Christiansen

give up?

2011-02-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

So...have you given up on me?

Probably have.

That's OK.

I'll make it up to you.

Slowly, but surely, I will.

Going back to June 2010...wow, it's been too long.

Santa 2010

2010-12-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

Santa visited our ward party. The kids always love to see Santa, but Kaylee keeps telling me that he was just "the pretend Santa."

Kaylee's class Christmas Party

2010-12-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

This year Kaylee and I made these card/picture holders for Mrs. Rogers and Ms. Karen.

Kaylee with her gingerbread house.

Making crafts with Mom and Dad.

Then, they sang us some fun songs. The kids were so cute.

Nutcracker

2010-12-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

For a girls night out we went to the Nutcracker.

The girls loved watching the dancing. And walked out twirling.

It was a really great night.

Our group. Aunt Angela, Emma, Kaylee, and friend Katelyn.

Aunt Angela & Emma

Mom & Kaylee

Kaylee wouldn't take a picture without making a face.

(Uncle Aaron would be proud.)

Off to Utah for Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Flying to Utah for Thanksgiving!

S N O W !

Kaden and Grandpa Lolo taking a nap together.

Nana's house. The kids love Gizzy and she loves them!

Kaylee and Gizzy have an especially close friendship. Gizzy couldn't stop licking Kaylee's face.

Out to eat. The kids thought the peanuts were a great idea!

Uncle Aaron

We all did some black Friday shopping...

Crazy stores, late nights, lots of fun gifts for Christmas.

Aunt Lanae

Uncle Jay

Trunk-or-Treat

2010-10-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

The Spooky Christiansen family.

Ready to trunk-or-treat!

Taking inventory of their loot.

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Kaylee was our photographer as we carved pumpkins(she didn't want to get her hands goopy). She did very well. There are quite a few pictures of the knives, stencles, our hands, and the inside of pumpkins though.(: Kaden didn't mind getting messy.

Dress up for school

2010-10-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Kaylee got to dress up for school. She was excited to show off her witches costume. Kaden walked her to school in his costume as well. We can't wait for the scary fun of Halloween!

Time Out for Women

2010-10-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

A few friends and I went to Time Out for Women this year. It was awesome to laugh and take time to have fun with some great friends!

Dinosaur dig

2010-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Kaylee's class went on a field trip to a near by park that has a fun dinosaur dig. The kids had been learning about dinosaurs so this was really fun to dig up some fossils themselves.

baptism

2010-09-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

It was so neat to see Nicholes baptized. He is my oldest nephew and so the first I got to see take this awesome step. We are all so proud of you Nicholes!

Grandpa & Puppies

2010-09-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

puppies!

Reading with Grandpa while he is cooking breakfeast.

Nana & Aunt Jeanene

2010-09-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Nana and Aunt Jeanene came down for for a visit and to help us celebrate Kaylee's birthday.

We had so much fun! They brought a couple kites...we tried to fly them. (:

We also went to Build a Bear Workshop. The kids loved this!

Kaylee with Ballerina. Kaden with Hunter.

They also helped with Kaylee's birthday party and had fun celebrating our Kaylee turning 5! Along with some crafting, a little shopping, and lots of chatting we had a really great time and the kids really enjoyed getting to know their Daddy's aunt better...me too!

Kaylee's 5th Birthday

2010-09-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

5 years have flown by! Kaylee is such a sweet and wonderful little girl. We absolutely love her!

For her birthday she invited a couple friends over for a girlie night. Including watching a Barbie movie, making bead necklaces and bracelets, and painting their nails. Of course there was also cake and presents. And then more presents from everyone else the next day. Lucky girl!

Tuckered out and wearing her birthday crown from school. (:

Grandpa Lolo

2010-08-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Lolo came down to visit! We had fun playing and shopping at the mall. The kids drug their grandpa into this hurricane simulator and thought it was pretty funny. It was. (:

Grandma & Grandpa's house

2010-08-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

The kids love to go visit Grandma and Grandpa. I do too. The kids especially enjoyed the puppies! They didn't care how hot it was outside as long as they got to play with the puppies. Kaylee had a favorite. She was so small and calm. It almost made me want to have a dog...almost.

