The Baumann Beat

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Yep, I suppose I will post about our Christmas... now that it's January. The girls woke us up around 7am and they aren't allowed to go downstairs til we are all ready and either Benj or I are down there with the camera, ready to take pics.

They were pretty surprised to come downstairs to this!

Lexi's Santa loot... she is into horses right now and wanted a real one, but she had to settle for this one.

Ava's Santa gifts

Reesey's loot

Santa almost finished his cookies... and the reindeer did have a few carrots. :)

Time to open presents!

What?! Lexi and Ava picked out the same thing for each other. :))

I love getting a picture of the big mess afterwards.

Catch Up... {December}

2011-12-28T16:09:00.000-08:00

Once again, this month just flew by! We had a fun filled December!

We went to Benj's work Christmas party at Red Rock... Benj insisted on the bowtie. I like it though!

We tried to make a gingerbread house... it would NOT stay up. But the girls had fun eating the candy. :)

Lexi had her first piano recital. She played Rudolph, first on her own then a duet with her teacher. She did so good!! She's only been in lessons since October, but she loves it so far!

Benj and I celebrated our 11 yr. anniversary. My brother volunteered to babysit so we could go on a date. We went to dinner at Terra Rossa in Red Rock and then saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie (loved it!). Bret brought cousin Abby to come play and this is how we found her when we got home, snuggling with Ava in her bed. :) So cute.

Did this fun activity with the girls while on Christmas break... Baked Tortilla Snowflakes

Benj really wanted to take the girls sledding up at Mt. Charleston. He had bought a sled a long time ago. So we headed up and I got one picture before our camera battery died. We got more pics on Benj's phone though. The girls lasted about 20 min before they were "COLD!" Yep, we are pretty wussy living here in the desert.

Catch Up... {November}

2011-12-11T20:36:00.001-08:00

Wow, I have really slacked off with the blogging. We had an eventful November! I got to go on a girls trip... where did we go? Omaha, Nebraska!!
One of my bestie's, Apryl moved there this summer and we had never been to Nebraska... so we flew there to see where she lives. Thanks to my honey for holding down the fort and playing Mr. Mom that weekend. He even had to deal with a sick Reesey Piece. :( But everyone survived! This is just a small schedule I left for him:

Apryl, Ashley, Me

We had a great visit and I've come to better terms of Apryl moving away from me now that I've seen where she lives. ;)

My parents came to Vegas for Thanksgiving. Bret and Natalia hosted, and it was awesome. My mom and I did Black Friday shopping at midnight, just to hit Target and get a few deals. Then our family left Friday morning for Utah. Benj's sister Debbie got married and his whole family was there. It was wonderful to see everyone and spend time with them! All the cousins had a blast playing together, my girls were in heaven.

Lexi and Ava got to carry Debbie's train on her dress

We got to meet up with my parents again in Salt Lake as they were making their way back up to MT. We went to dinner and went to Temple Square to see the lights. Benj and I hadn't been since we lived in Logan, so it was cool to show the girls and it was amazing just as I remembered.

Reese turned 18 months on Thanksgiving day! She is growing up so fast.

She is talking so much! She surprises us every day with a new word she now knows or some 2 word phrases. Her favorite: "Want some!"

She is 20 lbs. even

loves Good Luck Charlie (seriously, she screams when she hears the theme music)

hates nursery at church

is still hooked on a binky (I'm dreading the day we take it away... soon)

has THE cutest toddler run ever

waves to everyone when we are out in public

I have enjoyed catching up on reading all your blogs! Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season!

Halloween

2011-11-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

We partied ALL weekend for Halloween this year. From eating "spooky" foods,

to attending an adult only Halloween party (that's Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ya'll),

to making Halloween sugar cookies,

to carving pumpkins, and another pumpkin party with friends (pics are on my phone),

to Benj's work trunk-or-treat,

to our ward trunk-or-treat,

to class Halloween parades.

We were so exhausted, that we skipped trick-or-treating on Halloween night all together. Plus, our kids (and me) didn't need any more candy! We stayed home and had our own little party. We made our mummy pizzas, lit some candles, handed out candy and watched Spooky Buddies. :) And yep, the kids were o.k. with that. Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

I Can be Crafty...

2011-10-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

There's this website called Pinterest that I may be a tad bit addicted to. Basically it's a virtual bulletin board where you can collect all kinds of things you like from different websites or blogs. I have "pinned" many recipes, crafts, kid items, tips for the home, etc. It's like getting a new magazine in the mail every day (and yes, there's a pin of that quote. :) And a couple of weeks ago, I made my first craft from my "I can do this!" board. If you know me well, you know I'm not really a crafty person... I would rather go out and buy a wreath than make one. But I'm pretty proud of this. There was quite a bit of running around (2 different trips to 2 different craft stores), but I did it!!

You can find the wreath tutorial here.

First Day of School

2011-08-29T13:19:00.001-07:00

It's the first day of school!

Lexi is in 3rd grade and Ava is in Kindergarten... I can't even believe it. They were so excited this morning. No big breakfast in this house today, the girls were too stoked to eat much. Lexi has P.E. on Mondays, so she couldn't wear a skirt. But she sure was excited to wear her new Converse shoes. :)

Ava goes to school from 8-10:30. This new schedule is going to take some getting used to. She loved her first day and can't wait to go back tomorrow. And thank goodness for a.m. Kinder... she is napping as we speak.

Summer Wrap-up

2011-08-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of what we've been up to in August:

Swimming lessons

The girls were here for 4 weeks, 3 times a week

Ava was a bit timid at first in the water, but did just fine and passed to the next level. (I signed them up for Level 1 two times, just in case) Lexi did just fine and probably should have been in Level 2. But we didn't do lessons last year, so she got to do Level 1 twice.

Mt. Charleston
We went up to the mountains one weekend to get out of the heat. We had a picnic and found some cool logs set up like teeter totters. After playing, we went for a fun hike.

Newport Beach, California

We went to Cali this weekend, just to play at the beach. It was so fun, the kids have a blast, it's hard to get them to leave. I am all sunburned, but I'm glad we got this last getaway before school started today.

Reese loved the ocean and the sand. The girl wouldn't sit in one spot for a minute. She mostly wanted to walk the beach, in the wet sand by the water. :)

Benj and the girls made a sand truck

This picture cracks me up. Ava was laying on her tummy and Reese copied her and laid down too. Wanting to be like big sister, I love it.

There is our summer wrap-up! Now on to school starting and getting back into a routine... I'm ready!

Hope you all had a wonderful summer!!

Lexi's Baptism

2011-08-26T02:52:00.001-07:00

It's 3:15am and I can't sleep... so why not update my blog?
Lexi got baptized at the beginning of the month. She looked beautiful in her white dress. And she was especially excited to be getting baptized with 3 other friends from her primary class.

My parents

Noah, Lexi, Anna, Sam

We are so proud of the great decision Lexi made to be baptized! It was a special day. Thanks to all the family and friends who came to support her.

Montana

2011-08-15T20:28:00.001-07:00

The girls and I road tripped it up to Montana in July, before Benj flew in for our family vacation. We had such a good time hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. Here are a few pics:

Tea party on a rainy afternoon

Yard games

Romeo wanted to play too :)

Darby Logger Days

The duck pond

Helping Grandpa mow the lawn

Running through the sprinklers

Here is just a random pic of Reesey in her denim diaper.

It was so good to be home and to enjoy family. Thanks mom and dad for such a great visit!!

Summer Vacation

2011-08-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

This summer we took a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole, WY. It was a lot of fun! On our way to Yellowstone, we went through the ghost town of Virginia City, MT. It's an old mining town that is all set up for tourists, it's pretty cool. We visited the giant candy store and got stocked up on sweets, and the ice cream parlor as well. But the biggest highlight (especially for me cuz I've been wanting to do it for a LONG time), was riding horses!

Lexi and I got to go horseback riding on trails through the forest. I rode Tiny and Lexi got to ride Irish. It was so fun, I totally want my own horse now. :)

We stayed in Big Sky, MT (an awesome ski resort town... I could totally vacation there every season ;) the first night and on our way up, we saw a bear. Really, there is a bear in this picture.

Yellowstone

We saw elk and buffalo in the park.

Old Faithful

Jackson Hole

The beautiful Teton mountains.

We rented a canoe and headed to the lake for the day. This is it on our van... the girls named it the Silver Bullet.

Reese lasted about 20 min. on the canoe. Benj had to dock and her and I hiked back to the picnic area. Lexi and Ava got about 2 more hours on the boat. They had a blast.

