Fun So Far!!

I thought I would write a quick update of how our trip is going so far. We are having a fun time up north! We have been spending lots of time with grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I will post some pictures shortly, but here are some things that we have been doing.

-Last Saturday, Kelly took the kids swimming at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center. They have some really fun pools for the kids. They also have a really fun pool for bigger kids and adults who like to dive. At this fitness center, they have an Olympic sized diving pool. It is equipped with spring boards as well as platform diving boards. Kelly loves to jump from the 30 foot platform. He says it gives him butterflies every time. Connor and Carson jumped off the low dive and then Carson spotted the high dive and insisted that he try it out. I thought for sure that he would climb to the top and turn back around to come down. This was not the case! He climbed up, walked to the edge, and jumped right off! The other spectators were amazed! They would say to their older children, "if that little kid can do it, you can." It was funny. He did this a couple of times and then wanted to graduate to the lowest platform, which is 15 feet. Kelly told him next time he might be able to try that one! I think I will not be present for the next visit to the pool.

-We have had lots of time playing with cousins! We have played at parks, in the sprinklers, slip and slides, and much more!

-My kids enjoyed their first night at the park for fireworks. A local city was having their annual festival which included food, games, rides, entertainment, and fireworks. One of the highlights was a Beatles impersonation group called "Imagine." It was so good! The kids (my kids and my brothers kids) all clapped and danced and tried to sing a long. At one point, Carson kept singing "yellow submarine, yellow submarine....." over and over. This band played for two hours and they played during the fireworks which was really cool! We had a great time.

-Last night we took my boys to the Mayan, which is Mexican restaurant. The inside makes you think you are in a ride at Disneyland or in a movie, like Indiana Jones. In fact, Connor was convinced that it was Indiana Jones and kept pressing on the stone wall to see if one would open to a secret hiding place. They also have cliff divers that put on a few shows while you dine. It was fun and Connor and Carson had a great time. After we ate Carson asked if it was time to go on the ride! I had to explain that there were no rides, and he was a little disappointed!

So that is a little bit of what is going on so far. We have lots more planned! We will keep you posted!

First Things First!

Right now I should be packing up so we can leave in the morning for Salt Lake, but I find that blogging is more fun.

We are leaving tomorrow to make our way to Utah. First we are stopping in Las Vegas to meet our newest niece and cousin. Kelly's brother Jim and his wife had their 3rd daughter on Monday. Little Tessa Zierse is cousin number 16 for my kids. We are excited to see Jim and Emily for a quick break in the drive.

On Saturday, we will be attending our 10 year High School reunion. How crazy, ten years. I can't believe it. It will be fun to be in Salt Lake for a few weeks and see our family and friends. We have some fun things planned. While we are there, cousin number 17 will be born. Kelly's youngest sister is having a baby any day now. It will be lots of fun to see all the cousins and grandparents.

Here are some recent pictures to enjoy.

Here is our little Katydid. The only place to contain her is in her highchair. We pile up the tray with toys and snacks, and then mom can get something done.

Here are the boys with two of their very best buds. We have some great friends in our ward and we did a swap of tending kids so we could each enjoy a night out. On our night to tend we made cookies and had a great time. Our kids have so much fun together.

Payton and Carson enjoying the beaters. Well Payton is anyway.

After we made cookies, the kids wanted to pull out the "red bed." That is what our kids call the hide-a-bed because it has red sheets on it. Anyway, they thought it was fun to eat their cookies and watch a movie on the red bed.

Now that Katelyn is taller and pulling herself up, it is time to lower the crib mattress. Kelly was working on it and all kids crawled under to help. Katelyn was even in on the action.

Kelly was showing the kids how to do a handstand and thought it would be a lot of fun to do it with Carson on his back. They are both little monkeys! Plus it is a nice shot of my 3 laundry baskets to put away. Laundry never seems to cease!

I have a very creative friend who has taught me some cool things. First she taught me how to make bows for Katelyn. Now she has taught me to make these super cute quilts. I just finished my second one today. Thanks Bridgette, they are so cute. I am so excited to be finished and see the end result. Thanks to Tifany too, who let me take over her kitchen and sewing machine to finish. It pays to have great friends!

That about does it for me. I will give an update of our fun time in Utah!

It won't stop me!

So, yesterday I was among other frustrated drivers as I filled up my van. Have you ever looked at the faces of the other motorists and noticed the look of disgust on every one's face? It is so stressful to feel like you are giving your whole paycheck away to the oil companies.

Kelly is thinking about selling his car and buying a scooter to drive to work on. His friends at work were giving him a hard time saying that it wasn't too cool for a cop to come to work and a scooter. However, if he wore his gun belt it would be a little bit cooler. Although, if he comes to work with his partner on the back of the scooter, the coolness goes way down again!

I suppose this stressful feeling should keep me from making the nearly 700 mile drive to Salt Lake, but it isn't! Despite the way I feel, we are still going to make one last hurrah to Salt Lake. If gas prices keep soaring, this might me the last anyone will see of us, ha ha!

