Keeping up with the Jones'

Santa

2010-12-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Santa's elf is was a little scary! He just stood there and smiled I think Cooper was more scared of him than Santa!

Miss Lila Kate's Blessing

2010-12-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

We blessed Lila on the 14th of Nov. We were so grateful for all those who traveled to Las Vegas to come and support Lila on her blessing day. It was so fun to have family and friends to share her day with. My mom made the blessing dress and it was so pretty she did and wonderful job. Lila looked so beautiful in her dress. My mom and sister were here and it took all 3 of us to get her dressed. It was so neat to share this special experience with the two women I admire so much. After she was dressed and feed we hurried to the church for the blessing we where running late so we were the last in our family to arrive. We hurried in and sat down with a sigh and Lila has a blow out!!!! I mean this was the worst one I think I have ever witnessed. It was soaking the entire back of her dress so fast there was nothing I could do. They announce the blessing I am scrabbling for a diaper and I have nothing! No diaper, no wipes! I am telling Ben as soft as I can without drawing to much attention to all of this to ask a friend for a diaper! She hands it over and I preformed the fast diaper change I could. I wrapped her in her blanket and handed her off. Ben did a beautiful job but all I could think about was the dress the beautiful dress. I wanted her to have her moment where Ben held her up and everyone saw her. Luckily my dear friend was so sweet and she wrote the blessing down. When I read it I cried Ben did such a good job I was so proud of him it was the sweetest blessing I think I have heard. We are so blessed to have her in our family she brings such joy. We can not get enough hugs and kisses in.

Introducing....

2010-10-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

Lila Kate Jones
She was born August 26th at 6:44 P.M. weighing in at 5 lbs. 13 oz. I know this is long over due but we have been enjoying every minute with her. She is such a joy and the boys adore her. It is so fun to have a little girl in the house.

911 What is your Emergency?!

2010-04-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

After telling my friend Kelly the story she said, "you really need to blog about that"! For any of you who no Mason he has no inhibitions, REALLY! I had left Ben home with Mason and Cooper so I could go help out at Cub Scout Day Camp. This is not unusual for me to leave him with the kids. He is very good with them and is a great dad! But, this particular night he had some excitement. Ben, put the kids down at the usual time 7 and decided he need to take a shower because of a hair cut he had received earlier in the day. Afterward he went downstairs to find a message on his phone from the neighbor(who lives 4 houses down from us) asking if he could come help fish his trampoline out of the neighbors pool. He called him back and told him that he would come right down. He proceeded to text me and let me know if I came home that is where he would be. This was at 7:30 p.m. He came home 10 minutes later at 7:40 and this is what happened. Ben walks in the door to find Mason on the phone

B;Mas, what are you doing up? Who are you talking to?
M:Crying, Dad I thought you were lost so I called 911!
B:Mason please give me the phone (thinking he was talking to me)!
B:Hello,
O:Your son said you were not home and he couldn't find you.
B:Sorry, operator I ran down to the neighbors house to help him get his trampoline out of the neighbors pool. I was only gone for 10 minutes.
O:Well there are two police cruisers on there way to your house. I will let them know you are home but, they will still stop by to make sure everything is okay.
B:Okay, thank you.

By this time Ben is mortified. The door bell rings with in a few minutes and the officer asks if everything is okay, Ben assures him all is well and told him what had happened. The officer leaves him with a bit of advice, "I am not trying to tell you how to parent but, if you are going to leave the house you really need to wake your kids up and let them know where you are going!" Ben lets the office know this will never happen again! Advice taken!

SOOOO LONG.....

2010-02-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

I know I go through phase where I post and then I don't! I am committed to post again! We have been busy and I can't get the pictures to upload on my computer (I am still working on that). Pictures will be posted later. No need to go over the last six months. Holiday's were great they were spent traveling and with family which is always fun. The boys are doing well we celebrated Cooper's 2nd birthday with a party to Pump It Up and monkey cupcakes. He is so fun I have him all to myself all day and he is a joy to be around. Mason is in all day Kindergarten and is doing well he is reading well and loves his teacher. But for some reason he has ruined 8 pairs of jeans with holes in the knees. I am not quite sure what he is doing at school. He teacher did send home a general note to all the parents to please not send your child to school with holes in there pants. I refuse to buy any more because it wont be long before we are where shorts! Jackson is doing really well in school he just received student of the month award. His teacher said she has seen Jackson really grow this year and how proud of him she is. He is a really good helper and is always nice to his brothers. I hope this brings some of you up to speed and I hope I can be better at posting!

