Extended Vaca

As Fate would have it our vacations alined this year! WOOT! So we had Lake Powell planned and boom wouldn't you know it Gregg needed to be out of town in Las Vegas the following Monday through Thursday!  Ah, worked out perfect.  We all got to go! YES! What fun.  The kids have never been to Vegas and I hadn't seen my dear friend MeKell in Vegas for years.  You know that friend the one who made a mark in your life and you just can't ever forget them.  That friend who you will want to remember forever....Yep, that's MeKell. 
So after 5 days in Lake Powell we headed to Las Vegas for a shower and a bed!
First stop across the street UNLV for our Pennant.  Yes, Gregg has started a fun tradition that for the boys we will get a pennant for every college/professional team for each city we/Gregg visits.  It is pretty fun.  It has dotted the 'Man Cave' with plenty of sports paraphernalia.  The boys love it.  However, after 5 days in Lake Powell in 100 degree weather [near/on the water too cool off the heat] 105 in Las Vegas on the pavement YIKES! not a good way to start off the Las Vegas adventure! They were complaining after 5 minutes of walking.  I tell you UNLV was seriously just across the street.  We just crossed the street and to the book store and that was too much for them. 
OK heat wave over.  We will be heading in-doors!
Second stop, meet up with the Joffs for a fun afternoon INDOORS at the Childrens museum.  The children had a great time.  And Who knew the 'bubble station' would keep older boys entertained!?  Well that kind of fun I'm down with!  Ah the smell of 'good. clean. fun!' literally!
Then after the museum we went to Joffs. What a beautiful home and back yard.  They are very proud of the new pool area they have just finished and I was so impressed with the beautiful landscaping they have done themselves! Love that girl I tell ya.
Then we did the 'strip' stores entertainment.  The kids loved the M&M world [maybe as much as me]. But the Coke taste testing around the world was fantastic.  It was pretty fun to taste the different soda's from around the world.  The strip is a fun place to see stuff.  We went in the earlier afternoon and kept our eyes off the ground! :) [If you have been there you know what I mean!]
Gregg treated us all to a FANTASTIC buffet at Paris and it was de-lish.  The boys got to taste and experience some really nice food that they may otherwise have not have tasted....that is until they discovered the dessert bars! YUMMY!  It was a very expensive but memorable dinner!
Great vacation.  I hope the kids will remember it.  What a long vacation too! Man, nearly 2 weeks away from home felt like forever.  I love to get away.  It is also great to get back home and into routine too!

Heaven on Earth!!

YES!!! HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!

I love Lake Powell! LOVE. IT. I. TELL. YOU!!!  We did it this year Gregg and I took the kids to Lake Powell.  It seems like it is always such a trip.  It is further than most and requires so much packing.  We are still tenting [not too much fun if you ask me].  But to be there and enjoy the scenery and weather and lake and family and, and, and.....AH I just love it.  I think I have Gregg convinced too.  He had a great time too.  We went the week AFTER Memorial day.  It was perfect.  We missed the holiday rush and had the campground to ourselves.  Yes, I said campground.  We/I have never stayed at a campground at Lake Powell.  I have either stayed on the beach or houseboat.  Not a campground.  Gregg and I decided it would be a little too scary right now with Ella being in her 18 month old wandering phase.  We didn't want to risk needing to keep her life jacket on for 5 days! :)  It worked out great.  There was a laundromat, showers, and gift shop.  Perfect...Well would have been perfect if it were in an RV....but who's complaining!  Ella did great and slept well.  Jaxon and Kaden slept in their own tent and felt like grown ups!  Zeke, Ella, Gregg and I slept in the big tent and had a great time.   

 We even got the  fishing poles out.....Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would own a Master Craft and NEVER would I think I would allow fishing on said boat if we owned one....but you have boys....what do you do?  They loved it.  Much to Gregg's happiness they didn't catch anything.  I don't know if Gregg would have known what to do with it if they did catch one. Ella did awesome this year in her life jacket.  Last year it was quite the fit. YEAH! 

They always surprise me every once in a while!  HOLY CRAP!  So we are just boating along and Jaxon starts talking about cliff jumping.  Thinking it is only the first of 5 days certainly we can warm up to it if he wants to.  Telling him we need to find just the right type of cliff that would be the safest.  The he shouts out...'A cliff like that one?'  Yes I said.  Then he said lets go and do it! Never did I think he really would.  Yes he did.  I said yeah, Jaxon you jump off that one and I will give you $10!  Without even thinking he jumped out and started swimming over.  Gregg said hold on, I better get in and check it out first!  No Gregg didn't jump [chicken] he just swam over and checked it out.  Jaxon continued to climb the cliff.  Then I counted and away he went! WOW!  What a proud mamma!

All of my kids have found something that they love. 
Zeke has decided to become quite the kayak er.  He got on and away he went.  He was grinning ear to ear!  He felt so big to actually steer the kayak around and go where he wanted all by himself.
Kaden and Ella are tub riders.  Yes, Kaden loves it.  Ella?  Yes, she is only 18 months and insists on riding in the tube! It is so stinking cute!
Jaxon is quite the wakeboarder.  He has figured it out pretty well and carves all over.  By the end of the boating season this year he has braved going in and out of the wake.  I think by the end of next year he will be jumping!
Ah, family time.  My favorite time.
 