We spent that evening in Jackson. Dinner and more ice cream and running in the park. It was great just being outdoors where it wasn't 100* plus and the nights were cooler! We had such a good time as a family and made lots of memories. :)

Lexi is 8!

2011-08-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

8 years old on July 8th!!

Our Lexi Lou had her golden birthday last month. She was ecstatic! A lot of fun stuff happens at the age of 8 around here. She is getting baptized this weekend and we had been promising her when she turned 8, she could get her ears pierced. So on her bday, we went to the mall as soon as it opened and got them pierced. She had a peace theme going for her little party. The girl is into peace signs, and now I see them wherever we are shopping! Since we were getting ready to go to Montana a couple days later, we didn't throw a huge bash. But she did get to take a friend to lunch and bowling. Love you Lex! You are a wonderful daughter and big sister!!

More blogging/pics to come... our Montana/Yellowstone/Jackson Hole trip. :)

4th of July

2011-07-10T12:41:00.001-07:00

*Freedom

*Family

*Friends

*Fireworks

*Food

*Fun

Soooooo grateful to live in this country.

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!

Dance Recital

2011-07-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Lexi and Ava performed in their dance recital. Ava's class did a tap number to the song "Do You Love Me." She did so great!!

AVA

Ava and her cousin Abby are in the same class and they are standing right by each other (in the middle). And how adorable is that little boy in his sequin vest?!

LEXI

Lexi's class is ballet and they performed to that song from the movie Chocolat. She did wonderful and is moving up to Ballet II in the fall. :)

Abby, Ava and Lexi after the show.

Great job girls!!

Kicking off Summer!!

2011-06-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Bloggin' all the way back to Memorial Day Weekend...
It was Benj's bday that weekend, so we stuck around town and did what he wanted. ;) Lake Las Vegas is so pretty and we tried to get a room, but it had filled up quickly for the holiday. So we went out there and just hung out for the day. Gillato :)

It was pretty windy that day, but the kids didn't mind. We ended up meeting another couple, also with 3 kids and they also had moved to Vegas from Logan.

Memorial Day we headed out to Lake Mead. We rented a waverunner and Benj was in heaven. The girls got to go for a ride too. Lexi was incredibly nervous, but Ava was like, MY TURN! They both ended up having fun. But they have the most fun just playing in the water, digging in the sand and collecting shells.

School has been out for over a week... it's going to be a long summer. The weather has been triple digits already. But we do have some fun stuff planned to do as a family... Vacation can't come soon enough though. The kids have chore charts, we have our library days, free movie days, park days and I have found some cute crafts (thank you crafty mom-bloggers!) to occupy our days.

Ava's last day of school... thank you Miss Jenn!

Lexi's last day... we will miss you Ms. Norman!

Have a great summer everyone!!!

Reese Turns 1!

2011-05-28T08:28:00.001-07:00

Our baby girl is a year old! It's crazy, how fast this year has gone by. Reese didn't have a clue about her big day, but we loved celebrating!

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Matson for the shopping cart full of food... the big girls love playing with it too. ;)

She ate all the frosting off the cupcake, but spit the cake out. Silly girl... she for sure didn't have any qualms about getting messy!

And it's official, she's walking! (As you can tell from the bruises on her head)

Reese can also:

Say Hello, da-da, ba-ba (cup), na-na (banana), ball, and barks like a dog when she sees any kind of animal.

She can also say more, please and thank you in sign language.

Wave on command, give fist bumps and high-fives.

*She has yet to call me ma-ma. :( But my heart melts when Benj walks in the door and she yells, "Da-da! Da-da!" And lifts her arms to be picked up by him.

Reese loves:

To dance

Baths

Playing tag with her sisters (crawling)

Cuddling with stuffed animals

Whole milk

Mac n cheese

Pizza

Bananas

Shoes

Her binky

Books

Swinging at the park

Singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

We love you Reesey Piecey!!!

Utah Trip

2011-05-06T11:52:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we went up to SLC and met my parents for the weekend. It was great to spend time with them. We woke up Sat. morning to about 6 inches of snow! The girls took advantage and went out to make a snowman at the hotel.

Us girls got to go shopping at Tai Pan {LOVE that store}, while the guys took the kids to the Children's Museum at Gateway. Wish there were pics of that, but the battery in our camera had died. We all met for lunch at the Braza Grill {delicious Brazilian Steakhouse, all you can eat}. Then the guys went to the motocross races (OUTSIDE... brrrrr!) and my mom and I went and surprised Destiny at the salon where she works in Orem! It was so fun to see her and she met us later for shopping and dinner at the mall and Ikea. :) Thanks guys, for a fun filled weekend!

Easter 2011

2011-05-06T11:06:00.001-07:00

Over spring break, I took the girls to the mall to kill a day. I had to get a picture of Reese's first experience with the Easter Bunny. Yeah, she wasn't all that impressed by him. I love it... a pic for her scrapbook.

The kids were up at 6:30 this year on Easter morning! What?!

The Easter Bunny left them money in their eggs :)

We had both my brothers and their wives over for Easter dinner. The guys hid the eggs and then the kids went for their hunt.

Easter Dresses! Lexi was the only one I had to buy a dress for... Reese is wearing the yellow dress that both Lexi and Ava wore on their first Easter's. :)

Reese- 11 months old on Easter Day!

Catching Up!

2011-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, just playing a bit of catch-up. It's been a busy month and we are finally starting to get warmer weather here. Yep, it's that time of year when I feel I need to keep up with the pedicures (doing it myself mostly) and leg shaving. ;) Spring break is this week and I'm missing Montana and wishing it wasn't so far. We usually get up there for a visit before spring hits, but it's not going to work out this year. But we will have to make the best of the break here... at least we will have sunshine! Here is a pic of Lexi; it was rock 'n roll day at school At the Bellagio: Not sure what is up with all the poses... silly girls

Reesey is 10 months, almost 11 and she is learning and growing every day. She loves to swing!

LOVES to do this: And sometimes I just let her. Keeps her occupied while I'm making dinner or something. :) And this:

When we forget to put the gate up, she will climb to the very top of the second set of stairs.

Ava Turns 5!

2011-04-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Our Ava Rooney is 5 now! She had a little Tangled playdate with her friends on her bday morning. Then that evening she got to pick where she wanted to eat and she picked Panda Express (2 yrs in a row now), and then we came home to have cake for her family party. I registered her for Kindergarten last week, I can't believe she will be going to school every day. We love you Ava and am so glad you are ours!

Field Trip

2011-04-01T16:34:00.001-07:00

Ava's preschool class got to go on a field trip this week to Great Harvest Bread. The kids got to go in the back and learn about how bread is made. They even got to roll their own dough. Ava made a breadstick with hers. While it baked, they read the book The Little Red Hen. Then they got to eat their bread. So cute, and Ava had so much fun.

C & K's Wedding

2011-03-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

I finally put the pics from our new camera on the computer! Ok, Benj did. But he showed me how, so hopefully I can keep up with the blog better. Here are some pictures from Chad and Kristen's wedding, way back in January. It's amazing, the quality of pictures when you have a decent camera!It was a gorgeous day in Vegas. And the temple grounds are always lovely.

Before:

Reese- trying not to touch the grass at all :)

Ava collected a few pinecones while we waited for the happy couple to come out.

After:

I love this one: Abby always squints her eyes when getting a picture taken (because of the flash... even when there is no flash), and Reesey, hmmm... must have been naptime.

Cute neices of Chad and Kristen's... they all got along really well.

My "little" brothers... always beating me up, j/k. It was great having all our family here for this special event. I'm so glad to know what I know and that families are forever!

My proud parents with their baby. I still can't believe Ging-Ging is married (it makes me feel kind of old). But he picked a good one! Congrats Chad and Kristen!

Disneyland

2011-02-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we took a "vacation" to Disneyland. Benj has been wanting to take the girls somewhere and he also needed a break, so this was all his idea. 3 kids @ Disney for 3 days was quite the adventure! But we had a great time and the girls were really good, even Reese. The weather was perfect, around 78* every day. We caught some of the World of Color show @ California Adventure... soooooooo awesome. Next time I will get my fastpass and wait forever to sit toward the front! We took our little cheapo camera, so I could actually upload these pics (which I'm wishing I took more of). I still need a lesson on how to work our new camera.

Ava really wanted to see Cruella, but Lexi did not. Ava said, "Lexi, Cruella is naughty in the Dalmation movie, but she's nice at Disneyland." Yeah, she's pretty proud of that autograph and picture in her book. :)

Valentine's Day! I love my 3 sweetheart girls. And of course my incredible husband, I love you Benj! He brought me home a Nothing Bundt Cake... oooohhhh, I finished it off yesterday and then proceeded to do Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred DVD.

