Ohhhh, you better watch out...

You better not pout...you never know when Santa is going to just "pop" in to check on you! Such was the experience at our house this evening as the kids were going about doing their various Sunday evening activities...you know, football, wrestling, changing clothes 500,000 times, snacking...when out on the doorstep there arose such a clatter and a "ding dong"! Who is that? Why, it's Santa and Mrs. Clause of course! What a huge surprise as we invited them in and the kids got a kick out of Santa teasing them and handing out candy canes! It was so sweet of the Sorensen's (a couple in our ward) to come by, especially for Bridget and Tucker.

She is actually Bridget's nursery leader, so Bridget was a little confused, but enjoyed the visit anyway!
Tucker is asking for and "X Box"...hmmmm!!
Thanks, Santa and Mrs. Clause for the surprise visit! See you in five days...

Our past two days have been full of visits to Santa (better late than never, right?) Yesterday we took the kids to Tech Time in Idaho Falls to visit Santa there. (Tech Time is owned by a family in our ward and this "Santa" was one of Matt's former Priests, so that was a hoot)
*Thanks, Bart for these pictures...if you want some great Christmas pics, you can rent this camera from Tech Time, among other "techy" things for really reasonable prices! It is a great store, go check it out sometime (right next to the "old Walmart" in Ammon)
Tucker was obsessed with where Santa had parked his reindeer and his sleigh, he asked Santa for an "X Box" here too!
Bridget was a bit timid and shy, but she did not cry. She only asks for "pink" things. Like a pink train one day, a pink doll the next, just as long as it's pink she doesn't care what it is!
Anther shy face from Bridget!
Ooohhh, do you want a candy cane? That will spark her attention any day since she has eaten all of ours off our tree!
And of course, Matt had to get in on the action since Santa and he go "way back" {{wink}}...

A fun-filled day as the excitement for Christmas morning builds for these little ones! The older ones are just as excited, but they have a different "view" of the whole Santa thing, if you know what I mean...Merry Christmas to all! I hope you all have a wonderful day watching your little ones faces light up with the magic of the season!

MeRrY ChRiSTmaS 2009!!!

We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

From our home to yours, we sincerely wish all our friends and family a wonderful holiday season filled with joy and happiness as we all reflect on the glorious blessings we have and our Savior's life and ministry.

This year has been a great one for our family. We have enjoyed good health, a fun-filled summer, a busy sports season, and the surprise of learning we will be bringing a new little one into our family this Winter!





Our Sweet little Bridget has been full of fun and love this year. She is a sweet little girl. We all enjoy her kind, caring personality and never tire of her chattering, questions, and kisses! She recently turned three and is so excited for her new baby sister whom she is constantly talking about and is anxious to share her new room with!
Our Tucker (AKA Peanut) has done so well this year! He is thriving in First grade and loves to be the center of attention in all crowds! He turned seven this past Summer and is growing up more and more every day. He is learning to read and add and subtract. His mind is constantly working overtime to remember EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. he has ever met and when he is not running around wild, he is standing on his head anywhere he happens to be! We love this little guy and his colorful personality that fills our home!

Our Tanner is turning into quite the young man. He is in 4th grade this year and is doing really well in school. He has tons of friends and his life revolves around sports...in the Summer he is baseball, Fall he is football, and winter is basketball. He is constantly keeping up with the sports teams and can be found 90% of the time watching a game with his dad. He is a kind and considerate boy and we are so happy to have him in our family.

Bayli will be turning 12 in a few weeks and is becoming an amazing young woman. She is my biggest helper and can often be found unloading the dishwasher, setting the table, putting things away, cooking dinner, or just taking care of her siblings all without being asked. She is an excellent piano player and is L.O.V.I.N.G. cheer this year! She has really blossomed into an amazing little cheerleader/tumbler and we are so proud of her.

Matt and I just work hard to keep up with this growing family of ours and count our blessing every day that we have a wonderful life to enjoy...Merry Christmas 2009...