Costa Rica!

2009-09-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ben and I just Celebrated our 10th anniversary in Costa Rica! My mom flew out here and watched the kids. We left out on a red eye on Sunday the 6th and came back the following Sunday. It is one of the most amazing places I have been. It is so beautiful and the people are so nice. We were able to do and see so much while relaxing and enjoying some much need time with each other. Thank you to my mom who made it so we could go we could not have done it without her. She is amazing! To my husband who I love dearly thanks you for 10 years you are the best!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My Birthday!

2009-09-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

This year I turned 33! I can't believe how fast time goes by! I had a wonderful birthday with lots of birthday wishes, great gifts, and even better cake. I have a wonderful family and so many dear friends I am truly so lucky! Thank you so much to all those who made my birthday so special! I love you all!

First Day Of School!

2009-09-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well school Started on August 24th but I am just getting around to blogging. Jackson and Mason started a new year two weeks after the last year ended. It seem a little wired not to be able to have a full summer. I feel like they never get to enjoy a real summer like I did when I was little. Anyway Jackson started 3rd grade and Mason started Kindergarten. This year they have to wear uniforms. It will be blue, green, white and brown. They are both doing really well and love there teachers. I think it is going to be a great year!

Jackson's Stitches

2009-09-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

Jackson was able to spend sometime with his cousin this summer. He had so much fun from Lake Powell, to swimming in there pool, movies, staying up late, riding motorcycles, he even managed to get a trip into the ER. One night I get a call at 2 in the morning and it was my sister telling me she was on her way to the ER because Jackson had fallen out of bed. He was sleep on a bed not a bunk bed and he rolled over and hit his head on the night stand and had to get stitched 6 on his eye lid and 10 on his forehead! Who would have thought!

Mason's 5th Birthday!

2009-09-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Mason turned 5 on July 1st and it has been one busy summer! I have been working so I have been in and out of town. I came home on Thursday and we headed down to AZ to pick up Jackson and celebrate Mason's birthday and the 4th of July! We had so much fun at my sister's house with all the boys! Between her and I there are SIX boys! Her and my mom had the the baseball party set up and ready to go when we got there. It was so cute and I appreciate all there work. Thank you so much!

Mason is such a joy in our family. He is always making us laugh and is one step ahead of us. He makes friends where ever he goes and people love him. He loves his brothers and is grown up so much this last year! We love you Mas!

I Heart NY!

2009-06-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

In May my sister's sweet husband sent her and I to New York for a girls trip! We had so much fun! It started off a little rough with the delays but once we were in NY the fun didn't stop! We walked from sun up until sun down. We saw WICKED and Shrek. Which were both so good! (I liked Wicked just a bit more) We shopped, ate,ate,ate and ate! We had lots of yummy food. We saw the Statue of Liberty, Eilis island, Empire State Building, ground zero, road the subway, took taxi's, went to the temple, Regis and Kelly, Today show, Tavern on the Green, Carnegie Deli, walked Central park,laughed and enjoyed each other so much! Thank you so much Richard and Melissa for a wonderful trip!

NY

2009-06-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Easter 2009

2009-04-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

This year for Easter we went up to Utah. We were able to spend time with both families. We went to went to McKenna's Baptizm, dyed Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts, and yummy food! Thanks for all the fun!

Disneyland 2009

2009-04-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Cooper turn's 1!

2009-04-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

Long overdue but I have been having problems with my camera and guess what? I have been able to get my pictures off my camera! Here goes! Cooper did turn one on February 4th! Wow how time flies when you are having fun with a baby! He is such a joy in our family we love him to death! He has been early at everything sitting up, crawling and even walking at the rip age of 10 months! (he takes after his dad with that one) Which means I have been a busy mom trying to keep up with him. He is always smiling and loves his brothers. He is a mom ma's boy which is different for me because I have very independent children. Since he is my last I am fine with that! Here are a few pictures of our sweet little Cooper on his First Birthday!