Christmas Pics (finally)

2011-01-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas with our own little family. On Christmas Eve, Reese turned 7 months old. Traditional Christmas Eve: a feast of snacks for dinner (Benj's fav is my cheeseball) , Christmas movies {Elf}, stories read by Daddy, including Jesus' birth from the Bible and opening jammies

LEXI- Santa gifts (she asked for a purple guitar {her old one got smashed} and a camera)

AVA- asked Santa for a Tangled doll and a pet dog

REESE- Santa gifts

She had fun mostly playing with all the wrapping paper. :)

I love getting shots of the mess afterwards. Benj spoiled me {LOVING my Kindle}. He got us an awesome new camera... can't wait to figure out how to use it so I can actually post better pics! I'm so grateful for this past holiday season and memories made. I love that my girls ask for such simple things, it's so sweet... we know it will get more costly with age. :) We are also grateful that Benj's parents, sister and niece were able to come down the day after Christmas and spend time with us! {Those pics are on our NEW camera :) } We spend NYE with friends, eating, playing games and drinking sparkling cider. NY Day was too COLD for our annual hike, so we went bowling. :) Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year to you all!

Traditions

2010-12-22T21:38:00.001-08:00

Christmas Cards

Visiting Santa

Christmas dresses

(the dresses were bought specifically for my brother's wedding next month, but they work for Christmas dresses too!)

Gingerbread house... a train this year

And Christmas sugar cookies for Santa... which the kids and I will make tomorrow.

I'm loving this time of year and all the festivities. We got to go to the Live Nativity (incredible, minus Mary falling off the donkey); attend our ward Christmas party and Benj's work party;
and Connie and I took our older girls to see the Nutcraker Ballet. It was so cool, Lexi especially loved it and is going to inform her dance teacher she wants pointe shoes NOW. :) And most importantly, we are remembering the Reason for the Season.

Madison, Lexi and Ava

Benj and I also celebrated 10 years of marriage! I honestly can't believe it's been ten years... I am so lucky to have married an amazing man. We've been through so much with getting our educations, career moves, buying our first house, having our 3 beautiful daughters and I'm loving this ride we are on! Love you babe and I'm so glad I get to spend eternity with you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Thankful

2010-12-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful I was able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. My parents drove from Montana (through snow, ice and road closures) to be with their kids. We had an awesome time: Dinner hosted by Bret and Natalia, Black Friday shopping, another shopping trip to St. George, and making memories. Thanks Mom and Dad, for making the trek! We loved having you here. (Kicking myself for not getting one single picture of the girls with their grandparents!!... hope you got some Mom)

Our family Thankful Tree... it was fun to hear what the girls were thankful for. I'm thankful for these 3...

Ava's fun projects she made @ preschool

Benj, Bret and my dad... Turtlehead Peak

Grandma made turkey-shaped sugar cookies and the grandgirls got to frost them. Ava, Lexi and Abby in their cute little aprons

Baby girl turned 6 months the day before Turkey Day. She is showing much more personality and is so fun! Still sticking with the inchworm crawl, although she's getting faster. She loves all the veggie babyfood we've given her, but her favorite food is those star puff snacks (sweet potato flavor). Will drink water from a sippy cup, but refuses to hold it herself. Loves all her musical toys and when the girls sing "R-E-E-S-E, R-E-E-S-E, R-E-E-S-E and Reesey was her name-o!" Stop growing Reesey... it's going too fast.

We are enjoying December and all the Christmas festivities. Christmas cards are coming soon!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-11T17:34:00.001-08:00

So it's only 2 weeks after Halloween, and I'm just now getting to posting pics on the blog. We had several days of Halloween festivities including Benj's work trunk-or-treat, school parties, friend pumpkin carving party, and our ward trunk-or-treat. Then there was the actual day of Halloween, where we just chilled at home, had a fun holiday dinner (ghost pizza, scary salad, and pumpkin cheesecake bars), passed out candy and watched the Saints win! Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Oh! And Reesey Piecey turned 5 months. Here she was rolling across the living room and was getting mad when the couch got in the way. She is now getting up on her knees and rocking and doing the inch-worm crawl. So cute... and shocking too considering neither Lexi or Ava even attempted to move til they were 10 months. :)

First Family Pictures Ever

2010-10-01T23:15:00.001-07:00

We finally did it... (professional) family pictures! Here are a few and there's more on my sidebar. Thanks to Erin, she did a wonderful job!

It's Almost October!

2010-09-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of year is here... almost. September has certainly been a big tease. Here in Vegas, we are still having 100 + degree days, ugh! It really needs to be sweater weather NOW. I can't wait to decorate for Halloween (after Benj pulls the Rubbermaids out of storage, cuz he rearranged again and I can't find them.), cook delicious soups/chili, bake treats with pumpkin, get the kids' winter clothes out, and of course football season has arrived already.

What's going on with us:

*Ava started preschool at the beginning of the month. She loves it! She wishes school was every day... so do I. :)

*Lexi learned how to ride her bike. It only took a $20 bribe from her dad and she mastered it in about an hour.

*I tried the Atkins diet for about 3 weeks. Missed those carbs, but won't miss those 15 pounds I lost on it. Joined LVAC and I try to go every morning. I actually look forward to exercising again; been really frustrated after having this last baby. It's some "me" time and even at 530am, I'll take it!

*Reese is 4 months old. Went to the Dr. yesterday and she is 11lbs. 3 oz. (5th percentile; on the small side, but doc is not worried). It's really weird to have a petite baby while the older girls were so chunky. Reese has discovered her feet and can suck on her toes, is starting to get interested in toys, and has the biggest smiles for her sisters.

*Got a call from the school yesterday about 1:00, to come pick up Lexi. Apparently, she had stepped on a pencil and it went through her shoe into her foot. I got to the school to find her shoe filled with blood and the nurse wheeling Lexi out in a wheelchair! We went to the doctor (yes, BACK to the dr. we had just been to that morning). She got the wound cleaned out and thankfully no lead was stuck in there. Lexi was back to normal before bed last night, running and dancing. But she made sure to milk the experience for all it was worth!

*We can't wait for General Conference this weekend. And FYI: there are some super cute GC packets you can print out for the kiddos here.

Happy Autumn everybody!

Back to School

2010-08-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day back to school... 2nd grader in the house!! Lexi was so excited, she got dressed as soon as she got up. But being the mean mom I am, I made her take her dress off to eat breakfast. ;)
I made Pop-up Pancakes and instead of getting syrup on the dress, she just got a little in her hair.

Once at the school, Lex pretty much blew me off when she saw all her friends. Oh well, at least she was happy.

She had a great first day of second grade!!

M-O-N-T-A-N-A, Montana, I Love You!

2010-08-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

This summer we got to road trip it up to MT again. I drove on my own with all 3 kiddos to UT and stayed with Destiny. And the next day, we followed each other to Hamilton. The scenery in the Big Hole is gorgeous, even on a cloudy day.

Enjoying the Farmer's Market

Monkey bars at the park

Destiny and I

We got ice cream at a fun, old-fashioned soda fountain shop in Stevi.

There were a lot of rainy days, but I loved it!

Reesey lounging in Grandpa's recliner.

We went to the fair in Missoula, so fun!

Grandma and Reese

The petting zoo

The girls got to ride a miniature pony

Grandpa built a fire and we roasted marshmellows and had s'mores.

Another fun trip back home! My mom drove back to Vegas with us and then flew home. We had quite the adventure!! Thanks Mom!

OTHER STUFF: Benj took a day off! :) We escaped the heat for an afternoon and had a picnic up at Mt. Charleston. I love it up there.

Ava went to an "Enchanted Princess" dance clinic this weekend. She loved it and is starting ballet class tonight.

Our baby girl is 3 months today! Reesey Piecey is:

~rolling over- from back to front. she hates being on her tummy though once she's there.

~ giggling- she's very ticklish

~ smiling and "talking" to anyone who pays her any attention.

I told her to stop growing, but she's not listening!!

Cali Getaway

2010-08-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I finally got my day at the beach. We went to Newport Beach and spent the entire day there. It was so much fun. My girls LOVED the ocean (I was surprised they did). They didn't really have any fear, which gave me fear. And Ava did get taken out by a wave or two. They played in the sand, and in their big hole that was already there when we arrived, even kicking some boys out of it at one point. We met up with our friends from Vegas too, who happened to be in California for a wedding. It was fun in the sun and sand... my lint trap on my dryer even had sand in it after doing laundry, lol.