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, birthday, and oh so much more...

(fasten your seatbelts, folks, it's going to be a long one...)

I was so excited for Thanksgiving this year...a whole week in St. George with all of my siblings, their families and my mom! It was a great time with many events...

We left Idaho on Sunday just as the big snowstorm hit and boy were we glad to be leaving THAT behind! I talked to my mom on the way who informed me that she was driving around with flip flops on and her windows down--HEAVEN!! The eight hour drive was uneventful and the kids were so excited to see their cousins that they traveled really well! We arrived that night greeted by my sister, Cori and her family. And the week began...

The whole week was spent just relaxing and everyone doing things they enjoyed. My kids love to ride their bikes around my mom's backyard since it is all red rock, sand hills, and dirt. It is perfect for exploring on bikes. Tanner and his cousin Sean built a jump for their bikes and between that and the X-Box, they were fully entertained.

This is looking out the back door. This is a really cool park that the kids can walk or ride bikes to...it has a splash pad for hot summer days too! It's really nice! The kids all spent a ton of time here!

This is the boys' domain! They are bugging Sean as he tries to wake up one morning...poor Sean!

Tucker had a ball riding his bike on the hills and through the dirt!

The kids are hanging out at Quinn's house watching a movie...

The girls found their own type of entertainment...

Emma attempting to give miss long legs a piggy back ride!

Everyone piles on!

And one more silly photo!

They also enjoyed a day out with Cori and I shopping and watching the "New Moon" movie. It was really fun to hang out with the three girls and relax with a large tub of popcorn and a diet coke!

The boys and men (plus my mom and Bridget;) did a little four-wheeling behind my brother, Quinn's house and at the sand dunes at Sand Hollow. It is such a fun place to ride and mess around. They enjoyed the warm weather and played to their hearts content!

Cori and I have spent the past few thanksgivings making the BEST turkey dinner ever! We are always looking for new ways to cook the bird to perfection and this year was no exception! Our dinner, though delayed by power outages, turned out wonderful! With lots of hands to pitch in and help, it was a great feast.

We have a tradition in our family each Thanksgiving to let the kids make gingerbread houses. Cori and Scot were the smart ones this year and brought the pre-made gingerbread kits! The girls loved this activity and even Sean and Tanner got in on the fun.

Cori and I also have the tradtition of Black Friday shopping! We look forward to this day every year and are giddy with excitement as we scan the ads looking for those hard-to-beat deals. Our ads become like gold as we carefully turn the pages and tediously look through each and every one. Then we hide them away along with our lists and plans and anxiously await the wee morning hours...except, this year we started our shopping early as some of the stores were open at midnight! We ventured out at 9 pm and found some fun bargains at the St. George outlets. We took about two hours to get a little shut-eye, then ventured out again to the WalMart store in Hurricane, Utah! It was the best! Nobody was there and we didn't have to fight for anything that we wanted...we got it all and then some.

We went to a few stores on the way home and were very happy with the things we found. It was a great success!

Friday was also the day that Matt, my brothers, brother-in-law, mom and the four girls were going to head out on a 50 mile four-wheel ride. Matt spent the better part of the week studying the area and getting aquainted with some of the trails and felt confident that the trail they chose to ride was easy, beautiful and would be well worth it. They were all excited to get out and ride! Cori and I were equally excited to have the morning to sleep off our shopping high!

I got a good few hours of sleep and decided to get up and get showered and possibly take Tucker to see Santa or do something fun when my phone rang. That is weird, Matt has only been gone a couple hours and he never calls me until about half-way through their rides. My heart dropped immediately because I knew something was wrong. I answered and the line disconnected. It took about ten minutes to get a good connection and what I feared was relayed...mom had tipped her four-wheeler over a 30-foot ravine. She had a compound fracture in her leg and they were waiting for life-flight to get there to take her to the ER. At this point, they had just concentrated on stabilizing her leg and making her as comfortable as possible and had not assessed any other injuries. Matt assured me that she was okay and that she had not lost consciousness or anything major like that.

