It's Party Time! Happy 2nd Birthday Colton!

So this past weekend we had a party for Coltons birthday with our families. It was a lot of fun! Colton didn't understand what all the fuss was about and didn't care as long as he was eating! He didn't blow out the candles on his cake, he wouldn't unwrap any gifts (good thing Logan was "willing" to help) and he cried when we tried to get him to hit the pinata. But give him a cupcake and his bottle and he was a happy kid!
He got a ton of gifts that he (and Logan) have enjoyed playing with ever since! Thanks everyone who came and participated in the festivities! We hope you all had a good time too!

It's the Birthday Boy and Dad!


Mmmmm...Cake!

Don't bother me, I'm drinking.

What do you want me to do with this?

Thanks Uncle Matt for the drum set. Did you include ear plugs for my mom?

I don't want it!

(Logan taking a whack at it!)

(Jacob taking a turn)

(Sarah Jane showing what she's made of)

(Mitchell finally breaking the pinata open!)

Happy Birthday My Sweet Boy! We Love YOU!!!

Orange Belt Promotion for Logan

Logan has now advanced to an Orange Belt! He did awesome! His form was nearly perfect! He also was one of only 6 students out of 70+ kids to get an award! His award was for "Most Improved". And he has improved! We are so proud of Logan! He has had a blast showing everyone and anyone his trophy!

Logan and his fellow "Yellow Belts" going through their form and testing for their Orange Belts.


Logan receiving his Orange Belt.
Logan receiving his trophy for "Most Improved".

All the Karate students and staff!
Logan proudly showing his new belt and trophy!

Happy 2nd Birthday Colton!

For Colton's Birthday we spent some time with Grandma Harker at the zoo. Aside from the fact that Colton refused to walk or ride in his stroller and Logan had several melt-downs, it was a fun day. We got to see the bird show (which none of us had seen before), eat lunch, and ride both the train and carousel. It was a pretty warm day so most of the animals were sleeping, or just hanging out. But one monkey was pretty playful and the penguins were out splashing around.

Look Ma, No Training Wheels!

For Christmas Logan got a "big boy" bike with no training wheels. Now that it is finally warm enough to be outside, Rhett decided it was time to teach Logan how to ride! After about a half dozen times up and down the street, Logan started to get the hang of it. With a little more practice he will be a pro in no time!

Easter 2010

Easter Sunday was pretty quite at our house. Logan was excited to see what treats the Easter Bunny brought and to see where he hid the eggs we dyed the night before. Colton is still to young to understand what is going on, but did enjoy his Easter Basket!

After hunting for eggs and checking out the baskets, it was off to Grandma and Grandpa Richards house for a yummy Easter Dinner!

Karate Belt Promotion for Logan

Logan has been taking Karate classes for several months now and last night was Promotion, meaning he tested for and received his next belt. He is now a Yellow Belt!

This was our first belt promotion and the first time the studio did this at a junior high school to accommodate all the parents and relatives that wanted to come and watch. So Logan had to preform his 'form' on stage in front of a huge audience. I think I was more nervous than Logan, but he did a great job! I am so proud of him! Karate has been a good thing for him!

Here are a few pics from last night!

Logan and the other "White Belts" doing their form.

Logan showing off his new Yellow Belt!

A group picture of all the students and staff.

Happy Anniversary

So Rhett and I have been married now for 11 years. 11 long, fun, frustrating, crazy, amazing years! It is hard to believe! I love Rhett! He is a good husband and father! I don't know what I would do without him! He is my best friend and loves me no matter what! Happy Anniversary to us! :)

Christmas 2009

I will admit, I am a bit of a Scrooge. While I love Christmas and all that it means, I hate decorating, planning, shopping, wrapping, etc. But this year I actually planned ahead (a little). I started shopping in November and had most of it done before December 1st! Yay for online shopping! :)

I also talked Rhett into letting me get a pre-lite tree this year. I guess he was sick of having to take cover and listening to me curse the tree while trying to put the lights on! So I even got our tree up and mostly decorated the week after Thanksgiving (a first for me).