We also visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The girls loved petting the sting rays the most! It was a fun little weekend trip. Now on to our bigger trip to Montana!

Blessing Day

2010-07-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Reese on her blessing day. She was really not up for getting her picture taken in her dress. Thanks to all the family who traveled down for this special day!!

And here is Reese with her Uncle Chad (my brother) and his FIANCE, Kristen... they had gotten engaged just that morning!! Congrats kids. :)

Lexi Turns 7!

2010-07-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Our first born is 7 years old now!

At age 7, Lexi likes:

* Music- her favorite song is still "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base. But she's getting to that stage where she's into the teeny boppers like Miley Cirus and Justin Bieber.

*Dance- she just finished a modern dance class and will be taking ballet again in the fall.

*Tending to Reese- Lex is incredibly helpful in the mornings when I'm trying to get everyone ready. She holds Reese when she's fussing.

*Art- we got her a whole box of paper from Costco so she can draw all she wants without stealing all my printer paper. :) Her art teacher at school kept her last painting for the school art show.

*Nature- she's always wanting to go hiking with Benj and when she prays she always mentions how grateful she is for nature.

*School- this past year she was always bored on track breaks. Next summer will be a long one for her now that schools are all going 9 month!

She is still terrified of riding her bike by herself, but maybe 7 is the age she will overcome that hurdle. We are so glad Lexi is part of our family. I can still see her as a baby, especially when I look at Reese, those two are one in the same in looks. We love you Lexi Pea!

Running... why do you hate me so?

2010-07-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

I used to love to run. Now I'm trying to get back into running shape and hating every minute. Week 4 of running.

This morning:

Passing me from the opposite direction, a muscled male hottie hardly out of breath. While here I am truckin' uphill, my jiggly parts...jiggling.

Running down Patrick, the sun beating down on me. It's about 85*.

Rounding Grand Canyon, a side ache in my right side.

Wanting to walk so bad!!

Why am I struggling? Is it the heat? Is it the exhaustion of tending to a newborn? Yes, these things are factors. Isn't running supposed to relieve stress? Well, it's stressing me out. I want to run a half marathon this year. I know it will take time to get this post pregnancy body back into shape, but I want it now!

All right, give me your words of sympathy and encouragement. :)

P.S. Our desktop crashed, with all our pictures/music on it. I knew I should have put everything on my laptop... just in case. In the process of transferring what we can to discs. Fingers crossed, Lexi's 7th bday pics will get posted soon.

One Month

2010-06-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Reese is one month old today!

She weighs 8 lbs. 6 oz

She is a good baby.

I love watching her smile in her sleep.

I love all the squeaks, grunts, groans, and coos she makes.

I love when she looks at me with those big blue eyes, knowing that I'm her mommy.

Her sisters still can't get enough of her. They always want to kiss and hold her.

Having a newborn again has been quite an adjustment, but I'm savoring every moment.

Father's Day

Introducing...

2010-05-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Reese Nicole Baumann
Born @ 4:07 pm on May 24
7lbs 4oz, 19.5 inches long

Party of 5

Going home from the hospital

Her big sisters can't get enough of her!

I will spare you all the birthing details, but it was relatively fast and easy (kind of). Reese is such a good baby, being only 3 days old and all. :) We are so happy she is here and part of our family!

Updating...

2010-05-14T16:14:00.001-07:00

I haven't really had anything to blog about lately. Just trying to get through this pregnancy, taking it one day at a time. Then of course time will just FLY when baby girl finally arrives!

I just had to add this picture on here... our roses were blooming beautifully last month. Until the stupid Vegas wind literally blew them all to pieces. So, they are no more. I'm hoping they will "revive" themselves and bloom again.

MOTHER'S DAY

I was smothered with presents, cards and love from my girls (and Benj) on Mother's Day. It was an awesome, relaxing day including homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast and chicken enchiladas for dinner (a yw fundraiser for girls camp, an excellent idea btw). Loved it!

CHOIR CONCERT

Lexi had her CCCC concert last night. I'm so relieved the season is over... driving across town every week for practice is not fun. But Lexi has learned so much and she is an excellent singer. Glad she loves it and she will probably participate again next year. She will miss her teacher, Miss Kelly who is moving. :(

She's in the middle at the mic, singing her solo. So cute.
We went to the San Gennaro Feast (Italian Food Festival) last weekend. It's always fun to go eat the yummy food and the girls have a blast riding the rides. I would prefer NOT to spend the money on rides, but their dad spoils them. All the pics are on my phone though, so perhaps eventually I'll get them on here.

Benj and I also tried the M Resort buffet... we've been talking about going since it opened. Seriously the best buffet I've been to here in Vegas. If you feel like spending the money (it's pricey, especially on the weekends) and want to stand in line for a while, this is the place to graze! I didn't think I could eat a lot being 9 months pregnant and all, but wow... I seriously put down a few plates of food and many more plates of dessert. I even impressed my husband... he hates it when we go to the buffet and all I eat is plates of salad.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. It's a good thing my loving husband is on his way to pick up my cheesey Pizza Hut pizza. Well, half of it is his. :)

Ava is 4!

2010-04-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Our Ava Rooney turned 4 years old last week! We had a family party for her on her actual bday and she invited her friends over for a "princess luncheon" over the weekend.

At age four Ava likes:

*Princesses, Barbie

*Playing in the tub/pool

*Going to the library (but not to storytime)

*Mac n cheese

*Nightgowns

*Shoes

*Preschool

*Playing with her big sister

Over the last couple months as my stomach has grown, Ava has asked me every day when the baby is going to come out. I told her not to ask me again til after her bday... well, that's come and gone and sure enough, she's been asking! She has no concept of time, but about 6 more weeks and she will be a big sister!

We love you Rooney and are so glad you are part of our family!! It's been so fun watching you learn and grow. You are going to be an awesome big sister!

*On another note: When one of your kids is born right around your birthday, you seem to be forgotten when your day rolls around and it doesn't seem like a big deal (especially the OLDER you get). My bday was Sunday... I turned 30!!! Yeah, time to stock up on the wrinkle cream right? I had a great weekend. My awesome friends took me out one night and Benj took me out the next night. Thanks to all for a wonderful birthday weekend!

Easter

2010-04-06T17:42:00.001-07:00

Easter weekend was a nice relaxing one at home. We got to just chill and watch General Conference. The girls dyed eggs Sat. night. And the Easter Bunny came... I thought for sure he would skip this house, ahem...the kids were giving us some grief. We had a traditional Easter dinner, and my brother and his girlfriend came over to eat with us. So glad for this time of year to reflect on our Savior and his sacrifice/resurrection!

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-04-06T17:23:00.001-07:00

Last week was spring break, so we tried to stay busy. The weather was semi nice, we had a LOT of wind though!

This is Ava with her kite she made @ school
We took the girls to the Bellagio conservatory to see the spring scene... no real butterflies this year, but it's still pretty amazing.

A ladybug made entirely of carnations

We went to the "Butterfly park" with friends to play and have a picnic... it's a drive, but worth it.

We also went to the children's museum to play. 3 hours later and both my kids in tears, it was time to go. Now school is back in session and Lexi's next track break isn't until mid June!

30 Weeks

2010-03-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

I'm 30 weeks pregnant today. 10 more weeks to go... hopefully sooner though. :)

Things I'm Loving Right Now:

*my Gap lounge pants... well, pretty much any pants with an elastic waist

*Bath & Body Works bubble bath, using this one at the moment

*The Belly Band

*How Ava pretends she has a baby in her tummy... a baby girl, of course

*Benj's back massages

*Digging through all the baby clothes

*Justifying my horrible food choices as "cravings"

Things I'm Missing Right Now:

*Running

*Sleeping on my back

*Being able to paint my toenails decently

*Wearing "real" clothes

Maybe I'll get a picture up here... maybe.

Other updates:

Lexi lost 2 teeth last week, her top ones. The Tooth Fairy sure was busy.

We had friends come down this weekend... Amy is also pregnant with her 3rd girl. It was so fun to hang out and the girls all had a blast playing together. Thanks for a fun visit you guys!!

Spring break is next week and I'm trying to come up with some fun activities to do with the kiddos. I'm thinking children's museum and butterfly park... anyone want to come??

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-12T19:59:00.001-08:00

Lexi has been on track break from school for 3 weeks (back to school on Monday, thank goodness!!). So to kill some time, the girls and I flew up to Montana for a visit. I usually FREEZE when I'm up there, but I guess we brought some warm weather with us. 50*+ days and the day we left it was snowing. I loved it!