My mind sprang into action. I woke Cori and told her the news and as we both tried to remain calm and wait for further instructions, the feeling that something else was wrong would not leave my mind. I was sick with fear as Cori and I discussed the fact that one of our girls had to be on the back of that four-wheeler with mom. Bayli usually rides with my mom and I just knew that she was involved in the accident. I called my brother and asked him point-blank who was with mom. My worst fear was confirmed, it was Bayli. They assured me that she was fine and I could hear her talking in the background, so I knew that they were right, but still the fear was overwhelming!

We finally got word where they would be taking mom so Cori and I rushed to the ER and waited for word that life-flight had arrived. After an eternity of waiting we were taken back and shown into the room where mom lay. It was horrible. Her leg was gruesome and looked so painful, it took a lot of will-power not to break down and cry. I knew I had to be strong for her peace of mind. She was doing so well! I am amazed at her toughness!

We were informed that Bayli was coming in on the ambulance and would be there shortly. My stomach did flip-flops for the next half hour as we waited for her. In the meantime, the X-rays were done on mom's leg and showed 3 or more breaks in each of the lower leg bones the Tibia and Fibia. Her collar bone was also broken in three places, but those were the only breaks she suffered amazingly. Her leg would need surgery ASAP.

Finally, Bayli arrived and I ran to her room to find her sitting there talking to the nurse as if nothing had happened. She kept wondering aloud why she had to come in, she repeated over and over again that she was just fine. Thank goodness! The rescue crew brought her helmet in to show me the damage that it had received and speculated with me what would have happened had she not been wearing it. It literally saved her life as it suffered a crack on the inside and many scrapes and damage to the outside.

Mom was taken to surgery, Bayli was given a CT scan and a clean bill of health and my sister, brothers and I stayed at the hospital waiting for word on mom.

Black Friday ended very black indeed, but there were many bright spots along the way as we look back and realize the Lord's hand in the awful events of the day. I am so grateful for His tender mercies as he allowed my mom and my daughter to survive what could have been a really terrible event, even though it was terrible enough! I am also grateful that my brothers and husband were there to offer her a priesthood blessing of comfort and strength as she lay on the side of the hill for close to an hour awaiting help.

Mom continues to heal and regain her strength. Cori and I ended up staying in St. George the next week to help her. She was in the hospital for three days and nights and then we got her home and settled in for a long recovery! She is doing okay. She improves every day as he gets used to not using her right leg or arm. It will be tough, but she will recover and that is all that matters!

And, another big event that happened in the middle of all this craziness was my baby Bridget turned 3 on the 28th! Of course, with all that had happened the day before, we didn't do much to celebrate her birthday, but she recieved lots of gifts both before and after her birthday and she didn't seem to mind that we didn't celebrate in the customary fashion! She loved getting to stay in St. George with just mom and aunt Cori helping grandma. Plus, she got to play with her cousin, Croydon all week long! What 3-year old doesn't love that!
Bridget is such a sweet little girl! We have so enjoyed her in our home the past three years. She loves to take care of her brothers and pretend that she is the mom. She loves her older sister and gets so excited when Bayli arrives home from school each day. She is very easy-going and good-natured. I am so happy to have her in my life and love her so much! HaPpY BiRThDaY my sweet Pea!

Thirteen years and many more to come...

Thirteen years ago Matt and I were married for time and all eternity in Idaho Falls with the rain pouring down nearly all day long! Even though the weather was not perfect, the day was and I am so happy to have made the decision to marry this wonderful man and be a part of his life forever!

At this time of year we reflect a lot on things we are grateful for, so I would like to list a few things about Matt that I am so grateful for!

1. He is the most unselfish person I know. Matt would literally do anything for anyone and ask for nothing in return. He is completely giving of his time to me and to our family and friends. I can ask him to do almost anything and he doesn't hesitate to help me out! I am so grateful to have someone like him to always be able to count on!

