cooking them over the fire. He didn't defrost them beforehand sooo it didn't really work. They were fried on the outside but still frozen on the inside.. funny Danny!

yw st. george retreat

2011-08-15T09:10:00.002-06:00

We went to St. George for a young women retreat and had a great time.

Highlights from our trip:

Baptisms for the dead in the St. George temple

Swimming

Hiking through the "crack"

Playing lots of games and eating lots of food

Cove Fort days

Fun times!

Catching Worms

2011-08-12T07:18:00.003-06:00

I love the simplicity of childhood and their enthusiasm for the little things in life.

The other day grandpa Whit called little Whit and had the cutest phone conversation. He asked her if she wanted to come over for a play date to catch worms in the back yard. ( We were going fishing at Danny's cabin the following day.) She excitedly yelled, "YES!".. and you should have seen this girl's smile... it was from ear to ear. She told grandpa that she would be "very brave to catch the worms and fast." And she was. They caught worm after worm.

When we got home that night, she ran in the house and told Danny all about catching the worms.. with so much energy and excitement.

I wish I was more like her. Enjoying the most simple creations.. maybe not worms per-se , but chickens?? ;)

Random pictures from last week:

2011-08-08T18:29:00.004-06:00

Last Monday we had a crazy rain storm in the afternoon. While Hank napped, we went outside and played in it, in the princess dress and all. The whole street of Galena was flooded. The kids had fun getting splashed with water as the cars came by.

Tuesday we went to get ice cream and then went to a movie with Tangi and Sami. Cute Tangi use to be a yw in our ward but moved. She was staying with Sami for a couple of days so we got together. I love spending time with these sweet girls. We went and saw Kung Fu Panda 2 at the dollar theater. Whit was ecstatic that she got to come!

I also got my hair done. Went way blonde and did bangs again. I think this will be my last 'bout' with them. My hair is wild though. I have so much re-growth from losing a lot of hair with Hank so I cover it up with the bangs. Plus, it is curly, unruly and thick. And I'm too lazy to do it so I usually have a big mop on top of my head 90% of the time, o -well. :)

Wednesday.. the kids and husband slept in until after 9 am.. SO SO JEALOUS!!! Hank watched some Little Einsteins standing up. What a cute little guy!

Seven Peaks

2011-08-05T06:15:00.003-06:00

Ali is so good about planning fun activities for us and the kids. I love it! She plans them, we attend. We went to Seven Peaks a couple of weeks ago in Provo and it was a blast. The kids had so much fun going down the slides. Hank even got to go down a couple of the big ones! I had to leave early to get back for work but Whitney stayed and came home so exhausted that she went straight to bed. Nice! A successful day.

Parker and Weston. Good thing they had each other! Parker was a little antsie to go down all the slides.. He didn't want to hang out with all the babies.

{Not pictured but who did come: Ali, Brittney and Megan.}

Wednesday, swim day

2011-08-04T06:08:00.003-06:00

Every Wednesday my aunt Cookie is so sweet and invites all the cousins over for swimming. It is the perfect and our favorite way to spend our afternoon's! Not only that, but she makes lunch for us also.. Cafe Rio salads, pulled pork sandwiches, pizza.. way too nice! Thank you Cookie!!

This little guy is an ANIMAL in the pool. It is so funny! He has absolutely no fear.

hanging out, boy style

2011-08-03T06:59:00.001-06:00

Boys are so funny. Gotta love them. One night we left it up to them to plan the evening and this is what we ended up doing:

Dinner at KFC. I guess they have an amazing “man” sandwich. No bun, just 2 big thick pieces of chicken with cheese in the middle. According to Danny and Jared, it “blows their minds.” :)

After dinner, we went to a park and watched them play tennis for over an hour. (They are obsessed with playing tennis right now.) I'm pretty sure Jared won.

And then we ended the night doing some pretty awesome fireworks.
Cute boys. It was a fun night. We love our friends!

Dinner at KFC

My Bright Light

2011-08-02T07:02:00.005-06:00

Whenever anybody asks me about Hank and his demeanor, I never know what to say. He is just the sweetest, happiest baby boy alive. My mom said it best one time, Hank is just a “Bright Light.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. He is my bright light. He makes everything a little bit lighter, sweeter, for me. I’m in love with his blonde hair and his crazy blue eye’s. He is just my bright light.. can’t think of a better way to describe him. J

He is 11 months now and I feel like I blinked and this year went by in a flash. I remember just bringing him home from the hospital. It feels like yesterday to me. Weird. I love the stage that he is in right now. Here is what he is up to:

Standing and walking with everything. He has taken a few steps and I know it is only a matter of days that he will be walking everywhere.

He has tackled the stairs.

Eating solids very well. His favorite foods: Mac and Cheese, avocado’s, and pea’s.

No more breast feeding. I stopped at about 10 ½ months. I had a hard time with this because I get so attached to it and love it, but he was no longer interested, which is fine by me. We do bottle’s now and will start on whole milk soon.

He loves playing with Whitney!

He loves to read books and will sit on my lap forever and read.