We had fun swimming at Aunt Alyssa's apartment pool and celebrating the kids birthdays since the visit fell right between their birthdays.

Cute picture of Brendon and Shaina!

We also got to visit Aunt Alyssa at work. She gets to do story time and read to all the kids. Kaden, then Kaylee slowly worked their way to the front until they were sitting by Aunt Alyssa getting an up close view of the pictures.

Back to School

2010-08-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Kaylee's first day back to pre-school.

Kaden on Kaylee's first day back to school. (:

Kaylee was excited to get to go back to school. This is her second year of pre-school and she got to be in Mrs. Rogers class again. We love Mrs. Rogers. She really is the best teacher ever. Kaylee loves going to school each day and is always thrilled to jump off of the bus and show me what they did or made that day. This has been the best thing for Kaylee!

water!

2010-08-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

Fun in the sun!

Kaden is 3!

2010-08-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Kaden had a great third birthday!

He had a sports themed party, which was so much fun.

Some of his favorite gifts were a t-ball set, a new fishing pole, a big t-rex dinosaur, cars with the streets, and a big beach ball that sprays water.

Happy Birthday Kaden!!!

Love you!

Kaden had some friends and cousins over to play games and eat cake.

football field cake

pierced

2010-07-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

before

during

after

Kaylee wanted earrings for her birthday.

Thinking ahead, we got her ears pierced a few weeks before her birthday so she could change them on her special day! She did so good. She was willing to do whatever to have those earrings! Some of the earings she picked out are weather themed and she loves to change them to match what is going on outside. A big day for our big girl.

4th

2010-07-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th with some great friends. We found a spot on the side of the road and watched the firework show from the back of the trucks. The kids had fun watching the fireworks and playing with glow sticks.

swimming lessons

2010-06-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

The kids loved swimming lessons.

We did 4 weeks of swimming this year.

Everyone knows the best way to get threw the hot summer is jumping in to a pool!

It was nice to get in the water with Kaden this year. I'll miss that.

SeaWorld

2010-06-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

We had the best time at Sea World!

It was an amazing trip.

We loved the animals, the weather, the beach, swimming at the hotel,

and just being together.

aaahhhh...

Kaden had so much fun playing with the water.

Until he was done and he was cold!

ELMO! Who doesn't love him?

Feeding the dolphins was one of the highlights. So cool.

Kaylee and Mom went on the big roller coaster!

Scary!

When we were walking out she asked to go again. Our brave girl.

The beach was fun, a little cold, but fun.

another trip to the zoo

2010-06-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

We never get tired of the zoo. The kids ask to go all the time. This last trip we were so excited to have our friends come with us.

Meet Laura, her daughter, Angel, and son, Christian.

Kaden was especially thrilled to have Christian to buddy around with.
We got there early enough to see the animals up and about. It was so fun to see them playing instead of napping.

Graduation

2010-06-04T09:56:00.001-07:00

Kaylee graduated from her first year of pre-school last week. The little graduation ceremony was so cute. The kids sang us some of their favorite songs and recited nursery rhymes they learned this year. Then they received their diplomas and a graduation prize. Kaylee chose the lady bug that is in most of the pictures. She named it Lisa.

Mrs. Rogers

Ms. Aimee

Ms. Karen

We are so proud of you Kaylee!

Ms. Aimee brought her cousin who is a fullback for the Arizona cardinals as a surprise for the kids. I think the dads were more surprised and excited than the kids.

cold

2010-06-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a little cold! I know, I know, we were wearing shorts and flip flops so it really wasn't that cold. But it will be last of the cool days for a long long time so we decided to celebrate the cold with hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows on the fire. It was a nice evening just being together outside.

Zoo

2010-05-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last week we headed off for the zoo. I figure we had better get in a couple of zoo trips before it gets too hot. We better do one more because we missed the flamingos on this last trip and Kaylee really missed them. She loves that they are pink. We went with some friends and were so glad we did. We had a great time playing especially in the water!

Kaden

Kaylee

Cooper

Maya

Max

My Mothers Day

2010-05-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

I had a very nice mothers day. It started with two things I love, cuddling with my kiddos and super yummy waffles that Ryan made.