Our schedule can be pretty predictable considering there's not a ton to do in Hamilton. We had a couple shopping days in the "city" (Missoula), haircuts at my dad's shop, shopping on Main Street, several meals at Taco John's, a visit to my grandparents' house, a drive up to Darby to get some treats at the candy store, a stop at Lake Como, and some browsing @ Kmart and Walgreens. Thanks Mom and Dad for another fun visit... the best part was just spending time with my family!

The girls with Romeo

Lexi, getting some of that thick hair cut off

Rooney's turn, who had this to say after her haircut: "My hair is definitely beautiful!"

The girls with Grandma @ Como Lake

HAHA- you just had to be there for this... We were eating A&W burgers and my mom asked if I wanted her pickle and I said sure. So she flings it over and it landed on my cup, through the straw. Lol.

Feeding the ducks with Grandpa

My girls and my parents

A few MT flakes

Happy V-Day!

2010-02-14T15:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

I found these flowers from my sweetheart

waiting for me in my car before church. Love him!!

Who Dat?!

2010-02-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

If you know me well, you know that I'm a New Orleans Saints fan... have been pretty much since I can remember. My dad has always been a Saints fan and us kids grew up watching NFL games with him every weekend during football season. So my dad's love for the Saints (or the 'Aints as they are called the years they aren't doing so hot) rubbed off on us, and I have been a loyal fan all these years. Every season I would vow to pick a new NFL team to be my favorite, but I just couldn't do it. So this Superbowl was incredibly exciting for us. As you can see, I've got my girls roped into the Saints team spirit too, sporting their Saints tattoos.
We enjoyed the game with awesome friends at a fun Superbowl party. And after the big win my dad called and told me to hold the phone away from my ear... just so he could holler in celebration. :) We're going to have to order some Saints Superbowl gear now. SAINTS ARE #1!!!

Hoover Dam

2010-01-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we were driving around and decided to drive out to Hoover Dam. We hadn't been out there for a while! It was a beautiful day to just go there and walk around. The new bridge they are building is coming along... it's pretty impressive! The girls liked it, although Lexi freaked when I told her we were going to walk over to Arizona. She said, "But Mom! We didn't pack any clothes!" =)

It's a Baby...

2010-01-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

GIRL!!!
Yep, we're having yet another baby girl. I'm ok with it... not so sure about Benj though. He just sat there @ the ultrasound saying, "Three girls? Three girls?? I'm going to go broke!" Lol. I told him, sorry babe... but it really is your fault. ;)

But everything looks nice and healthy! Hey, at least we don't have to re-paint the nursery... it's staying purple.

Christmas Morning

2009-12-30T16:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning this year was a little quiet, but fun. We were on our own for the first time in our marriage. We didn't go anywhere and no one came to us. But it was just fine being with our little family. The Christmas magic was so fun to watch with the kids! I thought the older you got, the less exciting and magical Christmas gets, but not when you're a parent. It's great!

Santa came! And those are the nightgowns they opened Christmas Eve (another tradition).
The only thing Lexi asked for was an Easy Bake Oven.

And Ava asked for a baby doll that really peed... yeah, there are NOT any cute dolls anymore!

Stockings

Lexi insisted on handing out the gifts

Ava sleeps with this music box- every night! :)

The lovely mess after everything is unwrapped

Santa left a few crumbs...

That afternoon Bret, Natalia, and Abby came over for Christmas dinner. We had our traditional prime rib, Benj does a great job cooking it to perfection! It was great spending the rest of the day with some of our family. We hope your Christmas was a great one! Happy New Year everyone!

Seaworld

2009-12-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

We took a quick trip down to San Diego this weekend and took the girls to SeaWorld. They had so much fun... and Benj and I did too. It's changed since we were there last. Lexi is at a great age where she appreciates these things, except the rollercoaster (at the very top, hiding her head in Benj). She especially enjoyed the Shamu show. Ava loved the Sesame Street play area and the penguins. Here are some pics:

And we always visit Old Town San Diego. I love the cool little shops and the kids love the super cool candy store. :) Benj and I celebrated 9 years of marriage this weekend as well... I can't believe it's been that long!

Kids' Stuff

2009-12-17T18:02:00.001-08:00

This past week and a half has been filled with the girls' activities. Ava's little preschool class did their Christmas play at a local nursing home. Ava played the angel and did a great job (and of course refused to wear the halo).

Lexi had fun in her first season singing with the Clark County Children's Choir. Her concert was this past weekend. She even had a little solo. Great job Lex!

She's on the very left, on the end. =) The video we got is way better.

Lexi also had a first grade concert at school. They did a lot of cute songs!

This morning Lexi was awarded with the Distinguished Dragon Award at her school. This award is for demonstrating the Six Pillars of Character at school: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. Way to go Lexi (although I have to wonder at times how in the world she got this award... wish she could show these characteristics more at home!)! =)

With Mr. Tanaka and Principal Chua

I didn't get to stay to watch her actually receive the award, but Benj was there and taped it all. I had to come home and teach Ava's preschool and get ready for their little Christmas party. Benj even went to Lexi's class for the "author celebration" where the kids had written their own books and read them aloud.

The Joy School party was a success. The kids did their Christmas play again for all the parents and we had made cookies/treats beforehand to share.

Phew!! Sooooooo glad this week is about over. Time for some R&R and Christmas celebration with my family.

December, December

2009-12-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it's December. It seems like this year really flew by! Anyway, what have we been up to?

Our Thanksgiving was fun. My parents decided to come down and they drove through the night to get here @ 5am Turkey Day morning! My brothers and family came over and we had a great feast. My mom and I did the insane Black Friday shopping @ 4:30am, and we did good! I got a lot on my list and we took our time and went to breakfast too. :) And no visit to Vegas is complete when my parents are in town without hitting the Red Rock buffet... mmmmm. I'm hungry now. Thanks mom & dad for sacrificing sleep and joining us all down here for a great holiday visit!

I've been slowly getting the house ready for Christmas. I really wanted a real tree this year and my house to smell like a forest. But with how much Benj is working, it will never happen. Could you see me driving the Ford and hauling in a tree from the tree lot? That would be entertaining. So I did the next best thing and bought a new tree from Walmart and hauled it into the mini van. Well, the kindly Walmart employee did. But I hauled it into the house and put it together this afternoon. We got it decorated Sunday evening.

We had our ward Christmas party Fri. night. My primary kids sang a couple songs we've been working on and they did great! I don't think I can call them "my primary kids" much longer as I've got a new calling now (compassionate service leader) and will be released as chorister soon. As inadequate as I've felt in this calling the last year and a half, I will really miss the kids. I've been in primary since we moved into this house (3 yrs) and have enjoyed it incredibly! It will be different to go to RS again.

Tonight is Benj's company Christmas party... ugh. And since he's at a different hospital, I will know absolutely no one... ok, I guess I know his boss since it was his old boss from SH. Anyway, should be interesting. They rent a ballroom @ Red Rock and have a buffet dinner and dancing. The food should be good... Yeah, I'm looking forward to the food.

So I think Adam Lambert is a total freak (especially after his little performance on the AMA's), but this is my new favorite song. It's catchy and clean and good to run to. And how 'bout them Saints?!! 12-0 now, and that last game against the Redskins almost gave me a heart attack!!

Oh, and most of you already know this; but we are expecting a baby in late May. Yay! Ok, that's me trying to get excited... NO- I'm excited, it just hasn't hit me yet I guess (because my clothes still fit??). I'm a lucky girl because I don't get sick- at all... I know a lot of people who are sick like the whole 9 months. I was just really tired the first trimester, but that's it. The girls are excited. Lexi wants a brother and Ava wants a "baby stister named Lily." Benj is really excited. When we first found out, he couldn't stop grinning.

I hope to get Christmas cards out soon. Happy Holidays everybody!!

SYTYCD/New Moon

2009-11-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

So my fun girl's nights we had planned this month (well deserved I think) have come and gone. But all of it was such a blast! The So You Think You Can Dance tour show was excellent!! They did all my favorite dances. Janeene and Phillip are still my favorites, but everyone was really amazing.

New Moon night was so much fun. Angie, your party was great! You are such a sweet hostess, thanks for inviting me. We went up to the theater to get in line around 8pm. We didn't have to sit on the floor long though, they let us into the theater about an hour later, so we had comfy seats to sit in for the next 3 hours. The movie was awesome. And so much better done than Twilight. I cannot wait for Eclipse! :)

Random Thoughts

2009-11-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

Mindy's Random Thoughts Lately:

~We took the girls to see A Christmas Carol last weekend. I love Jim Carrey, but it was kind of scary for kids. And it was in 3D and my kids hate wearing those glasses. Lexi wore them, but of course Ava refused. It's a good thing she's free... it was probably a blurry picture for her.