He says: “mama” “dada”. He will “moo” when we ask him what a cow says. (We have been working on that for awhile.) He barks like a dog and when I say, “Where’s momma’s eye’s?” He will point to them.

He is a happy boy and we just LOVE HIM!!

I read this talk recently and loved this:

Children provide examples of some of the childlike qualities we need to develop or rediscover in ourselves in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. They are bright spirits who are untarnished by the world—teachable and full of faith. It is no wonder the Savior has a special love and appreciation for little children.

Among the transcendent events of the Savior’s visit to the Americas, His tender ministry to the children stands apart. In a poignant way He reached out to each child.

“And he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

“And when he had done this he wept. …

“And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones” (3 Nephi 17:21–23).

Elder M. Russell Ballard has taught us the importance of the Savior’s admonition to “behold your little ones” when he said: “Notice that He didn’t say ‘glance at them’ or ‘casually observe them’ or ‘occasionally take a look in their general direction.’ He said to behold them. To me that means that we should embrace them with our eyes and with our hearts; we should see and appreciate them for who they really are: spirit children of our Heavenly Father, with divine attributes” (“Behold Your Little Ones,”Tambuli, Oct. 1994, 40; emphasis added; “Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children,” Ensign, Apr. 1994, 59).

Just taking a little snooze on our evening walk.

Gotta love me a cute baby bum!

The Real Story

2011-08-01T14:46:00.003-06:00

Alrighty.. I’ll let Danny win this one but here is the real story. Yes, I did ask him to get rid of the chickens multiple times, but I never gave him an ultimatum nor did I FORCE him to. I just gently COERCED him into it. There is a difference! He really rooted the idea in my head only AFTER he told me that he was thinking about getting rid of them in the first place because he was too busy to take care of them. That got my mind churning and I was excited about all the things I could do with the extra space in the back yard. Danny even told me, that while I was gone at girls camp he was going to get rid of the chickens. – Again, HIS IDEA! Well.. he didn’t and then left for 2 weeks for a business trip/vacation. SO, they were left in my tender care.

During the last 6 months that Danny has been gone.. traveling for business... while I was in charge of his precious coop: 2 chickens died and I had to dispose of their bodies. (One of them got caught in the chicken wire.. a very gruesome sight.) Another chicken almost got pecked to death and got blood everywhere by the dumb rooster we had. The rooster would somehow get out almost daily and hop the fence.. taking up at least an hour of my time trying to catch it. I would almost always have to enlist the cute neighbor kids to help me.

But what I really couldn’t handle was the mice. Danny didn’t clean the chicken coop at all during the winter months and when he finally moved the coop there were mice everywhere! Talk about FREAKING OUT!!!! Baby mice too. It gives me anxiety just remembering seeing AT LEAST 10 mice scurrying all over the place. I lost it. Started bawling. I couldn’t handle it. I can’t do mice. I’m sorry. We had mice in our house and I cleaned out every closet upstairs and there were “mice droppings” in every one. Even just a couple of weeks ago, when I was packing for California, I found mice poop in my suit case.

If we had a big backyard/barn then, of course, bring on the chickens! We’d get a cat to deal with the mice. But we don’t and I’m not adding a cat to our brood in White City. Just not happening. I feel really bad that Danny got rid of the chickens because he really did love them so much. He will probably get more and I won't be surprised if I get baby chicks again for my birthday.

Until then, our marriage is a happy one now. ;) No other ladies taking my husbands time or stealing his heart..

Poor Unfortunate Souls

2011-07-31T14:45:00.017-06:00

Poor Unfortunate Souls

I admit that in the past I've been a nasty

They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch

But you'll find that nowadays

I've mended all my ways

Repented, seen the light and made a switch

True? Yes

And I fortunately know a little magic

It's a talent that I always have possessed

And here lately, please don't laugh

I use it on behalf

Of the miserable, lonely and depressed

(Pathetic)

Poor unfortunate souls

In pain

In need

This one longing to be thinner

That one wants to get the girl

And do I help them?

Yes, indeed

Those poor unfortunate souls

So sad

So true

They come flocking to my cauldron

Crying, "Spells, Ursula please!"

And I help them?

Yes, I do

Now it's happened once or twice

Someone couldn't pay the price

And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals

Yes, I've had the odd complaint

But on the whole I've been a saint

To those poor unfortunate souls

I will admit a passion for chicks. Since I found myself when I was 14, I decided I was born country and country is what I love. Part of being country is chicks. Don’t tell me that you don’t think this little chicken is the cutest thing you have ever seen.

This chicken is a White Silkie Bantam. For those people who aren’t chicken literate, I’m sure you wouldn’t have even realized that this is a chicken. This was my crowning jewel addition to my back yard flock before it was all taken away. She doesn’t even have feathers… it’s fur. Look how cute her little fur hat is.