Good Morning!

Kaylee made this cute candle for me at school. She was so excited to give it to me that she opened it for me when she brought it home on Thursday.

Ryan and the kids also got me a lamp for my craft table and some new embossing powders. So fun!

Daddy's Birthday

2010-04-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ryan just turned 28.

The kids were so excited for his birthday they could hardley wait. The very first thing we did when we got up was open presents. Kaylee and Kaden kept singing, "Happy Birthday Daddy" over and over again as he opened them. It was so cute and quite funny too. He got lots of stuff for his bow. Kaylee and Kaden picked out a deer key chain for him. After Ryan went to work for half the day we went to dinner and then home for his birthday desert. Which happened to be cookies since I forgot to turn the timer on when I was baking the cake...oops.

Hope it was a good one.

We love you Daddy!

Caterpillar

2010-04-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

We found a caterpillar in our flowerbed. The kids thought is was awesome. We caught it and made a little home fit for a caterpillar it in a jar. But the next day when we were watering the flowers we saw another caterpillar. At first Kaylee wanted to catch it too so the caterpillar friends could be together, but after I suggested letting it go so it could be with his family and friends she was convinced that was what she wanted to do. So we let our little friend go. Kaylee started crying. When I asked why she told me it was because she was so happy the caterpillar could be with his family. Both Kaylee and Kaden love it when we see our little friends.

Field Trip

2010-04-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Kaylee's class went on another field trip. A junior high nearby set up a spring carnival with fun games and activities for the preschool kids. The kids had a great time.

Easter Sunday

2010-04-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Easter bunny hopped by our house this Easter leaving the kids baskets and hiding some eggs for them to find. Kaylee's favorite gift was stickers for her nails and Kaden's was the gun. After some egg hunting and candy eating we had a nice day listening to conference. It was the perfect reminder for our Easter Sunday.

Then we had fun coloring some eggs. Kaylee has been so egg-cited for this and has been asking to do it all week.

Quick Trip to Yuma

2010-04-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the kids and I drove to Yuma for a night to see my family. It was a super fast and super fun packed day! I am so sad that I forgot my camera when we went to the fair, but the kids had a blast. They loved the rides, the animals, and the shows.

After the fair we headed over to an Easter picnic. Kaylee and Kaden enjoyed the park and especially liked playing with their cousins and hunting for eggs. By the day they were exhausted, but still had enough energy to stay up late playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Kaden kept telling me there was, "one more." And he was right a couple of times.

Kaylee and I at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Is it hot enough?

2010-04-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

When my brothers and sister and I were kids I remember asking if we could go swimming and my mom telling us that we had to wait until it was 90 degrees outside. So a week or so ago the weather man said it was going to get to 90. So I thought, "It is hot enough to go swimming." The next day I pulled out the pool and let Kaylee and Kaden jump in and have some fun. They were still a bit cold, but wouldn't admit it. Pretty soon there won't be anything else to do outside but get wet. 90 will be left behind in our fond memories. We are enjoying it while it lasts.

Easter Party

2010-03-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood had a Easter party this last Saturday. The kids had fun gathering Easter eggs, getting their face painted, jumping in the bouncers, playing on the playground, and eating yummy doughnuts.

Playing House

2010-03-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Aaron worked hard and got the kids playhouse put together! It was a little more involved than I thought it would be when I bought it, but it turned out so cute and the kids LOVE it!

The very beginning of the project. Working into the night.

The kids couldn't wait to play with it when they woke up the next day. When Ryan came home from work Kaylee ran and gave him a hug and said, "Thank you for my house, Daddy!"

A big thank you to Daddy and Uncle Aaron!

Shooting

2010-03-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

We drove out to Four Peeks so we could do some shooting. It was such a nice day. The weather was even cool.

Ryan really enjoyed our time out shooting. He would do this much more often if he had the chance.

This is Aaron with the 270, but it was so much fun to watch him shoot the shot gun. He was a natural and before too long he was hitting most of the skeet!

This was Katelynn's first time shooting a gun. She started with the 22, which was her favorite, but gave the shot gun a try too even though she as a bit nervous.