Christmas 08'

2009-01-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Cooper

2008-11-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Something is wrong with my computer and it will not let me post pictures. Until I figure it out I will be posting a lot of slide shows!

Miranda

Jackson's Baptism

2008-11-04T20:18:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Family Pictures 2008

2008-11-04T19:58:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

2008-10-25T21:03:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

2008-09-28T20:20:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Priceless...

2008-09-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time to get my boys pictures done since Jackson was turning 8, Mason was 4, and I have not had Cooper's picture taken since he was 1 month old. Most picture day are hectic and by the time you actually get the pictures taken you are lucky to get one good one. Well not this time I had a great photographer and I mean great! She took so many great shots I do not know how I will ever decide which one I am going to get. When I say that they are priceless I mean that I always see these kinds of picture's but not of my kids! I can not wait to get them framed and on the wall to look at everyday!

Mason 1st day of Preschool

2008-09-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Mason started preschool last week. He goes to preschool at the elementary school where he is a positive peer. That means that he is in a class with kids that are autistic. His teacher Ms. Michelle loves him she can not say enough good things about Mason. Did I mention that he goes all day! I can not believe he is gone so long but he loves it and can not wait to go everyday. We will see how it goes.

Happy 32nd Birthday to ME!

2008-09-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Girls

Opening Presents

Birthday Wishes!

I had such a fun birthday this year. I woke up to my phone ringing off the hook with people calling me to wish me a happy birthday. My dear friend Michelle and her husband took me out to lunch at a yummy Tai restaurant. Then I was off to get a Massage!!!! It was so nice! We had soccer practice and then off to Cheeburger Cheeburger! When we came home Ben and the kids gave me gifts (thanks to everyone for the great gifts! I love my new jeans) then it was birthday cake time my favorite. I know that most of you who really know me I love cake and that is the most important thing on my birthday! Ben got me this red velvet cake with this yummy cream cheese frosting. We left for AZ on Friday morning and my family was so awesome they had a fun party with Costco cake! (thanks Jesica) We also hit the Melting Pot my favorite restaurant! When we came home my fabulous friends took me out to dinner at Mimi's Cafe! Thank you so much for the great time and great gifts! You guys are so awesome!

Jackson's 1st day of 2nd Grade

2008-08-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Well Jackson started 2nd grade and he was able to go to a brand spanken' new school. Carolyn Reedom Elementary the home of the Explores! He was so excited to start that he wanted to go to bed early on Sunday night so the morning would come quicker. It was like watching him on Christmas morning. His teachers name is Ms. Scrofoni. I absolutely love her she is wonderful. I think he will have another great year, he is a very good student and loves to learn new things. He is also playing TACKLE football for the first time this year. Can I say I am a little nervous. Jackson is afraid of a fly if it is flying around him. I can't even imagine what he is going to do when he has football in hand and he is being chased by people. Maybe he will be like Forrest Gump and just RUN!

Mission Beach

2008-08-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

I was a little worried about going to Mission Beach because it is extremely crowded with lots of tourist. It turned out to be really nice and we went during the week so it was not quite as busy. It was so much fun to watch the boys in the water. They both could not get enough of it.

Trip to San Diego

2008-08-26T20:57:00.001-07:00

Our trip to San Diego

2008-08-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that Ben has been looking for a job for the past seven months. Well guess what, he found a new job and that means he will not be traveling to California any more. So on one last trip that he had to make and just before school started we decided to take the kids and head to Sea World! We had a great time and they loved seeing Shamu and all the other sea creatures that Sea World has to offer. We were only there for three days so we hit the beach as well. I was a little worried how they would do but we all adapted well to the ocean life!!!

Funniest Kid!

2008-08-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Mason is by far my funniest kid. He says and does the weirdest and funniest things. Ben and I are always looking at each other saying he is not my kid. He came to me one day and said, that he was mad at me because I would not let him get a tattoo!! I do not know where he even got this from but, we hope he never decides to get a tattoo! The pictures posted are a typical daily outfit for him and he will leave the house like this often. I choose my battles with him. He always is carrying something around the house. He is my pack rat! (I know that he got that from Ben) This kid makes a mess where ever he goes he truely is Pig Pen! We love him so dearly!