2. He is very respectful of me and my feelings. Especially at this stage in our lives when we are expecting our fifth child, he is always trying to help me out around the house and my favorite times are when the kids are in bed and we are sitting together on the couch watching TV and he scratches my dang itchy back!

3. He takes me on dates every weekend. And he calls them dates. The kids will ask where we are going and he always responds "I'm taking my wife on a date". I love that.

4. He has taught my kids to respect their mother. It is not uncommon in our home to hear him quietly talking to one of the kids who has been misbehaving and telling them that they need to be nice to his wife because "that's my wife and I will not have you treating her that way." He makes my kids apologize to me when they have done something that was disrespectful.

5. He honors his priesthood and is not afraid to stand up for what we believe in. I am so grateful that Matt served an honorable mission as it has made him a spiritual leader in our home.

6. I love his sense of humor. He is always making me laugh. He knows just when to crack a joke (especially when I am frustrated or upset), or even in the middle of Sacrament meeting he will lean over and whisper something completely off the wall and funny...I can't laugh then!

7. I love that we enjoy doing the same things. We both love to camp and be outdoors. We have great times on our four-wheeler rides, and we both love to hang out on beaches and in the sun with water nearby!

8. Matt always makes sure that I get my "me" time. Whether it be encouraging me to go to women's conference each year with my girlfriends, go shopping for an afternoon, visit my mother in Utah, or just relax in the bathtub. I always know that I can have his support in these things and I am grateful for that.

9. Matt always tells me thank you for dinner. He always has and continues to this day. We finish a meal and he immediately tells me "thanks for dinner, it was great." I have noticed my kids following suit and have started saying thank you also.

10. He never leaves the house without telling me he loves me or he never goes to bed without telling me he loves me.

11. Matt is very generous with gifts to me. It does not fail every year for Christmas we set our budget for each other and he always surprises me with something great. My birthdays and Mother's day are the other times he just spoils me rotten.

12. He sends me flowers for no reason. I have gotten flowers delivered to my door for occasions like when I announced our third child I was surprised the next day with roses or just recently when I had been working hard to get the kids' rooms painted and ready he sent me flowers to tell me thanks for working so hard.

13. Matt is not afraid to take vacations and have fun! His philosophy is "why wait for retirement to do some traveling. We'll only be older, let's have fun now." I love that he plans all of our vacations and weekend getaways. It is so fun and relaxing to vacation with him.

14. I love that my husband works hard and knows the value of work. He works hard around the house, at his job, and as a coach.

15. Matt is a great dad. I honestly watch him interact with the kid sometimes in awe at his patience and kindness when I want to rip their heads off! He is especially good at spending time with them. There is not a "guys' trip" that Matt doesn't have at least one of our boys, if not both. And he prefers it that way. He supports our kids in their activities (even though cheer is a hard one for him to swallow). He is there whenever he can be for his kids and that means a lot to me and to them.

16. I love that Matt totally respects his parents. He is always there when they need him and he tries hard to please them. I think this shows a lot about character and I admire him for that.

17. Matt calls me "sweetie" and I just love it! There is something about that term of endearment that I think is so...well, sweet!

18. I love that Matt has taught our oldest son to open doors for me and to carry my bags (especially at church). Tanner quickly walks ahead of me to open the door and always grabs my primary bag after sacrament meeting and takes it to class for me. He is just like his dad and it makes me smile.

19. I am grateful for a husband who knows how to fix things. I truly am relieved that when things break down he is the first one to try and fix it himself, nearly always with success and I am grateful for that. He takes care of our cars and our household things that need maintaining. It takes a great load off me when I don't have to worry about the strange noises or warning lights that happen from time to time.

20. Matt is constantly asking me what he can do better. He looks for ways to improve himself and I am happy that he has the motivation to better himself and our marriage.

21. He calls when he is going to be late. This is something I am grateful for just for the peace of mind and respect it gives me!