Cheryl with her all time favorite gun, the 22.

Ryan and Aaron had fun shooting the bows in the backyard.

A day at the Zoo

2010-03-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

The zoo was so much fun, especially with Nana, Aaron, and Katelynn!

The kids absolutely love riding the carousel.

Maybe the favorite activity of the day, face painting.

Kaylee's was beautiful as a butterfly.

Kaden looked awesome as a ferocious tiger.

Kaden's preferred mode of transportation was on Uncle Aaron's shoulders.

Katelynn, Kaylee, and Kaden rode a camel. Quite a bumpy ride.

We were feeding the sting rays when the kids got a pretty good splash from one of the rays. Kaden was quite stunned and had this look of complete amazement when it happened. They were good sports though. This was the first time Kaylee really wanted to touch them. They both got so excited when one would come close enough to touch.

Happy St. Patricks Day

2010-03-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Cheryl, Aaron, and Katelynn drove all the way from Salt Lake to see us. They got here on St. Patricks Day. The kids thought these St. Patrick's Day goodies from Aaron and Katelynn were so cool.

And what could be more fun than Uncle Aaron hanging you upside down?

Seriously, Nothing.

Kaden's surprise!

2010-02-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago Kaden ran into my bedroom so excited to show me something. Saying, "come on Mom!" he grabbed my hand and drug me into the front room where he stood in the middle of the room, raised his arms, and shouted a big, "SURPRISE!" Me seeing his surprise said, "Oh, no." He was immediately disappointed with drooped shoulders and big lip. I then hugged him and explained that I love his surprises and I love when he colors pictures for me, but that he really needed to use paper, not the couch.

Kaylee singing

2010-02-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Kaylee has come home from school singing a variety of songs. I thought this one was especially cute. They sang this one the week of Valentines day. She is so proud of herself when she learns new songs to sing for us at home.

waiting

2010-02-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

Every week for the past few months Kaden and I get to hang out for an hour while Kaylee gets to play with her speech theropist. A couple of months ago they moved the office over to a new building. It has its ups and downs(parking). But it has provided quite a new variety of activities for Kaden and I.

The new office has a tv, but it is only on about one out of four times. That's ok. We've explored and found other waiting rooms with tvs too. So now we have our choice of programs to watch.

The toys are always played with for about 5 min.

A must-see are the trains. Being there every week we've been able to see the progress they are making as they build the tracks, towns, and mountains. Kaden just loves the trians.

He is also getting quite good at chess. Well, ok, we just play with the pieces.

We ride up to the top floor to see the view and watch the cars and people below. We usually run into Lilly here. She is the the theropy dog who visits the children in the hospital.

The elevator is an attraction in its self.

We haven't explored all the floors yet. We hear there is a fun waiting room somewhere with video games. Maybe it is a myth, we'll have to see if we can't find it next week.

On the way out we stop at the fountain and occasionally throw in a penny or two.

curly

2010-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Kaylee is always talking about having curly hair. So we bought some sponge curlers and the next day her hair was curly! She loved it and looked so cute for her school Valentine party.

playing with puppies

2010-02-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

When Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Trent came up a couple of weeks ago they brought three puppies with them. The puppies were adorable. The kids fell in love with them right away. It was so much fun to see the kids playing with the puppies. It was even better to see Grandma, Grandpa, and Trent!

Love this picture of Kaylee with Grandma!

(I don't know how I didn't get any with Grandpa)

Visit from Brendon & Shaina

2010-02-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Brendon and his girlfriend Shana came up to see us. It was really nice to visit with them. Kaylee and Kaden loved having them. They were so much fun to play with!

Thanks for coming!

Say Cheese

2010-01-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Kaden has been on a picture kick lately. Whenever he sees the camera he wants a picture taken. He'll say cheese until you snap one or two or four of him.

I'm loving the silly pictures!

eggs!

2010-01-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Ghost has laid a couple of eggs! Kaylee & Kaden are so excited. Yesterday they were talking to Daddy on the phone and Kaden kept saying, "Two eggs! Two eggs!" And Kaylee was telling Daddy, "How cuuuute! Small Tweets! Small Wings!" We may or may not have baby birds on the way.