Cooper @ 6 months

2008-08-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

I can not believe Cooper is 6 months it has gone by so fast. I took him to the doctor on the 4th of August and he is already a whoppin' 16.8 lbs. Cooper is the smallest of the three boys. He is eating rice cereal, baby food and anything else he can get in his mouth. He also started crawling this past week and the trouble begins! He loves Jackson and Mason it is so cute to see them play together. I can't wait until they are older and see how they with each other!

Night out on the town!

2008-08-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Bellagio to see the water show this past week. Mason covered his ears the whole time because he did not like the noise. The rest of us really liked it. It was pretty amazing to watch. After we went to and ice cream place that everyone loves here in Vegas called Luv-it's and they are right it is one of the best ice cream places we have been. Next time any of you come to visit we will be visiting LUV-IT'S!

More Pics of Lake Powell

2008-07-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

My Little Mason is 4 years old!

2008-07-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

It seems like yesterday I brought this little boy home from the hospital. He has been so much fun in our family. He always is saying the funniest things and is such a big help! He loves his older brother Jackson and always wants to do what ever he is doing! He is such a great big brother to Cooper and tries to consul him all the time and some times when he doesn't even need it. He is full of energy and will try anything, he loves all foods, and is my cuddle buddy!

This year for the boys birthday they get to have a friend party. Since Mason's birthday falls so close to the 4th we are not having his party until next week. We decided since he has wanted to go bowling for so long that we would go and get pazuki's (it is cookies right out of the oven with ice cream on top! YUMMO)! Then bowling we had a lot of fun and he loved every minute of it. Thank you to all who called and set gifts he loved it! We love you Mason and loving having you in our family! Happy 4th Birthday!

Miranda

P.S. He woke up this morning and said, "Mom how old am I?" I responded you are 4 Mason. He say REALLY I can not believe I am finally 4!

Trip to Lake Powell

2008-07-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

Everyone looking to see how high it is. Ben and Chris trying to
get the little kids to jump first!

Mommy and Cooper Jackson and Mason having fun!
just chillin!

Grandpa & Cooper on boat ride!

We left on Father's Day to head down to Lake Powell for a week! Every year Ben's family takes a week and spends it on a house boat. We have only been able to go once since we were married and Jackson was 9 months old. The kids were so excited to spend the week on a much needed vacation playing in the water and being with cousins. We had a lot of fun with everybody and it was really relaxing. The only bad thing is the generator stopped working and we had to spend most of the trip in the slip at the marina! Not as much fun as being on a beach especially with lots of BOYS! When we returned home everyone got really sick Cooper got it the worst poor little guy! We have been trying to recover. I guess that is what happens with such tight living space. Thanks for a great week!

Miranda

Pirate's Cove

2008-06-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

We were invited to go to Pirate's Cove and go swimming. This is not just any swimming pool this is a pool modeled after Pirate's of the Caribbean. It was so fun and nothing like I had ever seen before!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My Rock Star!!!

2008-06-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ben loves to play Rock Band and he practices all the time. He is getting really good and tries to make a little more challenging each time. I walked in on him one day to this!?! I will let you all judge how crazy he really is!

2008-06-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

Jackson did a Mini-Triathlon on Saturday. He had such a blast doing it and we are really proud of him. His finishing time was 29:51! It was fun as a parent to see your child accomplish a great thing.

At the start line.

All of his gear ready for transition

He was awesome!

After the bike ride

Finally Finished

Weekend of Racing!

2008-05-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah this past weekend. I ran the Ogden half marathon and came in at 2:06 (three months after having a baby). I was pretty happy that I finished it was a beautiful run. We ran down from Eden park through Ogden canyon on to Washington street and finished at 25th. There were three other girls that I trained with we had a ball hopefully we can make this a year tradition.

After the race Ben and the boys headed off to the Larry H. Miller race way to watch a car race with grandpa, uncle Chris (Danny and Mikey), and uncle Andrew. Mason was scared of all the noise so he laid his head down on Ben's lap and fell asleep. They were able to go into the pits where Mason was still very nervous but grandpa bought him a snow cone and everything turned around he couldn't get enough of the cars.