When Mindi writes of the chickens she portrays them in their ugliest light. Loud, stinky, noisy… poop everywhere, poop in the kids hair, in her mouth, and in her butt crack…It sounds like Mo and Muffins to me…. or a horse… or anybody else that has any sort of a pet. The other women bloggers offer up their little comments in support of the horrible infectious atmosphere that “wild Danny” subjects his family too. When in reality, our precious little 3 year old daughter just asked mommy today if she could collect the chicken eggs. If that doesn’t churn your heart then you are a poor unfortunate soul. It turns out that there was only 1 out of 4 in the family that despised those beautiful little creatures. If momma ant happy then no one is.

Our entire marriage, people have been telling Mindi that she is so patient … Well the truth is… Mindi is patient and loving and understanding and exciting and smart. I’m just so grateful that she allowed me, for 1 year, to gain a better knowledge and understanding of the wonderful life of chickens. I look forward to the day that I can have them again. Whether it be when Mindi dies before me on earth or in heaven and I will build an earth where chickens rule the world.

I know there are women out there that love chickens and all the joy they bring to the family. Raise your voices and let it be heard that chickens are the ultimate bird.

I have some "confession" to make.

Chickens are awesome

Little kids like baby chickens

Having chickens is following the brethrens advice of having food storage.

Chickens poop is small and can be easily collected with the lawn mower… unlike dogs or horses. (Mindi will pick up dog poop with her hand, but freaks out about the chickens)

A chicken is a bird. There are over 150 varieties of domestic chickens. They were domesticated about 8000 years ago.

(What can I say, I love God and all of His creations. I’m not judgmental)

A chickens' heart beats 280-315 times a minute. A chickens' body temperature runs at 102-103 degrees. A rooster takes 18-20 breaths a minute, a hen 30-35.

(Most vegetarians each chicken because they are so cool... I Google it)

Chickens are not capable of sustained flight. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds. A chicken can travel up to 9 miles per hour.

All domestic chickens can be genetically traced to Gallus Gallus, The Red Jungle Fowl. The chicken is the closest living relative of the t-rex.

(No commentary necessary)

Chickens come in an infinite variety of colors and patterns. There are seven distinctive types of combs on them: rose, strawberry, single, cushion, buttercup, pea and V-shaped.

Chickens make sounds with actual meaning. They give different alarm calls when threatened by different predators. A rooster will attack anything that he thinks will harm the hens. Their spurs (located at the back of their leg) can cause a very painful puncture wound.

A hen can live up to 20 years. She will lay eggs her entire life, with the number decreasing every year from year one.

(This is a picture of me when I was 23)

Chickens lay different colored eggs, from white, to brown, to green, to pink, to blue. The color of a hen's first egg is the color she will lay for life. It takes a hen 24-26 hours to lay an egg.

A chicken finds it very important to have a private nest. She builds her nest by first scratching a hole in the ground. She will then pick up twigs and leaves, which she will drop on her back. Back in the hole she will let the material slide off her back around the rim.

(This is a Barred Rock, was also in my collection)

It takes a chick 21 days to develop in the egg. It starts developing when it reaches a temperature of 88 degrees F. A mother hen begins bonding with her chicks before they are even born. She will turn her egg as often as five times an hour and cluck to her unborn chicks, who will chirp back to her and to one another.

If a rooster is not present in a flock of hens, a hen will often take the role, stop laying, and begin to crow.

A chicken can have 4 or 5 toes on each foot.

(Buff Orpington, was in my collection)

Chickens have more bones in their necks than giraffes. They have no teeth and swallow their food whole. Part of their stomach is used to grind their food up.

Chickens are very social animals. They will fight to protect their family and will mourn when a loved one is lost.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

“If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living.”

-SENECA, Epistles

Open your eyes ye hormongers, live a little, relax a little. Enjoy life in all of its variety.

-Daniel Westenskow

What you focus on is what you get. If all you see is poop, noise, misery,and stench, then how can you expect to have anything else. This is not only the case with chickens, but life as well.

I promise that if you seek the good in chickens, the chickens will be good to you.

Today

2011-07-27T23:10:00.006-06:00

We are trying out new methods of getting Hank to take naps. Ever since he has learned how to pull himself up in his crib, he hasn’t been going down as easily. I’m not good at the “cry it out method.” Although, if you choose to do that and it works for you, that’s great. It’s just not for me. It makes me sad hearing my babies cry. We have tried rocking him, but doesn’t like being cuddled. We have been using the baby swing and he falls asleep but he is getting too big for that. Yesterday when he woke up from his nap and I went to get him.. well he was no longer in his swing but playing on the ground. So the swing is out of the question. Today I put my ipod in his room and turned on Jon Schmidt and that seemed to do the trick. No crying, no fussing.. he went right to sleep.. and slept for 2 ½ hours! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this method will last!!

While Hank napped, Whit and I did this:

Final product:

This afternoon we went swimming at Alta Canyon with the young women and then came home and did a little bit of this:

Whitney's got the Bieber fever mixed with some Selena Gomez. A dynamic duo. :)

Confessions:

2011-07-26T21:19:00.002-06:00

Here are my honest confessions:

I feel like I am always tired.. working full time and then switching to full time mom wears me out. Especially with Whitney, who doesn't stop for 1 second. Any tips on finding some energy??