-27-

2010-01-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

I just turned 27!

I have to say I felt totally spoiled and loved.

The day started off with the kids sleeping until 8:30! What a wonderful gift that was. My sister in law, Angela, took me to a nice lunch at Red Robin. Kaden and Lola did pretty good at letting us eat and talk for just a little while. Then Ryan sent me flowers, daisies. The "friendliest flower." Loved that. He also surprised me with a new sewing machine! Mine has been broken for the last few of months and I have missed it. My parents sent me a new camera. Again, ours broke in December. My father in law called me and has sent a new Cricut Expression that should be here on Wednesday! I have the smaller machine and he knew how much I loved it so he got me the upgrade. Then courtesy of my mother in law I get to go on a shopping spree for anything I want! Really people, thank you! It was a wonderful day! And Sunday Jeff and Angela and family are going to come over for dinner and cake. A yummy strawberry short cake with real whipped cream and a yummy strawberry glaze! We might watch some football, the playoffs even.

Could I ask for anything more?

Kaylee and Kaden were happy to help me open the bath salts they got for me.

Kaylee wanted to make sure my eyes were closed for the big suprise.

YaY! A new sewing machine!

i LUV to make stuff!

2010-01-11T18:07:00.000-08:00

I have a new blog!
There isn't too much on there yet, but, hopefully, there will be soon.

Come see me over at i LUV to make stuff!
Lets have some fun!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

We hadn't made it over to see the lights at the temple yet this year, so when we didn't have any plans for New Years Eve we thought it would be a nice thing to take the kids to see.

Before the lights the kids and I stopped by Aunt Silva's house to see Grandma before she headed home. Kaden would bring her a yo-yo so she could wind it up for him. Then he would say, "watch this," make sure he had your attention, the let it unwind. He thought it was a pretty cool trick.

Then we headed over to the temple to meet Daddy.

The lights were beautiful and we had a wonderful time.
We headed home, put the kids in bed, and watched a movie to ring in the new year. We are exciting, aren't we!

Christmas

2009-12-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

We woke up Christmas morning around 8:00 to Kaylee's excited exclamations that "Santa came!" One of the first things she did was run to the cookies and milk we left for Santa to see if he had eaten them. He did, of course, and I am sure he loved them. After she woke up Mom and Dad she ran into Kaden's room to tell him that Santa had brought him something special.

This was the first year that Kaylee really understood Santa and gift giving. It was fun to see her excited to open the gifts, but also to give them. She even picked out and bought a set of sand toys for Kaden at a little shop the school had set up. She couldn't wait for Kaden to open them.

Kaden was much more into playing with the gifts that he has already opened than opening more. So when Kaylee was done opening he still had gifts waiting.

We started the morning with Daddy reading the Christmas Story.

Santa brought Kaden a cool tool bench.

Santa brought Kaylee this horse and a huge stuffed dog.

Kaden was excited about his, "R O B O T S !"

Mom spent a lot of the day laid back on the couch sick. ): We even took a little break from all the opening fun while Daddy and Kaylee ran to the pharmacy to get cold medicine.

Little Fairy Kaylee

Dad opening his new release for the bow.

We played all day long and stayed in our pajamas the whole day too! Because Mom felt so yucky we didn't visit family like we had planned, but we did have a wonderful Christmas together at home.

This is the gift Kaylee brought home from School for Mommy and Daddy. We love it! She made the snowmen with her feet, which she loved!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-29T07:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve we stayed home and made, then decorated cookies for Santa. The kids were so excited that he was finally going to come! We watched a couple Christmas shows, then ended the night by reading "The Night Before Christmas."

Sending our Love

2009-12-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Sending you our wishes for a Wonderful Christmas

and a Happy New Year!

Pre-Christmas Visit

2009-12-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

My Opa and his wife, Sallee, have spent this week visiting in Yuma. My dad drove them up to see all of us. It was nice to see them especially since it has been so long. Sallee made all the kids beautiful blankets, which they love. And Grandma and Grandpa Borgersen sent these cool scooters! YaY, for pre-Christmas! The kids enjoyed zipping around the front yard. It was cute to see Kaden trying to put his scooter together. He did pretty good knowing what should go where.