~It's only week 2 of track break and Lexi is driving me crazy! But at the same time, it's nice to have her home and have a break in routine.

~I got the H1N1 vaccine yesterday @ my doctor's office. And I woke up today with pink eye. I know it's totally unrelated (I mean the shot and pink eye, not being in the drs. office and pink eye, cuz that could totally be a factor), but interesting nonetheless.

~I've been wanting to make pumpkin bread for weeks now, but haven't had the motivation. Anyone have a good recipe??

~I miss my husband. Ever since he transferred to MV, he's come home late every night. :(

~I am in desperate need of a girl's night out. 3 more days and I'll get one!! Going out to celebrate Apryl's bday and then to the So You Think You Can Dance tour, to see the season 5 top ten. Soooooooo stoked!

~I'm incredibly grateful for family/friends... I would be lost without you!! Hope everyone is well!

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Halloween Fun

2009-11-01T20:24:00.001-08:00

*WARNING: Picture overload!

We seemed to spread out the Halloween holiday for a few days this year. It started with the girls and their cousin Abby riding the rides @ one of the roadside pumpkin patches.

Benj carved this at a pumpkin carving party with friends... I watched. Good job babe! ;)

The girls both had costume parties @ school. This is Lexi in class, they had orange snacks. I had a cute video of Ava and her class singing a Halloween song, but I can't get it to upload.
Grandma Diana sent the girls fun stuff from Crate & Barrel to decorate cupcakes. They had a lot of fun making their creations! Thanks Mom! Lexi: An angel

Ava: Tinkerbell minus the wings... she refused to wear them.

Trunk or Treat night Lexi liked cleaning out the pumpkin... Ava, not so much. Benj carved a Tinkerbell pumpkin, it turned out great. Took the kids to Shark Reef where kids in costume got in free and got to trick or treat. Benj has taken the girls several times, but this was my first time there. It's pretty cool. Hope everyone had a great Halloween!! Now we get to gear up for more holidays. :)

I Love Fall!

2009-10-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

I know I've said this a lot, but I love autumn. It doesn't last long here in Vegas, so we take what we can get! The weather is finally cooler, I'm watching NFL every Sunday, and Halloween is coming up. Saturday night we took the girls to the atrium @ Bellagio to see the fall scene. The girls especially loved the talking tree. We decided to walk around front and watch the fountain show too. It's been a while since we were down on the strip.
Last night we decorated sugar cookies for FHE... minus Benj. He works at Mountain View Hospital now, and just started there this week. And now he has to commute! It's about a 25 minute drive. It's weird to think of him being far away now and not just across the street @ Southern Hills. :) But we're so proud of all his hard work in his career and supporting us! Happy Fall everyone!

Update

2009-10-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

My parents came to town last weekend. It was so much fun having them here! Of course I got zero pictures of the kids with their grandparents... :( But we made the most of our time and after the weekend was up, we were exhausted! Thanks for the great visit Mom & Dad!

On another note- Lexi came home the other day and crashed on the couch. That is not really like her, and yep she was sick. She had a fever. So she stayed home from school yesterday. I cancelled the dentist appointments the girls had and made dr. appts. instead. Thank goodness it was nothing serious (like the dreaded pig flu) and we kept her home today just to be on the safe side. She was devestated though because today was her first field trip. They were going to the orchard to pick a pumpkin. Oh well, they're going on another field trip the week after next. And it's back to school tomorrow!

Also... the weather here has been FANTASTIC!! We had three digit temps on Monday and today the high was supposed to be 78. Aaaaahhhh... I love having the screen door/windows open. The girls were playing in the backyard and wanting to put on their jackets, lol! And I must mention the yummy smell in my house now: the stew cooking in my crockpot. Mmmmmmm... I love Fall!

The Putt Park

2009-09-14T16:10:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we decided to head down the street to try out the new miniature golf course. It looks so small from the road, but it is a 18 hole course. It's nothing fancy, but we got in half price for their grand opening. It was dark, so they gave us glow in the dark golf balls. :) This was the first time for the girls miniature golfing. Lexi had a blast, she didn't care about the rules or anything. She just hit that ball as many times as it took to get it in the hole (and sometimes it was many). Ava on the other hand... she was done after hole 1. All in all, it was a fun family activity.

Joy School

2009-09-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ava started Joy School today! I was really worried that she would freak out when I dropped her off, but nope... she did just fine. She was so excited this morning, she kept asking when we could go. She got to bring show 'n tell and I think she changed her mind 4 different times. Ava ended up bringing her Ariel camera. :) I think this will be great for her socially and of course she is learning too. There are 4 kids in the class, everyone is from church, so she knows the other kids. We rotate houses, and my turn to teach is in a couple weeks... oh joy!

She has such a silly smile! I don't know why, but she wouldn't smile "normal." :)

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

Labor Day falls at the beginning of the month, therefore Benj had to WORK...ugh. So Sat. I took the girls to the orchard to pick some apples and get some melon. We go every year, but usually during August. We got there and they tell me they had to pick all the apples/fruit so you could only pick vegetables. Ok. So we drive to the vegetable field and start exploring. We only ended up with 4 measely tomatoes (that shriveled up the next day), 3 butternut squash (that I don't even have a clue how to cook), a cantaloupe (which tasted like perfume so I threw it out), and a canary melon (that I have yet to cut into). Yeah, quite a disappointing visit this year... But we made up for it with lunch @ McDonald's and when Benj got home from work, dinner @ Olive Garden. :)

Lexi is carrying the stuffed dog for a project @ school. She was "team player" this week and had to take Top Dog on all her weekend adventures and then write about it in a journal.

Labor Day

Benj only worked half the day, whoo hoo! So late in the afternoon we headed up to one of our favorite spots, Red Rock. We hiked around Calico Springs and then up some more trails to "find a cave." Lexi is always on the look out for a cool cave. It was such an enjoyable evening. The weather is finally getting a little cooler, at least for my morning runs and in the evenings. We grilled steaks for dinner and ate on the patio. Yay for Fall!

These nice people riding the trail stopped and let the girls pet their horses. :)

First Day of First Grade

2009-08-24T16:04:00.001-07:00

My first grader woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Apparently, I didn't make her the right breakfast. I made waffles (and by made I mean popping them in the toaster) and cantaloupe. But that is what she wanted last night. I should have known she would change her mind. On to the outfit; she couldn't wait to wear her striped dress. Then it was hair time and THAT is sheer torture... for both her and I! After terrorizing her sister some more, we made it to the school and finally... an attitude change, for the better! Perhaps the rough morning was so I wouldn't be sad to leave her at school ALL DAY. ;)

She survived the first day, loved it and can't wait to go back tomorrow.

The Lake

2009-08-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

I tried to talk Benj into going to Cali for the weekend, to play at the beach. But he wouldn't go for it. So we settled for a few hours at Lake Mead. The girls had so much fun swimming, digging in the dirt, and collecting seashells. We may as well have been at the beach, they couldn't tell the difference. Here are a few pics:

Mommy/Daughter Date

2009-08-09T16:20:00.001-07:00

We started this tradition last year when Lexi started Kindergarten: Breakfast @ Denny's and school supply shopping @ Target. Just me and Lex. Her and I love Denny's (the biggest white trash restaurant chain ever, lol). The first day of school is only 15 days away. I can't believe Lexi is going into FIRST GRADE!! She's going to be there all day... I have to pack her a lunch... she's going to be there all day. I know it will be fine, but it will take some getting used to. :)

Escaping the Heat!

2009-08-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday was spent running and then playing. Apryl and I headed out for a run @ 5:30 am and ended up running 9 miles!! It was great at first and then we headed up an incline, that seemed to go on FOREVER. But thanks to Apryl for the great running buddy she is, we stuck it out. It was soooooo tempting to quit and walk. Even running by the park we wanted to stop at the drinking fountain, but we didn't. :)

Later in the afternoon our family and the Larkin's got out of the city and went up to Mt. Charleston. It was great temps, like 80's. The kids had so much fun playing in the little creek, climbing hills/trees, and playing in the "fort" the dads built. Thanks for hanging with us Apryl & Sean, it was a blast!

Montana Vaca

2009-07-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, we crammed a lot into 10 days! But it was 10 days of fun and adventure. The girls and I headed up to UT on the 9th. We stayed @ Destiny and Shay's. Then the next day we followed them up to Hamilton. With 2 kids and a guinea pig, we only had to stop 4 times. :) We were at my parents' house for almost a week. Then Benj flew in and we headed to Kalispell for a long weekend. Our "new" minivan made the trip even better... we brought a lot of stuff back with us, hehe. We got to stop and see friends/sights on our drive home too. Here are some pics:

HAMILTON
We all stopped @ Big Hole Battlefield for a break... the girls with Tiggz, Destiny's pet.
Bubbles with Grandpa
Helping mow the lawn

Shannon, Julie, and I

All our kids!