We had a great weekend thank you to everybody for helping out, for the great dinners, homemade breakfast, and all the support!

Thanks again,
Miranda

Mason at the Fair

2008-05-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!!

2008-05-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am blogging again! I am sorry for the same post for so long. Many of you have begged to see something new so hear goes!

Over the past month or so we have been very busy and having lots of fun! Lets start off with baseball, baseball, baseball, baseball, the county fair, baseball, baseball, baseball, up to Utah for Andrew's graduation from BYU, baseball, baseball, baseball, Mothers day, and oh did I mention we have BASEBALL!

Jackson, has had a great run of playing baseball this year he started off the season with a home run (inside the park) and has improved every game. He can hit the ball so well I think we might have a future star! He has made the all A's honor roll and loves school.

Mason, has made a new friend at baseball (because our life is at the baseball field) it is a mom of one of the boys. Her name is Amy. One day he asked me why he chose me to be his mom up in heaven. I told him because I loved him and we wanted him in our family. He thought about that for a while and them came to me and said,"I wish I would have chosen Amy!" He is keeping me on my toes with lots of questions and wanting to help with everything. He is in his last week of preschool and he is sad he loves his teachers!

Cooper is getting so big and is such a good baby. He smiles and talks all the time it is so cute. He loves to be with his mom always wanting me to hold him! Look what the third child will do to you!

I am in my last week of training for a half marathon that I will be running on Saturday. I am really excited to be back running. This is my first race since the baby. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Ben, is doing great just working and traveling . He has been working from home so it has been nice to have him here to help which he does a lot of.

I am sorry this is so long and I will try to do better to post weekly.
Just a little shout out to all you wonderful mothers I hope your day was filled with lots of relaxing, pampering, and good food. Thank you to my husband and boys who made this day wonderful!

Miranda

2008-03-30T17:20:00.001-07:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

New Hair Cut!

2008-03-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

So I know that Cooper's hair looked funny. I thought about shaving the sides but never followed through with it. My brother Jake really did not like it so one day he decided to take matters into his own hands and gave him a hair cut while I was moping the floor. He brought him into me with it half done! I wanted to cry or kill him! I know something need to be done but he was just a little baby! I really like it now and it is growing back and looks really cute.

Miranda

Cooper 1 month old

2008-03-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

We made one month with three kids. It has been a little tricky with three but we have managed. For those of you who know me know that I am on top of things. Well lets just say that my house has gone to pot, I let the baby sleep with me, I feed on demand, I hold him all the time. I know you can't believe I would ever let my guard down but I am actually enjoying it. Even though life seems so hectic we are enjoying every min. I am hoping I can get my life back together soon.

Love,
Miranda

Homemade Bread

2008-03-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I do not know about any of you but I have tried and tried to make bread for years and have failed. This is a recipe that is fool proof every time.

5 1/2 cups Hot Water
2/3 cup Oil
2/3 cup Honey
2 teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Yeast
1/4 cup Gluten Flour
10-12 cups Bread Flour

Put the yeast in the hot water and let it sit while you put all the other ingredients in your mixer. Then add and mix for 5 min. Spray 4 loaf pans and evenly put in dough in pans. Put in a 150 oven for 15 min. or until the dough rises to the top of the pan. Then raise the oven heat to 350 and bake for 30 min.

You will be surprised at how good it tastes and so little work. I hope you enjoy as much as we do I make it all the time because it is easy and who doesn't like to come home to fresh homemade bread.

Miranda

Cooper at two weeks

2008-02-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

Cooper is just over two weeks old and he has been a great baby. We have loved trying to make him smile and all he does is sleep, eat, and poop! Jackson is a big help and loves to hold him. Mason is always trying to share his toys with him. He asks me when he is going back in my belly and how am I going to get him in there. He also asked me if when I am feeding him if I make sandwhiches so he has something to eat! I thought that was pretty creative thinking. I still don't know who he looks like but we sure think he is cute.

Love,
Miranda

Cooper

2008-02-07T23:14:00.001-08:00

Baby Cooper!

2008-02-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

On Monday Feburary 4th I went into to the hospital about 1:00 pm to be induced with Cooper with a little bit a of reluctance he finally made his debut at 8:36 pm. Weighing in at 6 pounds 2 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long he is a tiny little thing. He has been a bundle of joy and a great baby We are so excited to have him in our family. The boys love him to death and can not get enough of him.