Nativity

2009-12-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

Monday night the kids and I had a nice night at my Aunt Silva and Uncle Kim's house. My Grandma is up for Christmas so a few cousins got together for a combined Family Home Evening. The kids made smores and roasted marshmallows on the fire. They love their older cousins. We also acted out the nativity. Kaylee was a very entertaining angel. Kaden was not interested in joining in.

(Yes, that is a Rubik's cube sitting on the baby...I think that was the substitute for the myrrh.)

Crafty Christmas

2009-12-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

I've had fun making some gifts for Christmas this year. My friend Kelli and I got together and made some of these fun "JOY" blocks. Her dad was nice enough to cut the wood for us. We each made several sets different colors, but these were the only set left when I was taking pictures. Then later we made an impromptu set of Hanukkah blocks. That was a first.

I also made a couple of these

and these. I felt pretty handy(and brave) pulling out the saw and cutting the wood.

I also did a couple of blocks that just had a small joy with some holly and button berries. Now I need to make a set for myself.

Pre-school Christmas Party

2009-12-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

Kaylee's Pre-school Christmas Party

They sang us all a couple of songs.

Kaylee's first ornament made from popsicle sticks and construction paper. love it! Kaden loves going to Kaylee's classroom. She made a gingerbread man. Run! Run! As fast as you can... And a candy cane. They did a book exchange.

Kaden even got a book!

Kaylee was so excited when she jumped off the school bus carrying this gift for Mom and Dad. The first made-at-school Christmas gift complete with homemade wrapping paper.

I wonder what it is?!?

Santa

2009-12-16T10:09:00.001-08:00

This last weekend was our Ward Christmas Breakfeast. The kids were excited to see the guest of honor, SANTA! Kaylee told Santa she wanted a Zhu Zhu Pet...don't know if Santa can get his hands on one of those. She also has mentioned a princess scooter. Kaden will be so easy this year. He loves anything boy. We were lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa Borgersen come with us. We love having them around!

Obey all traffic laws

2009-12-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

Recently when I would stop at a red light Kaylee would tell me to "go!" So the last couple of weeks I have been explaining to Kaylee that we stop at red lights and go when the light turns green.

So here we are, driving in the car and can you believe it, I stopped then turned right while the light was red! Kaylee was so upset that I didn't stop when the light was still red! Then just a few minutes later I was waiting to turn left, but the light was green. Kaylee wanted to know why I wouldn't go!

Little Kaylee, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Before we know it we will be the ones wondering why you didn't stop, but for now, just trust Mommy.

Love Ya Girlie!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving down at my Grandma's house in St. David. It was so fun to be there with all the family in the crowded kitchen. The kids ran around with cousins and loved every minute of it. My mom, Trent and I even braved the Wal-mart(the only store we could get to without an hour drive) on black Friday.

My mom found these cute blankets for the grand kids. Aren't they adorable?

Kaden kept going to Grandma who would help him sneak pecans off the pie. shh...don't tell.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

dresser makeover

2009-11-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister in law gave me this dresser.(Thanks Jeff and Angela!) Kaylee's dresser was too small for her clothes so I had been using plastic drawers.

I was going to buy new hardware for it, but after seeing how expensive that was going to get I thought painting would be just fine. And actually I really love the handles this ocean blue. And the spray paint was only $3! Now who doesn't love a good deal? Kaylee thinks it is great. She carried around the painted handles for days before I got to put them on. That is why the last one is missing in the picture. The best part, her clothes all fit! YAY!

So we are renting. It has it's ups and downs, but one thing I can't wait to do when we do finally buy a house is to Paint! White walls are fine, but white everywhere gets a bit dull. So I tried to add a little bit of something to our front bathroom. I cut the vinyl with my cricut. I heard a tip that you could use masking tape as transfer paper. I think this would work if the walls weren't textured, but they are so I would say spend a little bit more and get the transfer paper. The tape was just a bit too sticky so it wouldn't let the vinyl stay stuck to the wall. Maybe if you were to pat down the tape so it wasn't as sticky that might work better. Anyway, this is how it turned out. A little different than I pictured it, but still fun.

in the backyard

2009-11-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

A couple nights ago for family night we had a camp out in our backyard!
The kids loved it. We set up the tent and roasted marshmallows.