My mom, the girls, and I at Skalkaho Falls- so pretty!

Popsicles after running through the sprinkler.

Leaving for the airport to pick up Benj ... Romeo wanted to come with us. ;)

Lunch break in Polson @ Flathead Lake

Kalispell

Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park... we went on a boat ride (the big one)

Benj's dad, Benj and the girls... taking a rest along a hike

SNOW!

On our way down on this hike, we saw 3 big horned sheep

And goats

Playing @ Whitefish Lake

Took a walk through Woodland Park

I love these poses, lol!

Picking vegetables from Grandma Baumann's garden

On our way home, we stayed the night in LOGAN! We got to eat @ The Bluebird... mmmmm, that Bluebird chicken, I sure miss it. We went up to campus and walked around... it's changed since we attended there, oh 6 years ago! The whole town has in fact...

Waaaaaayyyy too young to become a "true Aggie!"

We also stopped in SLC and walked Temple Square. This is at the top of the Conference Center.

I miss MT already... family and friends, and those cool MT temps!! But we had a great time with everyone we saw there and along the way. Now it's back to reality!!!

Happy 6th B-day Lexi!

2009-07-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my girl is 6! Time goes waaaaayyy too fast. I told Lexi to stop growing up and she said, "I can't wait til I grow up. Then I can do whatever I want!"
She had her friend party yesterday, it was a bug party. Yep, my girly girl didn't want a princess or a Barbie theme, just bugs. ;) The kids had fun going on a bug hunt (fake, plastic bugs of course) and eating bug cupcakes. Tonight we had her family party and I made an inchworm cake (thank you http://www.betteycrocker.com/) . Lexi knew her big present was a new bike cuz she picked it out like a month ago. She is getting the hang of riding without training wheels, but as soon as she realizes Benj isn't holding on anymore, she freaks and stops/falls. Keep it up Lex! Happy Birthday, we love you!!!

4th of July

2009-07-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

We had a fun 4th this year... it's exactly what we did last year:

Parade in the morning

Benj went to work for a few hours while the girls napped

BBQ in the evening

Bowling @ Red Rock

Fireworks @ Red Rock

Ice cream

I'm so grateful to live in America, for our freedoms, for those who have fought/fight for our country!! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

June Happenings

2009-06-30T19:20:00.001-07:00

The month of June was busy, busy! Lexi started swimming lessons. She was pretty timid at first, but she warmed up fast and really enjoyed it. We weren't really allowed to take pics, but this one is before class one day.
Father's Day weekend we went hiking @ Red Rock. It was really great because the weather (until THIS week) had been pretty mild, in the 90's and even some upper 80's, it was glorious!
I got to have 2, that's TWO girls' nights this month! Plus bookclub and enrichment. So fun! Thanks to my fantastic husband for letting me get out 3 weekends in a row. :) It was VERY much needed.
Apryl, Ashley and I attempted to do a 4th of July craft with our total of 7 kids. I think it went well and they turned out cute (www.familyfun.go.com).
Hope ya'll are having a great summer!!

One of the girls' favorite caves on our favorite hike.

Father's Day 2009

Craft day! Doesn't Ava look enthused?

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-06-09T13:24:00.001-07:00

Lexi & Mrs. Leary & Singing piggies

Put your gang face on!

Lexi is done with Kindergarten! She had such a great year. I know she will miss her teacher, Mrs. Leary, she is sooooooo wonderful. For their little celebration last week, all the K classes put on a little concert, the 3 Piggy Opera. Then they had a party with cake/treats. We took Lexi out to lunch, her choice and she picked Subway. Haha, she really is my daughter. :) I can't believe this fall I will have a first grader! For now, summer time, here we come!!

More May Happenings...

2009-05-31T16:02:00.001-07:00

So this is how we ended our May:
The new park FINALLY opened by Lexi's school, the closest park to our house now, whoo hoo! All the Kindergarten classes went and sang at the opening of the park. Ava had a blast playing in the water area. She was just starting out in these pics, but she really did get SOAKED. :)

Benj's bday was Friday, he turned 33!! After he worked a 14 hour day, we went out to dinner at Outback to celebrate. The girls and I made him a cake (but I couldn't find the other #3 candle, so I used just 3 separate candles). And he got what he's been wanting for a long time now, GUITAR HERO!!

Lexi really wanted to try. She did a great job, but wanted to quit during the first song, lol.

And Lexi lost her first tooth! The thing had been hanging there for a few days now and after church today, she stuck it in my hand. She said she had just been pushing it with her tongue and it fell out! YAY! You can hardly see a hole (bottom left, her right), her new tooth is about grown in. Perhaps the Tooth Fairy will make a visit tonight?! ;)

And yesterday (while daddy was working yet again... I'm thankful for his job, I'm thankful for his job...), I took the girls to see "UP." It wasn't amazing, but it was good. My girls really liked it, except for "the scary dogs." :)

May Happenings

2009-05-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

Aaaaaaah, more blogging to catch up on. Here's what's been happening with us:

Last week Bret, Natalia, and Abby stayed with us. They closed on their new house, but didn't get the keys til 5 days later! They are fantastic house guests though, and the cousins had a lot of fun playing together.

Lexi had her "Spring Extravaganza" at her school. Their class sang several songs, it was so great. Lexi was even in a quartet....darling! I love her teacher, Mrs. Leary and I know Lexi is going to miss her! Only 7 more days of school!!!

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Benj's nephew, Jefferson came into town for the Memorial Day weekend. Saturday was spent doing odds and ends around the house and running errands. But in the evening, we went to the 51's baseball game. It was such a great game. We were down 3 and in the bottom of the 9th, we scored 4 runs to win the game! There was a firework show after and of course the kids LOVED that.

Yesterday was spent outside playing in the little pool and getting some sun. We also had a backyard bbq with The Larkins. I'm so grateful to those who fought/fight for our country so we can enjoy our freedom!!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

I pretty much got to celebrate Mother's Day ALL weekend this year. Friday morning I dropped Ava off at Benj's office and went to Lexi's school for the Mother's Day Tea. It was sooooooo sweet.

First we were served scones, fruit, and juice. And we got to read the books our child put together about Mom & I. Lexi's was so great, she had hers illustrated so awesome! My favorite page was the very first page. It says: My Mom and I eat- and she had written "Piscete." And she drew a picture of her and I sharing a noodle!! How cute is that?! The kids sang some really great songs and of course I totally bawled. But I felt better after looking around because all the other moms were crying too. :) I have pics/video, but it's all on my phone and I need Benj's help transferring it (yep, not savvy enough to do it on my own).

I got some alone time yesterday at the house. I took a long bubble bath, finished a book, and played piano while Benj took the kids to the primary activity. Today my girls gave me royal treatment, showering me with pictures, cards, wrapped up toys (they wrapped up some DVD's/toys with Christmas paper, hehe), and even made me cupcakes. I love being Lexi and Ava's mom and I'm so grateful they are mine!

I talked to my mom today too and nope, I didn't forget about this picture!! LOL! Good times. You make me laugh mom and I'm so glad we are close, love you! Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Race for the Cure

2009-05-10T22:41:00.001-07:00

I'm kind of behind on stuff I wanted to blog about... the blog is really turning into a chore. But at least I know my MOM reads it. :)

Last Sat. Apryl and I did the Race for the Cure 5k at Fremont St. It's always a fun race. There are sooooooooo many participants and so you're just constantly weaving around people during the run. We decided to run it for fun, no killing ourselves to beat PR's. Our time was 28:06.

And I've realized I have been blogging now for a year! I remember because last year's Race for the Cure was my very first post. ;)

Children's Museum

2009-04-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Every summer the girls get passes to the Discovery Museum for reading in the library reading program. Well, we FINALLY got around to using those passes [figured we better since they expired TODAY]. Right now there is a Clifford exhibit and the girls had so much fun. They could have played in the Clifford room all day!

Painting Rocks

2009-04-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

The other day the girls and I went on a search for some good rocks that we could paint for a spring craft. We made lady bugs and the girls did an excellent job on their little project! Ava LOVES to paint and she could have painted every rock we have sitting in the backyard. :)

Professional Pics

2009-04-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

When my mom was here last week, we got the girls' pictures updated at Picture People in the mall. Abigail's too. They all did really good this time, although Abigail is 18 months and is busy! It took her a little while to warm up and then she was down on the floor with her cousins saying, "Cheeeeeeessse!"