Ben's Birthday!!!!

2008-02-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Ben's Birthday a couple of days early this year. The kids had fun picking out gifts and giving them to him. Their favorite part was the cake of corse. Ben, we hope you have a wonderful day and we are gratefull for all you do for our family. We love you and wish you many more years of HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!

Love,
Miranda and the boys!

Apple for an Apple!

2008-01-28T12:48:00.001-08:00

If you were ever wondering what fruit you were you can now take a quiz! At www.blogthing.com there are all sorts of fun quizzes you can do. I don't know do you think this sounds like me? Thanks Jesica for sharing!

You Are an Apple

You are strong, powerful, and even a bit stubborn at times.You have enough strength to help those around you in trouble.
You are adventurous and charming. Many people are drawn to you.You love life, and you enjoy traveling the world. You enjoy fine food, art, and culture.
People have accused you of being a snob, but that's not accurate.You do enjoy the best things in life. Unlike snobs, you truly appreciate quality... not just pretend to.

http://www.blogthings.com/whattypeoffruitareyouquiz/">What Type of Fruit Are You?

False Alarm

2008-01-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well we have been busy since the New Year. When we returned from Utah and I went into labor. With several shots later they were able to stop the labor. At that point I was sent home on strict bed rest which means only getting up to go from the bed to the couch. Which for me is almost impossible. Also I had to take medication to make sure I did not go back into labor. For the last two weeks it has been really hard for me to stay down. During that time we were lucky enough to have our great friends from VA the Candlands come and visit us. It was so fun to see them and spend time with them. Just like old times. As of yesterday I am officially off bed rest and can have the baby anytime. I think with all the meds that I was taking I will not have the baby until my due date! In spite of all this we are doing well, Ben and the kids have been great and very helpful. I have had to go to the doctors quite a bit and Mason has been really upset by my leaving he said to me,"mom do not bring that baby home!" We will see how he does when I actually bring him home. I am sure he will love him!

Hope everyone is having a great new year!

Miranda

Christmas

2008-01-01T22:10:00.001-08:00

For Christmas we were lucky to spend it with family this year. It was fun to be around everybody again. We stayed with Ben's family and we had a so much fun. Ben sneaked up on Christmas eve and was able to get a picture of Santa! Ben's mom planned a really fun evening we started the night off with dinner, the kids decorated a tree, a story from grandpa, and finally a nativity that all the grand kids participated in. It turned out really nice great job grandma! After everyone had gone home the kids opened one gift and it was pj's which they get every year. They put some cookies out for Santa and then it was off to bed. The kids got up around 8:oo am and were ready to see what Santa had brought them. It was a nice morning with a yummy breakfast, and lots of surprises. We went up to my parents house later that day and had dinner, exchanged presents, and let the kids hit the pinata. Ben's dad rented out Bouncing off the walls one day for all the family and we had so much fun. Ben was also able to go work on the Snow Cat that his dad recently bought which was really cool. We had a lot of fun and were able to see a lot of our family and close friends. We hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Miranda

Twister...Dance Dance Revolution!

2007-12-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

When we were younger the fun game was twister! NOW the kids are all into Dance Dance Revolution Universe. Jackson received this for his birthday (thanks again grandma) but I think Ben and I have way more fun than the kids. We wait until the kid are in bed and then the fun begins! Last night we thought that we would included them in our secret and let them play. They had a ball and we laughed so hard! I have to say how surprised I am how well Mason did. I still think Ben takes the cake. He is a Dance Dance Revolution Master. (I think he plays when no one is around). So if any of you are up for the challenge Ben will take any of you on!

Miranda

Built-In Suprise!

2007-12-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

Ben has been busy working on our built in cabinets for our family room. With each house he has been lucky enough to use his carpentry skills. He is getting very good and is coming up with some great ideas! I even have him trying new things like making a frame, building a desk and last night I asked him if he thinks he could make the baby's crib! He didn't think that he could make one nice enough but, I bet he could. He is awesome for working so hard and spending so many Saturday's on it to get it done before my Christmas party. Thank you so much Ben. I Love you!

p.s. there are some pics of my Christmas decorations as well! Thanks Mom!