So while I am a scrooge, I try hard to be happy, excited, and stress-free for my kids. I want them to love Christmas! We took them to get a picture with Santa, of course. But that sure was an exercise in patience for me!

We use to go to a tree lot in Sandy where they have a giant sleigh, reindeer, and the cutest Santa ever. But this year, the cutest Santa ever was not there. Instead they had some young, Hispanic dude in a terrible costume. Plus, instead of taking your picture, you had to bring your own camera and tip Santa for a photo. I didn't bring my camera.

And how do you respond to your 6 year old when he asks "Why does this Santa Claus look so different than the real Santa?" (Logan is very observant, so we had to have a talk about how the Santa's at the mall and other places are 'helpers' and not the real Santa.) We did eventually make it to a mall to get a picture that turned out okay. Of course Colton was terrified of Santa!

Ti's the season for family parties and get-togethers. We had our fair share of those as well and had a lot of fun at all of them! It was also fun for the kids to be surrounded by their cousins and all our family traditions!

And the first time I pulled out the "Santa is watching" card, Logan responded with "I don't care cuz if I'm on the naughty list I can do whatever I want and it won't matter!" What the.....?!?! Okay, I wasn't prepared for that one! Good thing Logan is a pretty good kid, most of the time!

Christmas morning was great! Both boys slept in till after 9:00. We had to go in and wake them up. (We would've let them sleep in longer if we didn't have to be at Rhett's parents house for dinner.) Logan, of course, was so excited! He had a blast passing out and opening up presents. He was so cute with Colton trying to explain to him what all the toys were and what they did. Colton on the other hand was more interested in the wrapping paper, boxes and bows. But he did finally come around to his own toys! Logan was so excited that Santa came and brought him exactly what he asked for! Amazing how Santa knows! :)

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Over all it was a fun morning for all! The kids had fun and Rhett and I had fun watching them! Even thought it is a lot of work and preparation, it is so worth it to see the smiles on the kids faces!

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas as well with wishes for a great new year in 2010!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to All!
This year we spent Thanksgiving with Rhett's side of the family. We enjoyed a yummy traditional dinner at Rhett's parents house surrounded by his brothers and sisters! Of course I took my camera, but didn't pull it out to take any pics! But regardless we had a great day stuffing ourselves silly! I hope you all had a wonderful day as well!

Happy Halloween!

On Halloween, Logan couldn't wait for trick-or-treating! We invited Grandma R, Uncle Randy, as well as Holly and Savannah. We had a pumpkin shaped pizza, bread sticks and Halloween cupcakes! Then off to trick-or-treat. This was Savannah's first year trick-or-treating and she didn't quite know what to make of it! This year Logan was a pro! Colton just sat in his stroller and was along for the ride. Unfortunately, my camera got changed from its auto-focus setting so some of the pics are blurry. I know, I know, I am a real pro!

And we're off! Logan took off right away. Savannah on the other hand was in no hurry. She didn't understand why we kept sending her up to the doors of houses that we weren't going into.



Even after getting candy, she would just look at us like "Now what?" It was pretty cute!

This 'Haunted' House was a hit with the kids. Logan just wanted to stop and play!




At this house, Logan couldn't quite grasp the idea of this talking pumpkin. "How does he know my name, mom?" "Is that pumpkin real?" We must have spent 10 minutes at this house alone. Logan loved running up and talking to the pumpkin and having the pumpkin answer back!

Here is Colton along for the ride. At this point he is tired, hungry and ready to be out of the stroller.

Back at home I tried unsuccessfully to get a pic of the kids. Logan wanted to eat candy, Savannah was getting tired and seemed a little confused still, and Colton (who refused to wear the hood to his frog costume) was just plain ornery. Overall it was a fun and funny night! I am glad we were able to share this time with Savannah, Holly, Grandma R, and Randy! Happy Halloween!