When it came to bed time they were too excited to sleep. Kaden kept climbing out of his sleeping bag to look at the stars. Kaylee was disappointed she had to sleep in the house last night.

Scary Fun

2009-11-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Halloween and the days leading up to it were so much fun.

Carving Pumpkins

Kaylee even got to wear her costume to school on Friday.

Halloween Night we had fun at Aunt Silva and Uncle Kim's neighborhood party.

Then we went trick-or-treating.

The kids would all run from door to door. Kaden couldn't quite keep up, but it was cute to see him try.

Our beautiful mermaid and heroic superman!

Kaylee loves little Lola. The cutest skeleton there ever was.

We were so excited to have Nana with us this Halloween.

We packed a lot of fun into this weekend!

The Phantom of the Opera

2009-11-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

We got to go to see "The Phantom of the Opera" this last Friday.

We were lucky to find some friends to watch the kids. The ward trunk-or-treat was the same night and everyone was busy. It was an awesome production. We had a great time.

November Header

2009-11-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

Small Birdies

2009-10-26T21:32:00.001-07:00

A week or so ago my sister, Alyssa, came across a friend who was looking for a home for a couple zebra finch. She knew I wanted some so she brought them to me!

We have enjoyed their little chirping and fluttering around the cage.

Kaylee calls them, "small birdies." I think they have been named Pumpkin and Ghost. Although that might change. (:

The first thing Kaylee does when she wakes up is uncover the cage and wish them a good morning and when she comes home from pre-school she can't wait to show the small birdies what she has brought home with her in her backpack.

Kaden likes them too. A couple days ago he was sitting in front of their cage reading them a book.

They have been so fun.

Green

2009-10-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ryan planted grass in our back yard a couple weeks ago. Because it was growing the kids and I have spent a lot of time in the front yard lately. Yesterday the kids got to play on the grass for the first time. They were so excited. I love looking out the window and seeing the green.

ei-ei-o

2009-10-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Kaylee had so much fun on her field trip to the farm.

The animals were Kaylee's favorite part.

She really liked feeding the sheep and horse.

Mrs. Rogers, her teacher, helping her pet the donkey.

Mommy even got to tag along.

We saw a lot of cows on the hay ride.

Halloween Crafts

2009-10-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

It's looking a bit spooky at our house.

I thought I would share some of the scary things I've made. Most are simple, but fun.

The first is the spooky tree. I got it at Michaels and just painted it black then used Mod Podge to paste the paper on.

Then there are the silhouettes I cut out and framed in these picture frames I spray painted. I also did a cat and some bats that are on the table in the first picture. I got my inspiration here.

I love these blocks. You can use them for anything. I just cut the letters out with my Cricut and used Mod Podge to glue them and the paper on. You could cut out vinyl too, but I didn't think it was necessary.

I actually made these bats a couple of years ago, but I thought I would share them because of how easy they are. I am sure you always see the wooden cut outs at the craft store. Pretty cheap too. I just painted them black then sponged the purple around the edges.

This was a fun idea. Go here to see her boo banner. I used my Cricut to make the stencils out of freezer paper. If you haven't used it yet you should give it a try. This was my first project using it. Very cool. Some rhinestone eyes on the spiders and walla!

Kaylee and I made these hair clippies the other day. Felt is so fun. I think I'll add a bow to the ghost or maybe a cute little heart at the bottom(my sisters idea). I did these the same way I did the others before.

Then there are these cute paper pumpkins. So easy I had to give it a try. Go here for directions. I even made them with Kaylee, Kaden, Nicholes, and Emma this afternoon. Theirs were orange paper that they stamped with spooky stamps. If I make any more I would add a large button to the bottom to weigh them down and help them sit up strait.

highlights

2009-10-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

These are the highlights of our trip to Utah.

My camera was acting up, but I still ended up with 358 pictures from our week long trip! Now I did get a lot from Katelyn and Cheryl(thank you), but the point is we had so much fun we couldn't stop taking pictures!

So here we go...