First Year!

The guilt we put on ourselves as mothers. 

I have been feeling so bad when I look at my friends who have just had babies and how cute the baby pictures are they post on FB and such of their darling little additions [newborns are my fav by the way]. So I sit and feel guilty that I have this precious little one grow up before my eyes and I let all her year slip away from me with out pictures.

While I didn't make it a HUGE thing that I had a photo session with her, I guess I did after all take a few pictures that I think are cute.  Oh guilt is such a terrible thing! :)

 Ella has been such fun!  Although I really think I am just a complete basket case for the first year...or so! :)  It is always such an adjustment for me when adding a new little addition to our family.  Adjusting schedules and accommodating other schedules and the like.  But we made it through.  Fairly well I should add.  There was heartbreak, as always, but we made it through together!  ALL OF US!!

Everyone has asked me how it has been to finally have my little girl.  Well for the first year, I was...well um, its great! :)  Because honestly the only difference with a girl newborn and a boy is the diapers! Not much difference.  Now that she is almost 2!!!  WHAT FUN!  I can see all the fun little girl things light up her eyes that I think would have lit up my eyes!  I love Strawberry Shortcake and listening to her giggle with excitement just makes my heart flutter.  I love that she looks at me while I am getting ready for the day and tries to emulate what I am doing.  I put on my contacts, she needs some contacts on.  I put lipstick on, so does she.  She brushes my hair and giggles.  She looks at me for approval and when I say, oh so pretty she giggles with glee! Yes now I can say what fun.  She is a doll to have around the house.  She hopefully will not always be the BRUTE that she is.  Although with rough and rowdy brothers she is bound to have some sort of brute attitude.  That's ok.  I look back at me now that I have boys [not having any of them around growing up] and I love the fact I can play football with the boys [which we did just this last Sunday for 4 hours I might add], yet snuggle and be a girly girl.  She will be just fine.  Just more adjusted and use to rowdiness that I was!

I love our little family.

Just to remember my last moments being pregnant.  What a special time for a mom.  Only time in her life where she has her baby's heart all to herself.  Feeling every movement, every emotion and hearing every sound all to herself, before the big arrival.  Being pregnant has its ups and downs, I want to remember the ups. 

Life of sports

My life revolves around sports.Spring time brings baseball and lacrosse, summer and fall bring football, winter brings basketball.....ALL YEAR! :) YES!  I never thought I would be a sporting kind of mom.  I mean I grew up with sisters and our sports consisted of gymnastics (during winter with the school) and dance which was all year with competitions in January - March.  Then of course water skiing and snow skiing.  But these are all occasional type things.  They weren't sports that went on for seasons.

I love the sporting seasons.  It has taken me quite a while to get used to it though.  I makes my life constantly in-sane!!  Craziness!  But I would not miss it.  I love to see the boys play on Saturdays at their games.  I love to see all the hard work they practiced during the week to get them where they are.  I love how much they love sports.

 Zeke what a little rock star!  He is such a good sport.  This year he played machine pitch baseball for Herriman.  He played with his second cousin Aiden (AJ) McCleary. I love this age.  My boys have not played machine pitch at this age before and it was fun to see.  He is trying really hard.  He is still super confused at throwing and hitting.  He wants to play lefty but can do both and it really throws him off.  Gregg is working on the mechanics of throwing the baseball more and I think that is helping him.  We are just throwing the ball from his knee.  Cute little fart!  He loves it!  He is so tall it is hard to remember that he is only 5!

 Kaden was in his second year of Lacrosse this year.  He is really liking it.  He is the most aggressive in this sport, in my opinion.  I think it may have something to do with the fact he knows you are not supposed to throw each other down.  I was so proud watching him as he was totally after the ball and always right in the middle of the action.  He loved his Coaches this year and I think they taught him a lot.  He throws lefty too (like he is a switch hitter in baseball too) which his Coaches said was an advantage for him. 

Jaxon had his second year of Lacrosse as well.  He really likes this sport and prefers it a lot more than baseball or soccer, which are the two other options for spring.  If football were not around I know both Jaxon and Kaden would choose to play Lacrosse in the Fall as well.  Jaxon is always aggressive and sometimes finds himself being a little too aggressive.  He is always in the middle of the action and plays hard at everything.  The frustrating thing for me is the fact he refuses to wear contacts or glasses.  I understand glasses would not be fun under a helmet but the poor kid cannot see very well and won't admit it inhibits his playing.....I am hoping one day I will win out!  He is quite the little player and I love to see what he does each and every week.

Not even a picture...

So looking back it has been a year....a year....a year.  MAN does time fly.  I am going to do it.  I am going to blog again.  It really means so much to me.  And I have to leave FB and blog.  That is more important!  I will not rant, I will not moan, I will post the things going on.
I don't even have a picture for this wonderful post.  But I am posting for the first time in over a year.  So much has gone on.  I will NOT try to 'catch up' I will move forward.  I will reminisce here and there but I am going to do it.  No mater how tired I am I WILL DO IT!

GAME ON! :)