22. He reads the newspaper so I don't have to...(this is a personal joke)

23. Matt is a "people person" and I have learned so much from him about coming out of my shell! I was such a shy person before we got married and I feel like he has changed me for the better in this respect.

24. He brings out the best in me, makes me want to do better and be better. I am so happy to have this wonderful man in my life and to be able to share everything with him and enjoy life through all the crazy, wild, unexpected, fun, exciting, sometimes hard, sometimes challenging experiences that we face together!

I love you lots, hon and hope you have a great day! hugs and kisses...

The end is in sight!!

Yes, folks, another transformation post! I am getting to the end of painting, moving, and settling kids and it feels great to finally see much progress through all the sweat and...well, more sweat! I am actually getting to where I am enjoying painting (I have loathed painting walls my whole married life). It becomes addicting to see the huge difference a little paint makes! But, I will admit that once Bridget's room is done, I am taking a BREAK!!

We made a football wall in Tanner's first bedroom when we moved into our home four years ago. Matt did an awesome job and Tanner has loved this wall...but the room is too small and Tucker needed somewhere to go...soooooo...we had to change things! Tucker is not into sports much, but he loves cool cars and race tracks and stuff, so with a little brainstorming, we came up with an idea...

We painted over the green football wall with red, painted the rest of the walls bright white (they were formerly the brown color found in most of my home), and painted checkers to resemble a race flag (these are very hard to do and very time-consuming, so they are not perfect, but still they work). Finish with a "Cars" border and voila! you have yourself a race car theme!
I surprised Tucker by moving all his furniture down while he was at school on Friday and got his room all set up! He was so excited when he got home to see it. I wish I had video of his reaction! It was priceless!

This is the view from the other side of the room. This is a very small room, so it will work for him just perfect! After all, he is our "Peanut"!

And of course, I had my reservations moving him into the basement so far away from me mostly because of this wonderful device...it is his feeding pump which we run at night to feed him (thus preventing feedings at school during the day). It will periodically beep for one reason or another, or if we have a really bad night, it will come unplugged and leak all over the poor sleeping kid and his bed! But, thanks to my wonderful mother we installed this fine monitor in the corner...

And now I can keep an eye on him during the night! It is a video monitor and I can hear him breathe and check him out anytime I need to while he is asleep! What a great invention for a mother's peace of mind!

Tucker loves his new room. He has spent two nights in it and has done very well staying in bed and sleeping through the night! It is so nice to have him downstairs where he can keep his messes and I don't have to see them! Unless, of course, my video eye is watching him:)

Nesting??? Maybe so...

Life is very busy at this home of ours. Since moving Bayli out of the basement and into the upstairs bonus room, we have had her "old" room sitting vacant just begging to be transformed into a room fit for Tanner. This was no small task. When we first moved in, I insisted that Bayli have beadboard in her room and then I painted the walls yellow. I was on a yellow kick at the time and she has honestly never liked the color, but there it was and there it has stayed...well, our plan is to move the two boys to the basement and turn Tucker's upstairs room into a girls' room for Bridget and baby. Are we crazy?? Sure! I am just grateful to have this energy every day lately that helps me get things done around here!

Sooooo, here is the old color...(I am really bad at taking before pics until after we start). I was really nervous about the white beadboard because I did not want to paint it. I hoped that we could make this as boyish as possible to take away from the "girly" beadboard look.

Well, I put Matt to the task, he informed me that he took drafting in college and could come up with something great! What did Tanner request? Oh, only sports of course! He wanted football and baseball...hmmmm...

The back wall turned into a baseball diamond...it looks pretty good I think for amateurs. And the rest of the room was painted blue with the side wall made into a football field. We still have to put goal posts up, but this is the idea...not too bad!
And, I am not concerned about the beadboard in the slightest! I think it adds some class to this room. Tanner loves his new room and the space he gained! That is what matters the most! Two down, two to go...stay tuned for more transformations as we turn Tanner's "old" football room into a race car room for Tucker!

HaLlOwEeN 2009...