Miranda

Our Christmas Season has begun!

2007-11-27T21:09:00.001-08:00

Trip to Utah

2007-11-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Utah. I drove up with the kids and they were awesome. Mason did not go to the bathroom once until we got to my moms house! Ben meet us up there on Friday. They had so much fun playing with pop and Henny! We were able to get together with some of our friends and see the beautiful fall weather. The kids were able to ride grandpa's 4 wheelers! One of the reasons we went is because Ben's parents were celebrating there 60th birthday's. Yes, that is right they both turn 60 this year and you would never guess it they look great. The party was a lot of fun and it turned out great. Ben's sister made the cake and she did a fabulous job! Way to go Missy! The week was great it was fun to be together with all of Ben's family and celebrate! Thank you for everything.

Miranda

I've been tagged...

2007-11-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

The rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1.Several people would say that this is an OCD but, I would disagree. I am a clean freak! I don't just mean clean I mean CLEAN! I clean in places no one would ever think of. I usually don't like other people to help me because I will go back and clean it again.

2.I love to cook. I make almost anything, but I do have my favorites. I like to bake as well and we always have lots of treats around.

3.I have this weird sense of smell. I can smell anything, anywhere and I will not spot until I figure out what it is. Most of these smells are bad smells. (I have a tendency to smell my food as well).

4. I am a habitual runner. I have been known to get a good run in even if it is at midnight. I usually get up every morning and run before I really start my day. It helps me get through the day.

5.One of my pet peeves is when I am out shopping and I inadvertently walk into some one's gas trail. What makes it even worse is when one my kids, in there loudest voice, yells "Mom did you toot"?.

6.Sadly and as difficult as it is to admit, I am in fact a reality t.v. junkie! Some of my favorites include The Amazing race, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, and of course DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER!

Now I choose to tag the following people: Brooke Turner, Robyn Candland, Erika Johnson, and Becky Hansen.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

Jackon's Award

2007-10-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I was honored to attend a ceremony at Jackson's school to watch him receive the Academic Achievement Award for the first grade. This means that he is doing really well in first grade we are really proud of him and his hard work. When his teacher gave him the award she said that he is always reading well and willing to help others when they don't understand. We are happy that he is doing well in first grade he has made lots of friends and has had no problem adjusting to Las Vegas. He just went off track so we are going to have to make sure he still gets in some school work so when he goes on track after Thanksgiving he will be ready to learn. Way to go Jackson!

Happy Hulaween!

2007-10-16T20:54:00.001-07:00

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!I have not had much to post about lately. I thought this would all give you a good laugh. No one was knowingly harmed in the making of this film!

Mason's First Soccer Game!

2007-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Mason was old enough this year to start soccer. He was so excited! He loves practice and the games. He will get his backpack and put his shin guards, water, shoes, and a snack for him and his buddy Cohen. He is ready at anytime to head out the door. Mason's number is 3 which represent not only his age but the maturity level of one of his team mate's parents. As you can hear in the video clip "Logan's" mom displays her love for her son through a few choice words!

Enjoy!

Miranda

2007-09-24T17:00:00.001-07:00

2007-09-24T16:58:00.001-07:00

Mason's First Day of School!

2007-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Mason's started school last week and he was so excited. I think he carried around a back pack full of stuff since week got here. When we pulled up to the school I had not even parked and Mason was saying bye mom bye! I said," Mason I need to walk you in you don't even know where to go". He told me that he would find it. When we got in the class room there were several kids crying not wanting their parents to leave and Mason yelling good bye! All I wanted was just one tear!

Miranda

Hike!

2007-09-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ben was out of town last week which makes for a long week. I tired to do stuff with the boys to try to break it up a little. I told them that we would be going on a hike! We live in a community called Mountain's Edge it has parks, great walking/running trails,water play areas, and cool places to hike. This hike is one of the shorter one's and the kids did great. They had so much fun and they did not even complain once, if you can believe that. I took picture's a long the way (I am not a great photographer) I made the kids stop and as you can see Mason was not in the mood for pictures! The picture at the top of the mountain you can see the strip in the back ground which was kind of cool. The one thing I have to say about this place is that we have gorgeous sunset!