I love naps and would take one every day if I was able to! Any chance that I get to take a nap, I am ALL over it!

I feel like I’m "enrolled in parenting 505" with Whitney.. As much as I love her.. She is hard and loves to test my patience! She fights me in everything. Brushing teeth, combing hair, taking baths. I feel like I’m bribing her all day long to get her to do the normal every day things. There was one day that it took us 2 hours to clean her room because I refused to do it. And sometimes I have to pin her down on her bed to comb her hair because she hates it!- But it needs to be done so what do you do??

I love “Good Luck Charlie” on the Disney Channel.

I make my bed about once a week.

I hate doing laundry!

My house is never clean. I feel like I pick up messes all day long but really DEEP clean, never!

I am such a procrastinator and I hate it. I am scrambling every Sunday morning to get my yw lessons ready and be on time to church.

I am a huge pushover.

I will probably never be comfortable with my body.

My biggest confession: I made Danny get rid of the chickens.—What a big mean jerk I am! I feel really guilty about it.. but the poop, smells and mice that they brought just really got to me. I’m a cold hearted mean wife. Sorry, Danny! Maybe in heaven you can have chickens. I'm sure I will like mice then and they probably won't poop or I won't care.

Last night we had, yet again, another family party. My family loves any type of excuse to get together and we love any type of excuse to attend. I got off work early and we went to Cookie and Steve’s for swimming, dinner, and fireworks. Always fun!

Whitney cracks me up. She fell asleep in the car with her ring pop in her mouth and it was quite the battle trying to take it away from her when we got home! :)

Fireworks

Steve striking a pose.

Watching fireworks in the rain.

Sunday

2011-07-25T16:51:00.004-06:00

Yesterday morning I woke up to Danny asking me if I had any dreams the night before. I said that I didn’t.. not any that I could remember at least. He then proceeds to tell me about his dream:

Danny: I dreamed that I was on the Bachelorette and when I walked out of the Limo I gave the girl the 7 Languages of Love book and said, “ I want to know what love language you are so read this book and we will talk about it more inside.”

HAHAHA! I couldn’t stop laughing.. but the funny thing is.. he really thinks that would be sweet. Oh Danny!

Danny had Hank during the 3^rd hour of church and I found him like this:

Totally asleep!

I took Whitney to the bathroom and she pooped. She asked me if she could touch it. I very firmly said, “No, that is really gross. We don’t touch poop.” I took her to the bathroom later that night. She pooped again. I turned my back on her for 1 second and she had her hand in the toilet inches away from trying to touch her poop. Uh… so gross! I quickly pulled back her hand and explained to her that we do NOT PLAY WITH OR TOUCH POOP!! Yuck!

My cousin Sara and her husband Mike are moving to DC for a couple of years on an internship. We had a fun farewell party for them hosted by Scott and Lori. (We came to the tail end of it bc we had another party with Danny’s family.. and sadly I didn’t take any pictures. L) We did some fireworks, played some Dance Dance and had a great time! Good luck Sara and Mike.. we will miss you guys!

A Very Potter Picnic

2011-07-25T09:08:00.005-06:00

My work did a very fun picnic a couple of weeks ago.. all Harry Potter themed. We got there and went to Gringott's bank to get our Galleons for our activities. We went to Honeydukes and got some sweet's. Then we headed over to the Charm's class where we saw Hermione and Whit got to color a wooden toy snake. We went to Potions and saw Snape and got to try out our "potion skills." We then headed to Ollivander's Wand shop and got to pick out a wand. We went to the Great Hall and the sorting hat put us into our houses. I was put into Slytherin and then we got to take a picture with Dumbledore and Professor Mcgonagall.

We went to the dragon egg hunt after which Parker and Whitney went through the forbidden forest riding on little carts.

Whitney's favorite was Moaning Mrytle's water park. She loved getting wet and going down the slides!

We went to Hagrid's Hut and saw real crocodile's and snakes that we could touch.

We played games and ate lots of yummy food and the best part.. everything was FREE! Snowcones, churro's, cotton candy, drinks, dinner. It was awesome! SO SO much fun!!

{Danny was out of town so he couldn't come.. :(. Also, I wish I would have taken more pictures because everything was decorated so clever.}

Newport Beach: July 7th

2011-07-18T19:03:00.002-06:00

July 7th: Ruby’s breakfast. We rented a boat and went for a harbor cruise. So fun! There was a sea lion that kept following us..kinda like he was playing with us or the boat, rather. At one point, he had a huge fish in his mouth. Really cool. After the boat ride, we beached it up.. our last day (tear). That evening Danny took me on a romantic date (romantic meaning no kids and no cell phones) to my favorite spot, the Crab Cooker. I really enjoyed my salmon, coleslaw and fresh tomato’s… yum! After dinner, we headed down to Balboa to hit up the ferris wheel, arcades, and merry go round with all of the cousins.