I am so grateful that this year's Halloween was actually warmer and more bearable than most! I really don't remember many Halloween's growing up or otherwise that it was not miserably cold and SnOWinG most of the time. It was very nice to have the sun shining most of the day!

Our Halloween festivities were a bit different this year due to the scheduling of Stake Conference. But we made it work and had a great time...

The annual costume parade at the school took place on Friday. Tucker wanted to be a bear this year, so if you can pick out the brown bear in this picture, that would be him! A bit blurry from trying to catch him mid-march, but, you get the idea...lots of kids, costumes, parents, small children, and chaos...yep, that sums it up!

Bridget was a pink poodle and she looked so cute! She loved this costume...warm and PINK that's all that matters! She and her best friend, Lizzy are standing by watching the parade (or shall we say, parading themselves?)

Of course, no Halloween is complete without the Melaleuca trick-or-treat path. My kids look forward to this more than trick-or-treating itself! Bayli even missed her school dance to go to Melaleuca instead, thank goodness ;-) Matt's department was Pirates of the Caribbean. It was pretty cool to see all the "techy" stuff they come up with for this event. They go all out, I tell ya and don't skimp on a thing! It is worth going into every year... we also tried the Taylor Crossing trick or treat path on our way home. It was a long wait for not much candy (compared to where we had come from) so we left without completing the "path"!

We visited with "The Cat in the Hat"...Bridget is a little intrigued by the man and wouldn't turn around. And just an update on cotumes here...Bayli is donning Tanner's football uniform, and Tanner...well, not sure what he is this year. He wanted to be Michael Jordan, so he wore basketball clothes, but he had a mom who is kinda out of it and didn't want to buy costumes, so he came up with this on his own...he didn't mind though, since all the things I suggested were not "cool" enough!
Our neighborhood does a "Trunk or Treat" each year. We invite anyone around to come and park their cars and let the kids loose to trunk or treat. This year it was in the middle of the day and so much fun for the kids to be able to hang out without freezing! This is two of the neighbor girls who borrowed costumes from Bayli (the witch and the cheerleader) and of course, Bridget and Lizzy!

And we decided to wear a Lion for the actual Halloween day!

We had a family in our ward put on a carnival at their house in the late afternoon. The kids had a great time...no pics since I was too busy running kids to and from, but it was pretty fun for all. Face painting, horse buggy rides, cake walk, bean bag toss...you get the picture!

Matt and I had to go to our adult meeting that night, so we took the kids to grandma and grandpa's and they got to trick-or-treat some more with cousins...

It was a great day filled with lots and lots of fun and lots and lots of candy!

All "tuckered" out! And since we took the candy bucket away at bedtime, he chose this tool to suck on instead...I tell ya...he is kinda funny that way!

Bridget loved her pink hearts that she got painted on at the carnival. She loved "Palloween" this year and can't wait for another year!

Good night...

The excitement of number 5!!

Well, today was the big day (again) after my cancellation last week. We finally had our ultrasound appointment. I wasn't as nervous last night as I was for the first appointment, but still didn't sleep well and worried quite a lot, but I made it to the doctor's office early this morning and had a very thorough ultrasound...my longest ever and it was so good to see that everything looks normal and good and that we are going to be welcoming another...drumroll please...GIRL to our home! We are very pleased with this news, especially Bayli and Bridget! Bridget hasn't stopped talking about her "baby sister" and Bayli walked in from school grinning from ear to ear (I had texted her the news). Tanner came in singing in a yelling sort of way "we're having a gi-irl" (I had tied a pink heart balloon to the mailbox for my kids to see upon arriving home from school). Tucker wondered why it wasn't a boy. All in all, we are relieved, excited, and I am exhausted!

A work in progress...

As we get closer to adding another family member to our already crazy and wild bunch, we have decided that some changes need to be made in order for our family and home to function with five children. Since we moved in four years ago, Tanner and Bayli have been in the basement and Tucker and Bridget on the main floor. We have a bonus room over the garage, which was built for a playroom/tv room for the kids. With Bayli turning 12 in a few short months and Tanner getting older too, they each needed a bigger space and separate bathrooms.