Enjoy!
Miranda

Jackson's First Day of School!

2007-09-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

We moved to Las Vegas on a Saturday and Jackson started school on a Monday! He was so excited to start school. He had been out of school since May 9th. It had been a long summer for both of us. His Teacher's name is Mrs.O'Donnell she is really nice and is expecting her 2nd girl in November. Jackson has already made tons of friends and he makes new ones everyday. He is doing very well he got a 100% on his first spelling test which means that we were going out for ice cream! His school is year around so he will be off track at the end of October until after Thanksgiving. This is going to take a little getting use to but I think in the end we will like it.

New House

2007-09-09T20:33:00.001-07:00

BABY NEWS!!!

2007-08-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to find out what we were having early! We have been wondering if it was a boy or a girl for a while. We are excited to let you all know that we will be adding to our little soccer team a boy! It was so fun to go and see the ultra sound the boys were with me and they could not believe the baby was in me! Jackson was a little sad because he did not want another brother he really wanted a sister. He can not understand that we just can pick which one we want. I explained to him that we are happy to have either one! Mason is still to little to really even care but he will have a buddy to cause trouble with now! Ben and I are really happy and can not wait to see what he looks like! Hopefully pictures will follow.

Miranda

Old house/New house

2007-08-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we are going to rent out our house to a potential buyer. Hopefully they will buy it within the next year! It has been a long roller coaster ride but we are going to make it. I will be leaving for VA on the 14th to go and pack all of our stuff that we left behind and send it to Las Vegas! I never thought this day would come. We will hopefully be in our house by the end of the month. Jackson will start school on the 27th of August and my birthday! (you can tell that I love my birthday) Mason will start preschool in September and he can not wait to get a backpack. We were finally able to post some pictures. We will send more once we get settled.

July 20th - 28th

2007-07-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Last week my sister came in town from AZ. She has three boys and so as you can guess it was quite fun with all the boys running around at Grandma and Pops house. They can not get enough of swimming in the hop tub (that is what Mason calls pops hot tub) and wrestling. This house really never sleeps when everybody is here. We started our week off running back and forth to the airport picking up everybody that came in to town just far enough from each other they could not wait at the airport for the next one to come in! The next day we went to Snowbird to ride the alpine slide, zip line, riding the bull, jumping in the moon bounce, and waiting in very long lines! Fun for all! Everyone always comes in on Grandma's birthday to celebrate and it always starts a couple of days before the actual day. That night we got a babysitter and headed to dinner to start the celebration! On Sunday we had some friends and family over to continue the celebration with more food (my moms favorite). Then we finally got to her big day where we finished it off with going to see the new movie Hairspray! By the way Ben was able to come in and spend some time with us during all the fun! We also were able to go to Lagoon! Oh, was I excited! (I can not stand Lagoon) Jackson has been waiting all summer to go and he had a blast! He went on all the scary water slides and wanted to go on all the roller coasters but no one would dare go with him and I couldn't! He did manage to talk pop into a couple of them. But, he was so scared to go into the Haunted Houses which was funny! We rounded the week off with a tirp to the Zoo to see the Ghost of the Bayou! It is a white alligator and the kids loved it. We had a great time with our cousins and can't wait to see them soon!

News!

2007-07-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I thought I would go ahead and post even though I do not have any access to my pictures right know. Most of you want to know what is going on in our lives and have emailed or called. We a currently in the process of selling our house in VA. and moving to Las Vegas. We have had some offers on our house in VA. but have not accepted any of them. Are house in Las Vegas will be done in a couple of weeks so we are hoping to move in at the end of August. It will be so nice to start our new life in a new house and be together again as a family. Since May I have been in Utah living with my mom and it has been a lot of fun to be close to mine and Ben's family and see everyone almost weekly. Any way we are doing well and are happy to annouce that we will be adding to our family on or about Feburary 5th. We have alot going on but we have been very blessed and we are looking forward to a new year! Hopefully I will be able to start posting pictures soon! I know this is boring to just read.

Found it!

2007-06-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well I finally found my blog spot! I sent this up with the help of a friend and could not find it for a while and now I am back! I will start posting!

Selling our house

2007-03-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

We are selling our house.