Balboa

Whit and Jess

July 8^th: Good bye beach. We drove from California to Vegas listening to Justin Bieber’s “baby baby” song on repeat. A request from the 3 year old. And when you are driving, it’s a whole lot easier to just give her what she wants. We went to Vegas and did a little shopping and then stayed in St George until Sunday. I love St George and would move back there in a heartbeat! Saturday we went to a little farmer’s market.. picked me up some jam and cheese. The others went to some natural water falls. I stayed back with Hank. We swam at the condo’s pool. Ate at the pizza factory for dinner, played at the splash park and finished the night with some ice cream from Neilson Custard.

We got home early evening Sunday night with vacation blue’s. Whitney had a meltdown the second we pulled into the drive way.. crying and screaming.. because she didn’t want to be home. She wanted the beach. Well me too!

I am grateful, as always, for my family. There is a lot of us and we are all very close knit. I’m grateful for the gospel that allows us to be an eternal family. Can’t wait for the beach parties in heaven. I’m sure they are to die for! J

Newport Beach 2011: July 6th

2011-07-18T18:29:00.002-06:00

July 6th: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON!!! He is the best.. so helpful all the time. Lucky for him, we went to Sea World for his birthday and it was a lot of fun. But very hot. I’ll be honest, about 2 hours into it, I was ready to pack up and leave. My kids were tired, hot and hungry. Whit was being a stinker and at one point said, “I want to leave and go back to the beach.” We decided to leave for a little bit and go eat a good lunch and come back. Both kids took good naps in the car and by the time we got back the weather had cooled and it was perfect. We stayed until closing and loved it. I vowed to Danny I would never go back until my kids are at least 12 but I retract my statement. Once it cooled off, it was great!

Jess, Whit and dad

Hanging out with sleeping Hank.

Whitney was really sleeping like that. She was exhausted!

Back at the beach house.. fast asleep.

Newport Beach 2011: July 5th

2011-07-18T17:02:00.002-06:00

July 5th: Jogged, Ruby’s breakfast, normal beach day. In the evening, we decided to venture out and go to Huntington beach and eat at BJ’s. There was a HUGE farmer’s market going on so we got to walk through that. Whit and Drigg’s loved dancing to the street performer’s and Whit got her face painted.. she requested a dragon.

hank gettin mad about somethin..

hank, whit and driggs playing in their car.

Whit getting her face painted.

Whit and Driggs putting money in for the street performer.

Newport Beach 2011: July 4th

2011-07-18T12:45:00.002-06:00

July 4th: We did our jogging in the morning and then went to the donut shop. So yummy! We went out to the beach for part of the day and then headed up to LA to spend time with our best friends the Neilson’s and Davis’s. We played at a park and then had a bbq at the Neilson’s to celebrate Jared’s 30th birthday. We LOVE them! Couldn’t ask for better friends.

Just eatin some donuts!

No worries.. He still has his tennis ball!

Humm.. Hank's not so sure about this! :) Cute friends

Love Danny's face.

Hank's first swing experience.. and let's just say he absolutely loved it!

Oh, these two! Quite the pair.

Newport Beach 2011: July 1st- 3rd

2011-07-18T11:24:00.005-06:00

This was our 17th year with 56 family members in 6 different condo’s. We had a great time! Seeing as my blog is my family journal, I decided I would divide up the days, with what we did, which is probably of no interest to anyone but us. But, that is alright. This blog is for my kids, so they will have these memories.

July 1st- 3rd: Danny was out of town the whole week before going down to California so he just met us there. So, the lucky Hilton’s got the wonderful privilege of driving with me and the 2 little ones.. and surprisingly.. they did GREAT!! Whitney had a few moments, which was to be expected and Hank was just a champ.. as always! We stayed a night in St. George and got to Newport Beach Friday afternoon. I wish I could explain the excitement on Whitney’s face. She is made for the beach. She was so funny.. every day she played great with the other cousins and made new friends with random little kids. She was definitely in her element. Hank also loved it. Loved the sand, loved the beach naps, loved sitting on the very edge of the water and letting it splash him. My kids love the beach!

The first few days, we jogged, the boys played some tennis, we played LOTS at the beach and soaked in the amazing weather. So fun so perfect! I could really become a beach bum.

On Sunday night we walked to a park and had a big baseball game with the other Harts. It was a lot of fun!

Hank doing "SO BIG" with great grandma Donna.

1st day on the beach!

1st nap on the beach..

The boys played tennis every morning and Hank's new favorite toy, a tennis ball. He was always holding one!

Gabi, Parker, Jessie, and Whit

Whit and Van.. They had a blast playing with each other.

Whit and Bridger.. Look at her cute beach bum!

Hank playing with the cousins.

Hank and Ryder watching the baseball game

My Love Affair

2011-07-15T20:33:00.004-06:00

.. with Harry Potter.

