a trip up the mountain

So a couple weeks ago we went up Cedar Mountain with Wayne's parents and sister to check out some land a friend purchased and to have a cookout. While we were there some kids brought over water snakes. John and Taylor loved it. John had to hold one...which surprised me a little. He loved every minute of it and on the way home he asked me if we could get one-a snake. I informed him no such reptile will ever be in my home.

Later on we stopped off the highway by a cute little stream to have dinner. These were some really cute pictures of the boys playing in the stream. These pictures capture my boys silly personalities so well. What cute boys!

Brotherly Love:

A fight with a treadmill-OUCH!!!

So John decided while mom and dad were at the temple he wanted to run on the treadmill at grandma and grandpa's house. Needless to say he ended up in a fight with the treadmill and lost-didn't feel very good to say the least.

First day of First Grade!

So it was John's first day of school yesterday! He likes to say: "It's my first day of first grade mom!" He thought he was pretty clever when he came up with that. I thought it was pretty cute! For about a week before school started when I would ask him if he was excited for school he would get a very sad face start rubbing my arm and say "I am nervouse for you" how cute is that!! I think he was nervouse for himself but for him to say that was so preciouse-pulled on the heart strings. But when the day of school arrived he didn't even want me to drive him to school he wanted my neighbor to (we car pool and he wanted it to be her week) but I told him it was his first day of school and I would be taking him. He absolutely loved his first day of school! he said it was "GREAT!" He loves that he gets 3 recesses (one being after lunch), P.E. twice a week, that they have a big screen tv in their room (a projector screen), and that he has friends from last year in his class too. I am so glad that he loves it! I hope he continues to like school for years to come!

So I am such a dork- this is a picture of John's first lunch! I have never made school lunch before and I was pretty excited for myself. I also wrote him a quick little note that he brought home and showed me- he read it to me and gave me a big hug! How sweat!

John working on Bell Work at his desk:

A Moment of Gratitiude

Since Taylor turned one we have had him in a program called "Early Intervention" through SUU. Taylor wasn't crawling at one, he wouldn't eat any food, (he would only take a bottle and when food was offered he would gag and throw up when we tried the food)and he couldn't talk. Just finding out about this program was a huge blessing- we were about to take him to a specialist in St. George and it was going to cost a pretty penny. Early Intervention has been completely free for us. We were able to have Taylor work with a physical therapist, speech therapist, & food therapist who each came to our home monthly for the first year and then worked with him in a class room setting for the next year. Taylor has improved leaps and bounds and I can't express my gratitude enough for the program and the people who have helped me and my son. The letter below is a thank you I gave the workers- it lists some of the things Taylor couldn't do when he started and things he can do now. What a difference it is!!

What you have done for my son “m”eans “M”illions!!!
There is so much more that you have done for my son than is listed below, thank you for helping teach him and me how to release my son from the chains that held him captive. Thanks to you-I have my son; a happy, bubbly, cheerful, loud, silly boy- and he has his life too. Thank you- more than you will ever know. -Teona HUmphries


Before:
-He couldn’t speak
-He was in the 0% in weight
-he couldn’t crawl
-he wouldn’t eat anything!
-He wouldn’t let me leave his side



Now:
-He doesn’t stop talking
-He is around the 20% in weight
-he runs, jumps, & hops around
-he eats and tries new foods
-He gives me a hug and a kiss and says goodbye

When are you due?

Can I just say I HATE HATE HATE THIS QUESTION!!! I have been asked this question time and time again. I thought after loosing 50lbs that this question would assist. But NO- in the last two months I have been asked 3 times!!! I think all these people could have been asking for other reason other than the size of my belly (which I do still have a little pooch) but STILL that question is SO SO SO hurtful and discouraging especially after loosing all that weight. Brian Reagan my favorite comedian has a joke about this very thing and I wanted to share it in hopes to spread "the rule"... "the rule for this is to not guess at this EVER EVER EVER EVER....." to see the joke go (Here)

Coloring Noodles

John has been So Bored not having school, his mom recovering from surgery, and this morning Taylor woke up sick-so all the fun out door activities planned went out the door for today. What to do... what to do... John and I went searching online for some ideas... This is what we found:

Coloring Noodles- I found this on my freinds blog.
John coloring the noodles - you simply put some noodles in a ziplock bag add some rubbing alchol (1-tsp) and add food coloring of your choice and mix:



Noodles Drying:




All our noodles mixed together- aren't they so colorful!!


John creating his master piece:(We just used elmer's glue to glue onto some paper)



Taylor creating his master piece:



My Master Piece:

Father's Day Gifts

My sister Telsha came up to visit today to make Father's Day crafts. We met at Walmart to pick up our supplies- this was an adventure with four kids. Telsha had them all in her cart and I had one with the supplies. She had many people stop and ask her if they were all hers- one lady was suprised they weren't becuase "they all have the same eyes". Anywho we found a bunch of random Fathers Day Crafts online and put five together for a Super Fantastic Father's Day Basket (which better be greatly appreciated- after all the work!).

Here is each of our projects that made up these fantastic baskets:

Cream Soda Bottles with cool labels:



Yummy Symphony bars covered in cute Father's Day wrapping:



Pop-Top Cans (We took the bottoms off and put in a gift card/check and confetti):




Coca-Cola Bottles full of Candy- you would be amazed how much candy they hold!!





Frames with a Father's Day Poem:

Our Final Product:

Teona's for Wayne-


Telsha's for Jeff-