Eight Months, Two Weeks, Three Days.....

I can't believe that Katelyn is 8 1/2 months old. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember what she was like as a newborn. Like Connor, she wasn't tiny for long! She is our little chubs and isn't very dainty like. She has started to show us just how big she is getting.


Katelyn has started to pull herself up into a standing position. She tries to be brave and let go, but she of course just falls over.



Here she is going for the stairs. I love the look on her face. It is like she is saying "Ha ha, come and get me!"



She has started to move around more in the tub too. She loves to get on her belly and push herself around in the water.



Katelyn likes to stand up and walk along the side to get the shower curtain. 


Today we took the kids swimming and it is apparent that we have another fish in the family. Today she kept leaning her face forward in the water and then she would lean back. The boys never liked laying back in the water at this age. Kelly would count to 3 and then blow in her face to put her under water. She would come up, blink the water away, and then give us a smile. Kelly of course would then do it again! I suppose that since we spend a lot of time in the pool, the kids better be enjoying right?

Katelyn Tidbits:
23.8 lbs
7 teeth
size 18 month clothes
size 4 diapers
sleeps through the night
has to know where mom is at all times
loves to watch her brothers play
Says "DA DA DA"
Busy, Busy, Busy
nicknames: Baby Kate, Katie Bug, Katydid, Sis

We love our Katelyn!

50 Things To Know About Me

I am always trying to come up with ideas of what I can post on my blog. I tend to always do the same things. So, I came across this as an idea. I have compiled a list of things about me. I thought it would be a fun way to learn more about me. I read the list to Kelly and he even learned a thing or two!

1. I am obsessed with clearance racks.
2. My brother and I could recite all of “Steel Magnolias.”
3. I love traditions.
4. I love to find a bench in a public place and people watch!
5. I am really addicted to Reality TV.
6. “What Not To Wear,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Dancing With The Stars,” and “The Amazing Race,” are among my favorites.
7. Kelly and I faithfully watch “Desperate Housewives.”
8. Growing up, my friends and I would stand in front of the piano and sing for hours.
9. We would also type up song lyrics and assign parts to each other. One of my favorites was En Vogue’s, “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It.) I am sure we used hairbrushes for our microphones.
10. My Best Friends Lori and Sarah and I would stay up at night to give each other perms. Usually while singing En Vogue’s classics!
11. I would live at Disneyland if I could!
12. I love to play board games.
13. I saw N*SYNC with my friends.
14. Two more favorite concerts were Tina Turner and Lionel Richie (they were together) and U2.
15. I get stir crazy very easily and want to be out of the house doing something!
16. I love Amy’s hot fudge brownie and fries from Leatherbys.
17. After two years of waiting during his mission, I married my high school sweetheart!
18. I love dessert of any kind. Especially if it involves chocolate!
19. I love to be in bed early. I would be in bed by 9:00 every night if circumstances allowed!
20. I traveled with my family to Oregon and Quebec to pick my brothers up from missions.
21. If you put an movie on at night, you can count on me to fall asleep!
22. Although I don’t want this as a career, I find the medical field very fascinating.
23. I love the way my husband can entertain the kids for hours.
24. I once jumped off a high dive for a new pair of shoes.
25. My favorite color is red.
26. I love Mexican food.
27. I once had shingles. I have never itched so bad in my life!
28. I love laughing so hard that it makes me cry. I wish I did it more often. It feels so good!
29. My little brother used to call me “Nee-Nee.” That was how he said Megan and it stuck as my nick name.
30. I love get togethers. With friends or family.
31. I have never broken any bones. Knock on wood.
32. One of my favorite books is The Hiding Place.
33. Thanks to my friend Bridgette, I love making hair bows and bands for Katelyn. Although, I have yet to master the skill.
34. I aspire to become as good of a cook as my grandma and mom.
35. One of my favorite treats is popcorn and junior mints. Yes, together in the same bowl.
36. I have never received a ticket from law enforcement. Knock on wood again!
37. I used to want to be an elementary teacher.
38. I love all the sappy and predictable movies on the Lifetime channel.
39. I am dreading August 6, 2008. That is when my oldest becomes a kindergartner!
40. I love college football. Especially my Utah Utes! Refer to number 25.
41. I hate stains! I go through Shout like crazy!
42. I once played Lady Montague in “Romeo and Juliet.”
43. Before I was married, I coached the Young Women in basketball, volleyball, softball, and futsol (indoor soccer.)
44. I love blogging. However, I am still learning the tricks of the trade!
45. I love recipes. I love to find new ones to clip out and stick in my recipe basket!
46. I religiously make my kids well check appointments. They are never behind on anything!
47. I am so grateful for our Arizona friends! They have made being away from family so much easier.
48. I am afraid to make my grandma’s potato salad in fear it won’t taste half as good as hers!
49. I would love to take up ballroom dancing with Kelly.
50. One of my favorite trips was to NYC with my mom.

That is it! I hope you learned a something new about me!