It started when I was in high school. I remember during the summer months reading Harry Potter all. day. long. My friends would call to hang out, but I was busy. Busy falling in the love. :)

Fast forward a couple of years and I was married living in St. George with Danny and the 5th book came out. It was like a drug for me. I couldn't put it down. I had school work.. a huge midterm actually and every time I tried to study the book would just sit next to me.. begging for me to pick it up. And like any drug addict.. I did. I read and read and read until the wee hours of the morning and bombed my midterm. But it was ok, there was just too much going on. Harry Potter's anger issue's, the prophecy, Sirius Black (who I always thought was so cute in my head.) Obviously they were more important than my midterm.

When the 7th book came out, of course I picked it up at midnight. If I recall, it came out on a Friday. We had a family party that weekend and all us "cool" cousins sat in the anti- social area reading our books. I'm also pretty sure that I didn't make it to church that weekend. Harry Potter needed me.

Last summer, on our way to Newport Beach, Danny MADE -FORCED me (heavy sarcasm) to re- read him the 7th Harry Potter out loud. The whole way there, the whole way back. It was the best trip I ever had.

So last night, I saw the final saga to 10 years of my serious obsession. You can imagine my excitement. I had watched previews of this movie before seeing it and every time.. I got a tear in my eye and chills up and down my body. We went to the movie with our equally HP obsessed friends, the Davis's. Cute Jared wore the HP glasses and sported the lightning scar on his forehead.. He was looking good. ;) And I just absolutely LOVED every. second. of that movie! I cried, laughed, cheered, got sweaty during the "intense" parts.. I was all over the place. It was a perfect ending to a perfect love affair. And tomorrow my awesome work is doing a pretty intense "Very Potter Picnic" event.. ahh.. hello! Sign me up. Check out the hard core invitations they sent and Marauders map with all the different events. I mean so so cool, right?

Also, I started a little money jar. I NEED to get to that Harry Potter theme park in Orlando at Universal Studio's. It's one of my goals this year.. So i gotta start saving. If anybody pity's me, I will gladly take donations. :) What can I say, I'm a crazed fan.

Girls Camp 2011

2011-07-11T17:14:00.001-06:00

Girls Camp 2011: Be More

We had stake girls camp this year and our theme was D&C 121:45. “..Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly…” I love it! Our stake decided to do a reality “Camp TV”. Each ward was assigned a different TV station. The priesthood was ESPN (Essential Service Priesthood Network). The stake young women leaders were CNN (Celestial News Network). Our ward was PBS: Be More. I loved our theme. There are so many area’s that we can Be More in. This year I was put in charge of the devotionals which was a welcome change! The last 2 year’s I have been in charge of crafts and they are A LOT of work! I had a fun time coming up with idea’s for the devotionals. We read a couple of children’s books (The Little Engine that Could and the Sneetches) and talked about ways that we can BE MORE Christlike and how we can BE MORE when we have the end in sight or in other words, how can having an eternal perspective can help us to BE MORE.

Highlights:
• Our 5 mile hike.. I am seriously out of shape!
• The flash mob dance to Selena Gomez, “Who Says” with the stake.
• Making adorable bracelets for victims of the tsunami in Japan.
• The awesome devotional from Laurel Christensen. I wish I would have taken notes, it was that good! The spirit was so strong and her message touched every person there!
• Funny moment: Being a mother of a 10 month old and still breast feeding.. you can imagine the girls response to seeing my gear. One of them asked it if my breast pump was a horn! It was pretty funny. (I guess you just had to be there. :))

As always, every year I am grateful to be surrounded by such strong young women and leaders. Their testimonies and steadfastness in the gospel, despite their hard circumstances and trials they go through, amazes me. I love and learn from them time and time again.

The 5 mile hikers

Canyon Rim girls and leaders

The cute girls

.. and leaders

Me getting my award from our youth leaders: Jamie, Cortney and Amy.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-30T07:35:00.001-06:00

Every day I count my blessings for the wonderful father's in my life.

Both our children are named after great men who helped raise us.

Whitney after my dad, Harold after Danny's step- dad.

SOO dad's are pretty important to us. :)

I couldn't be more happy with the awesome dad that Danny is.

He is pretty amazing.

I {heart} SUMMER!!

2011-06-29T18:35:00.003-06:00

.. and swimming... and Murray pool. It's the perfect little afternoon activity.

Hank's got his grumpy face on.

Driggs, Whit and Camden.

Liberty Park

2011-06-25T10:34:00.003-06:00

Liberty Park is so fun! We went last week and had a blast. There is so much to do. I will let the picture's do the telling: :)

Me and Whit went on the ferris wheel. She honestly couldn't stop laughing and kept saying: "this is so much fun!" I love her energy and zeal for life .

The crew

Driggs was so cute in the cars. He was a little nervous to do the "no hands."

The planes. I loved how old fashioned everything was.

Liberty park has the 7 rivers water fountains and the kids had such a blast playing in it. Whitney doesn't like me taking pictures and refuses to smile in about 75% of them.

Farewell

2011-06-20T19:00:00.001-06:00

My aunt Cookie and Steve Hart hosted a farewell party a couple of weeks ago for my other aunt and uncle, Jim and Laurel Hart. They got called as mission presidents to the Brazil Salvador mission. They had their farewell speeches yesterday and did such a great job. What an awesome experience they are going to have!