Last Minute Trip

2009-04-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Our awesome friends, the Larkins, their family has a cabin up in UT. Sean was going to take scouts up there camping, but no one showed up. So they invited us to come with them! We had about an hour to pack and we loaded up and took off to Pine Valley. It was such a fun trip, even though it snowed all afternoon... the kids got to go on a hike with the dads and Apryl and I got to just stay in and relax. Thanks you guys for such a fun time!!

Lexi's Talent Show

2009-04-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Lexi's class talent show was last week. The girls/boys sang Sesame Street and then the girls sang Hard Knock Life. It was so cute, Lexi was very enthusiastic. :) Here are some pics!

Girl's Getaway

2009-04-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Ashley, Apryl and I were able to go on a girl's only trip this past weekend! We went up to Ashley's parent's cabin up at Brianhead Resort in Utah. The cabin was gorgeous, there were no kids, no husbands, and it was so fun and relaxing. We went into Cedar City and went to the movies (17 Again), went out to eat a couple times, had a Pride & Prejudice marathon, and just had fun being on no schedule at all. Thank girls for an awesome time!!! We def have to do it again! ;)

Easter

2009-04-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Our Easter weekend was a fun one. We got back from our trip the day before (also my bday), and I had to get to the store to get everything for our Easter dinner and eggs to color of course. The girls had fun dying eggs and Benj made me a bday cake... awesome. The next morning the girls went downstairs... the Easter Bunny had made a visit! :) After church, my brothers and family came over for dinner. And Lexi, Ava, and Abby had an egg hunt. It was such a beautiful day!

Easter dresses!

Do you see that egg Rooney??
Lexi helping Abby find eggs.

Grandma sent a fun Easter package!

Disneyland & Birthdays

2009-04-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last week was spring break, Ava's bday, and my bday and we spent it at Disneyland. I think I was as excited as my kids about going (I hadn't been there since I was a kid)... and it didn't disappoint. Our first day there was on Ava's 3rd birthday- I can't believe my baby is 3!! Ava refused to wear her bday button from Disney, so know one knew it was her birthday. She got a giftcard for merchandise and she picked out a of fun stuff... and just had to have these Tinkerbelle green flip flops!
The first stop had to be to see the princesses. The girls saw Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine. The girls especially enjoyed meeting Tinkerbelle and Fawn in Pixie Hollow and going to play in Toon Town with Mickey and Minnie. :) Ava opened her presents at the hotel before we went to the park since we knew we were not going to be back till late. Here are some pics, enjoy!

I think Ariel was their favorite!

Ava fell asleep in line to meet Tigger.

We ate at Rainforest Cafe for dinner and Ava

got bday ice cream. :)

Cotton candy during the firework show.

TINKERBELLE!

The Easter Bunny

2009-04-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to the mall yesterday to visit the Easter Bunny. Lexi was the only one who wanted to go see him though. Of course Ava refused, lol. She did give him a high five on the way out though. :)

Locked Out!

2009-04-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm an idiot... this morning I locked my keys in the car... along with everything else like my phone, water, Ava's snacks. Ava and I were at the park (of course not the one closest to our house). When my friend Shelly got there, she let me use her phone to call Benj. I told him we were at the park on Town Center. And he was like, "What? Why are you clear over there?" I was just thinking, ok obviously he hasn't been to this park for a while because it's really not that far. I told him to jump on the freeway and just come cuz I had to pick up Lexi for school soon. And since he rides his bike to work, he had to ride it home to get his truck and them come to the park...
So we're waiting and waiting. Ava is playing and wanting her snack (thank you Shelly and kids for sharing with her!!). And Benj still hasn't come. So Shelly checks her phone and there's a voicemail from Benj. I call him and he tells me he's there at the park. I said, no you're not. He goes, "Yes, I'm at Town Square." Ok, Town Square is the outdoor mall and yep, there's a park there. But we were at Town Center!! No wonder he was acting like it was way out of the way... it kind of is. So... he had to turnaround, back on the freeway to Town Center. LOL!! So sorry honey! But I have to mention... I have bailed you out before. Remember locking your keys in your truck and me driving in rush hour traffic clear to UNLV to resuce you? ;)
Thanks babe, for all the running around you did this morning. Brownies are in the oven!!

TGIF

2009-03-27T12:17:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness it's Friday! It's been a pretty good week... we survived playdates (and fighting kids), dentist appts. (it was Ava's first time and she cried for daddy the WHOLE time), and I'm ready for the weekend. Thank goodness though for friends, bookclub night, and the RS dinner this week. I ran only 3 times this week, but Apryl went with me twice, so that was awesome! I need that energetic spark to get through the day.

Lexi had reading week at school this week. They got to dress up different ways each day. I only took a couple pics... Wed. was Wacky Wednesday and she wanted her hair in a whole bunch of ponies. Today was pajama day and she could not wait for it to come. She wants to stay in jammies all day, but we have to take Ava to dance class, so I'm thinking she's going to have to change. :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!! Happy Friday.

Year Round School??

2009-03-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Lexi brought home a note from school that said their school was going from a 9 month schedule to a year round one, starting this fall. The kids will all be put in groups (tracks) and rotated so that one group is always on vacation. There's a part of me that really hates this idea, but a part of me that thinks, ok, we'll deal with it. But I would want to be on a good track! There are a lot of schools in the Valley that are year round, but I was so happy that we were zoned for a 9 month school.

The teachers are not happy with the idea and yesterday when I walked Lexi to class, the PTA was out with the petitions. So I signed it and plan on calling to complain. The school is not over crowded, so it's not necessary RIGHT NOW to go year round. I guess they tried to do this a couple years ago too, and they got so many complaints from parents/teachers that it didn't go through. So maybe that will happen this time? Time will tell.

A Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Compared to my day yesterday, today was sooooooooo much better! Phew! We had a fun Clover Day. We had a playdate with friends and made green playdough. And my kids could not WAIT to have green jello tonight with dinner, lol. I don't make jello too often, I don't really know why, but my kids love it. I made homemade mac 'n cheese and we had green stuff to go with it; salad/cucumbers, brocooli, and magically, the milk was green too. ;)

Manic Monday...

2009-03-16T19:49:00.001-07:00

So I thought after a great weekend (girls night out, Benj being home all day on Sunday) I could have a good start to my week. I thought wrong. This morning was fine. But later this afternoon my kids were driving me mad!
We went outside so I could weed the front yard and Lexi was being my helper at first. But I suppose that got too boring. Both kids started to run in and out of the house, through the front door and around through the garage. They kept bringing out toys, and then had to get drinks, then more toys, then fighting over said toys. Mind you all my neighbors are outside as well and I'm trying not to yell at my children. Needless to say, I did not get my weeding done, we had to go inside. The afternoon just went downhill from there because the fighting and whining continued... just IN the house.
And now Benj is upstairs trying to get the girls to bed and it's not sounding promising. I just heard him say, "You guys stay out of Mommy's nailpolish!" Oh my... and I only have TWO kids.
Okay, I think I'm better... just had to vent a bit. I'm going to put on my pj's, make a smoothie, and escape into some Monday night TV. Night!

Montana

2009-03-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

The girls and I were in MT all last week visiting my parents. We had a good time and a lot of fun! Lexi said it best, "Grandma has the best ideas!" And I got to eat Taco John's... my favorite fast food, lol! The girls enjoyed playing with all the toys and dress-ups. So when you see Ava in some of these pics with no clothes on, it was because she had been wearing a dress-up dress. :)

Movie night, Romeo joined in too.

Helping Grandpa fold his shop towels

My mom made shamrock sugar cookies and we frosted them

Lexi playing fetch with Romeo

We all got haircuts... for some reason I only took a picture of Ava. Thanks dad for the great hair cuts and product!

My mom has a friend who raises sheep. And a few of the sheep had lambs... they were only 3 days old! The girls loved petting the white and black lambs.

My mom got her wheat grinder out and we ground wheat and made homemade honey-wheat bread. The girls got a turn kneading it.

The end results... It was sooooooooooo yummy!!

We spent a day shopping in Missoula. We got some good deals and our mission was to find Lexi an Easter dress. Mission accomplished, thanks Mom!! Lexi was BEAT obviously... she fell asleep on the way home. :)

And of course we had to make a visit to the duck pond to feed the ducks. It had snowed that morning, but the girls REALLY wanted to go.

Cheese! The girls and my parents at the airport. Thanks for a great trip Mom and Dad!! We love you and miss you already!