We decided that the bonus room would work perfectly for a teen-age girls room. It is out of the way of the rest of the house and is really big. Bayli loved the idea and we set out to find the right color of pink to paint the walls!


After convincing her mother that she really did want this bright of pink for her wall color, we began the ever-fun painting project! My kids were out of school for Fall break and it was also the same time Bridget came down with influenza, so we were stuck at home anyway...perfect time to paint! It only took one day to paint and then my mom came from Utah and we spent an afternoon shampooing the carpets and moving all her stuff.


It turned out so cute and we love it! She is very excited to have her own space. Tanner, on the other hand, is not so excited to lose his basement pal. It took him a good week to get used to sleeping down there by himself. Poor guy! Our next project will be to transform Bayli's old room into a boy's room for Tanner and then move Tucker down to Tanner's current room! Then, because we are having a girl, Bridget will share a room on the main floor and we will get our office back! WHEW! We have lots to do!
This is the view from the window looking toward the stairs.


The view from the stairs. We had to improvise for closet space since we never intended this to be a bedroom! Notice the hanging rack in the corner? It works, I guess!

Birthday all week!

What is a birthday without a few parties to remember it by? We started out with our traditional Sunday dinner with family. Tanner chose Chicken Noodle soup, his favorite. It was perfect since the day was very cold and rainy! We ended up having Grandma and Grandpa Clayton and Uncle Troy and his kids to eat with us. The rest of the grandparents couldn't make it. But Tanner's three boy cousins got to come, so that made it fun.

Monday was his actual birthday so mom surprised him by picking him up from school and taking him to eat at an all-you-can eat pizza and salad bar. This too is a tradition I have with my kids. We then went and picked out a treat for him to take back to school to share with his class.

Grandma Pam came from Utah and was here when the kids got home from school. Her tradition is to take the birthday kids out to dinner and shopping. Tanner allowed his parents and baby sister to go to dinner with him and grandma and mom took him to the mall to shop. He got some great deals on the things that he wanted. It was lots of fun.



The sad football cake...

Grandma Clayton just loves her grandkids and treats them so well! Tanner was excited to receive money for shopping!

Reading yet another card...thanks mom and dad...

Friday night brought the friends sleep-over party. Tanner chose four of his school friends to come. Since dad went on an overnight high adventure with his Priest group and took Tucker, it worked out perfectly! Bayli went to stay at a friend's house, so it was the boys with mom and Bridget!We started out making individual pizzas. The boys were told that there would be prizes for the "most unique", "the scariest", "the most edible", "the most original" and "the most animalistic". It was hillarious watching five boys roll out dough and slap sauce, meat and cheese to make something they had to eat! We ended up with the The Menan Buttes, a football helmet, a pig, a meat-lovers with about two pounds of meat, and an "I love Kinzy" (that would be Tanner's). Even Bridget joined in the fun and made herself a "baby pizza".

One thing about boys is you don't have to do too much to keep them entertained. They played night games (thank goodness for the beautiful night), and watched two movies until about midnight!

Getting ready to create... Tristan, Kempton, Tanner, Brandon, and McKray!

Tanner and Brandon dig in to the toppings!

McKray meticulously works on his football helmet!

Looks good enough to eat!

Look mama! I made a baby one!

They turned out pretty good, and of course everything tastes better when you douse it with some ranch!
The pizza dough was a bit much and the pizzas ended up really big, but they did their best to eat them until they were sick! Kempton and Brandon dig in!

Tanner got some really fun presents which made him happy since he "only" got money from his parents and grandparents this year to shop with! Did I mention how hard it is to shop for 10-year old boys?

He is so excited about this Denver Broncos water cylinder...thanks Brandon!

This mom has officially decided that next year there will not be any sleep-overs. They can come and hang out late, but then, good-night boys in your own beds! They were too much for me to handle (not to mention poor Bridget)!