Whitney, Bridger, and Driggs

Hank and Liam playing

Jim and Laurel

Megan, Ali, me and Sara

Playing some basketball. I will have you know that I came in 2nd in 7 on the line. I beat out all the boys..

My cute little Hank

Swimming!!! Lots of cousins.

This was such a fun night. I really do LOVE my family l.o.t.s. They are such a great blessing!

Swimwear..

2011-06-14T10:44:00.002-06:00

J Crew

Anthropologie

Aren't these swimsuits amazing?? My favorite is the black and the light blue { or the proper color is mint.} I asked Danny if I could get one and he said, "Sure, why don't you get it for yourself for father's day." How selfish would that be.. Well a girl can dream at least.

Fresh Orange Cookies

2011-06-09T08:03:00.004-06:00

I came upon this yummy recipe a loonngg time ago through Danny's mom, Vicki. She made these cookies before we were even married and I thought that they were so good. I have made them a couple of times since and decided to make them again a couple of weeks ago. They were as good as I had remembered them! Light and airy.. different.. and a fun summer time treat. My handy helper, Whitney, is ALWAYS by my side and is becoming quite the little cook. She is a pro at cracking eggs and can do it all by herself! She gets out all the ingredients and knows what is what. She "cracks" me up... no pun intended. ;)

Enjoy:

Fresh Orange Cookies:

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C butter, softened

1 C sour cream

2 eggs

4 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 C fresh orange juice

3 tbs grated orange peel (about 3 oranges)

Frosting:

1 cube butter, melted

4 C powdered sugar

2 tbs orange zest

4-5 tbs fresh orange juice

*Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and 1 c butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and eggs, blend well. Mix in orange juice and orange peel. Add all remaining cookie ingredients. {The dough will be sticky. Use an ice cream scoop to put onto cookie sheet.}

*Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. {I baked mine for 10 and they turned out perfect.}

*Make the frosting and frost when the cookies have been cooled.

My taste tester, Hank. He loved them!

Lessons Learned from the Prophet #2

2011-06-08T08:32:00.002-06:00

Work Hard and be the best that you can be.

“Your decisions determine your destiny.”

President Monson’s Wisdom 7 Watchword’s:

Vision

Patience

Balance

Effort

Understanding

Courtesy

Love

“Complaining is not thinking. Ridiculing is not reasoning. Accountability is not for the intention but for the deed. No person is proud simply of what he or she intends to do.. Only the human mind has the capacity for creativity, imagination, insight, vision and responsibility.”

9 Months

2011-06-06T16:23:00.002-06:00

Picture taken by Jenny.

Weight: 20 lb 6 oz

Height: 28.1 inches

What we are up to/doing at 9 months:

*Had your first hair cut.

*You love to stand on anything and walk.

*Great eater and sleeper.

*No teeth yet, but you gnaw on pretty much anything we eat.

*Getting really close to crawling, but in the meantime you manage to get where you need to go by scooting on your bum.

*You are Whit's best friend and play mate. You will do anything for her, but you are starting to fight back and claim what's yours. I love it! :)

*According to your dad, your greatest accomplishment thus far is palming a little football. He is so proud of his little athlete!!

We love you lots my blue eyed blonde baby boy!! You are my sweetest most tender little man.

Conversations with a 3 year old

2011-05-30T20:28:00.003-06:00

{Picture taken by my very awesome and talented cousin Jenny}

A couple of Saturday's ago, we were driving home from a wedding and were talking to Whitney about it and if she had fun dancing with her friend Lilee. She responded: "Ya, but I didn't like daddy's dancing because he was freaking me out!!" {And she really emphasized the work 'freaking.'} Her dad is quite the crazy dancer. His dancing kinda freaks me out too. :)

One night, we were reading out of her little Book of Mormon and talking about Nephi and his brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Whit said: "They weren't very nice to Nephi." Me: "No, they weren't." Whit: "Well, that's ok. Heavenly Father will teach them to be nice. I always share all my toys with Hank. I am nice, huh." Me: "Yep, you are the nicest."

We were going for a walk and we had the following conversation:

Whit: Mom, why do birds have wings?

Mom: So they can fly.

Whit: Why do they fly?

Mom: Because that is how Heavenly Father made them.

Whit: Why do we have cars?

Mom: So that we can drive to places and get there fast.

Whit: Oh, why are there so many people on the earth?

Mom: Before we came to earth we lived with Heavenly Father and Jesus. They sent us to earth to learn and grow so we can go to heaven again some day.

Whit: Oh, cool. Mom, why do we have dogs?

Mom: Because they make us happy.

**The curiosity and questions of a 3 year old. They never end. :)**

Weekend Fun

2011-05-30T18:40:00.002-06:00

Over the weekend we decided to head back up to Danny's cabin. Still cold, but fun. We stayed a night at the cabin, a night in Park City and then spent the following day back at the cabin playing games and hanging out. Cute Whitney absolutely LOVES the cabin. She is in her element there. She can do really whatever she wants, play outside, get dirty. Poop and pee outside in the wilderness.. Honestly, what 3 year old wouldn't love that? Hank was quite the trooper as well. Just being a sweet little guy. It was wet, muddy, rainy and still cold but very beautiful. .

Danny, Hank and Aaron.. Danny is doing something weird with his chin. he is not a fan of the picture taking.

Playing cards.. Again, Danny doing something weird with his face.

Sleeping beauty.. Whitney woke up with the craziest hair. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Danny and Aaron went shooting and apparently Danny needs a few lessons.. The gun kicked back and got him in the nose.

Park City. The condo we stayed at had hot tub. Although she is not pictured, Whit did get in later (while it was SNOWING.. what the heck?? Snow and it's almost June.. ) but she loved it.. couldn't get her out.

Uncle Parker with all the kiddos.

Just relaxing.

Lessons Learned from the Prophet #1

2011-05-30T16:29:00.003-06:00

I just finished reading President Monson’s biography and absolutely loved it! My testimony has been strengthened by the example of this gentle giant. I have learned many lessons from him through his biography that I hope to never forget and want to apply in my daily life.

#1. Family life is the most important and treasured gift that we have.

President Monson sums up his feelings this way: “When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life… All of us remember the home of our childhood. Interestingly, our thoughts do not dwell on whether the house was large or small, the neighborhood fashionable or downtrodden. Rather, we delight in the experiences we shared as a family… What we learn there largely determines what we do when we leave there… The thoughts we think, the deeds we do, the lives we live influence not only the success of our earthly journey, they also mark the way to our eternal goals.”

I look back on my childhood and the best memories I have are the times spent together as a family. Vacationing with the cousins. Spending summer’s… almost every day with my cousins. It was wonderful and I wouldn’t trade it for a million dollars! I am grateful for my family.. my parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family. My family really is a product of who I am and who I want to become.

Being a mom and having my own little family, I so want my children to have the very best childhood anyone could possible imagine. That doesn’t mean giving them everything they want money-wise, but rather creating traditions and memories together.. and documenting them so that they can look back and hopefully remember. I love my family.. they really are MY greatest TREASURE!

Some of us cousins at my cousin Brooke's wedding last Wednesday. She looked beautiful!

Our little family. It's pretty impossible to get all of us looking at the camera at the same time. Oh well. :)

Baby Chicks

2011-05-24T09:15:00.003-06:00

Never let your husband go to IFA alone... He will ALWAYS come home with baby chickens. He will ALWAYS win over his daughter's heart with the cute little things and slightly soften my cold- mean heart. I will admit, they are pretty darn cute when they are babies. Whitney, of course, thinks she is their mom. Carrying the 3 little things all over the yard. Making them play with her toys, taking them on rides in her car. She loves them.

Hank loves to sit and play outside.

Just sitting with her favorite baby chick

Mother's Day

2011-05-23T18:18:00.006-06:00

"I'd rather be a mother than anyone on earth

Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth...

I'd rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed

Than twine a chain of diamonds about my carefree head.

I'd rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright baby eyes

Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise."

- Meredith Gray. The Beauty of Motherhood.

Happy Mother's Day!

What to do when there is nothing to do

2011-05-18T22:35:00.004-06:00

We have exhausted all of our inside activities for 2011.. There is only so many times that you can go to Mcdonalds to play, the library for story time, the aquarium (which Whitney doesn't even really like anymore.) We have watched Tangled I think 100 times. And I am plane tired of picking up the hurricane of messes Whitney leaves behind when ever she walks out of a room. I have become a weirdo when it comes to checking the weather, checking it multiple times a day.. Thinking/hoping that it will miraculously change, it never does. I think it's safe to say.... we are SO ready for warm weather that stays for more than a couple of days!

Having said that, there have been a few activities that will keep Whitney entertained for more than a minute... Making and playing with salt dough. It's super easy to make, you can dye it any color you want and Whit will sometimes play with it for up to an hour!! We have the 100 cookie cutter container that has all the shapes, alphabet, animals etc.. It's a perfect and fun way to practice her letter recognition by cutting them out with the salt dough. You can store it in the fridge for really as long as you want and it has been a life saver on days when there is nothing to do!

salt dough recipe:

2 C Flour

1 C Salt

4 tsp Cream of Tartar

2 C Water

1/4 C oil

Combine ingredients into a pan and cook on medium. Heat until it has lost it's glossy texture. It will be lumpy. Dump out and knead until smooth.

America's Favorite Pastime

2011-05-17T10:37:00.004-06:00

"A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz."

~Humphrey Bogart

AMEN!! We love going to Parker’s baseball games. It is the perfect afternoon activity.. soaking in the sun.. hot dogs, Otter Pops, sunflower seeds. Can’t get much better than that! Sadly, it was so cold this year that we didn’t make it to many of his games. But it is still OUR favorite pastime… watching uncle Parker play baseball!

At this game against Lone Peak, he hit a home run.. go Parker!! Hank loves to stand and hold onto the fence.

Parker's biggest fan.