On the way up we stopped at the Hoover Dam. It was actually really cool and the kids were ready for a break in any form.

The weather was so nice. It was perfect for a playing outside.

Ryan and I had never played Rock Band so they taught us how. We played this and other games until the wee hours at night.

A trip to the park with Grandpa.

It was too cold for swimming, but the hot tub was just right.

Sparklers from Uncle Jay and Aunt Lanae. So much fun.

Hanging out with the uncles.

Riding the quads in AF Canyon.

Visiting with the Adam's family. It was great to see everyone!

And the CIRCUS!

The elephants were the kids favorite part. Kaylee like the dancing so much she joined in. (:

At the temple. It was such a beautiful day.

It was fun to see and chat with all the Christiansen family there and at Dane's(Ryan's cousin) reception that night.

On the way home we stayed the night in Las Vegas.

The water show was our favorite part.

October Header

2009-10-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

2009-09-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Announcing Princess Kaylee's

4th

Birthday!

Everything was pink and purple and very princessey, just like Kaylee. She even wore her Cinderella dress for presents and cake. Grandpa Christiansen even had flowers sent to Kaylee, which Kaylee thought was just amazing that they were for her! When the delivery guy handed them to her she said with a gasp, "For Me!"

I think opening presents was her favorite part. She really got it this year. She would grab a present off of the table, run over to the love seat, open it, oooh and aaah, then run it over to the other couch to be stored until she could play with it.

Kaylee was a little confused with this gift. It is a MP4 player to use with the i-dog Nana got her, but she just said, It's a....sparkles?" (because of the colors on the box)

What kind of a birthday would it be with out a big birthday bear hug from Uncle Jeff?

The princess cake.

Kaylee blowing out the candles.

I did not realize when we bought this pinata that it was a "safe pinata" so I had been telling the kids that we would hit the pinata to get the candy out. When it came time to do the pinata they did not care that you were supposed to pull the ribbons until you got the magic one and the candy comes falling out. They wanted to Whack the pinata! We let them take turns whacking Cinderella. What did it hurt anyhow? They used Kaylee's pink flute. (: Then after they had their fill of hitting poor Cinderella they did pull the strings to get the candy out.

Kaylee taking pictures with her new camera.

You are an amazing little girl Kaylee!

We love you!

Happy Birthday!

The Grahams

2009-09-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Every year the Merrill family(my mom's maiden name) has a reunion in the Graham Mountains. We headed up for a weekend of cool weather, family, and camping fun. This year there were just under 200 descendants of my great grandparents there.

Hanging out at our little camp site. Kaden

was really good at sticking by us, but Kaylee loved to explore and find new friends.

Waiting with Grandma for the Sunday meeting to begin.

This year a few of the grandchildren shared some of their memories of my Great Grandpa and Grandma.

When it started to rain and hail we grabbed some lunch and took cover in our tent. Then we kept warm in our sleeping bags and took a nap!

Sunday after the storm passed and the kids woke up we drove up to Riggs Lake and walked all the way around it! Kaden liked to throw rocks into the water. Kaylee collected flowers along the way.

It was a nice to be together in such a beautiful place.

We even saw a bear right across the road from our camp!

no picture though ):

We had a great time, but were glad to be in our warm, soft beds last night.

Bird Header

2009-09-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

shhh...i'm a huntin'

2009-08-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Kaden loves to sneek around the house "hunting" with this hand held game that looks like a riffle. He'll come get me and say, "shhhh." We then tip toe around the house looking for...well, whatever he is hunting. I think it is pretty hilarious.

It reminds me of Elmer Fudd.

"Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm huntin' for wabbits."

kiss

2009-08-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Kaylee with her crimpy hair.

Kaylee has been all about "true loves kiss" lately so I rented Sleeping Beauty. She loved it. When the prince was climbing the stairs to find his sleeping beauty Kaylee was so excited and kept telling him to, "kiss her, kiss her, on the mouth!"

~~~
Ryan and I couldn't stop laughing the other night when we kissed and Kaylee said, "ewww...gross." Ryan asked her why it was gross and Kaylee said, "Your dirty, Daddy." So I guess for it to be true loves kiss you have to be cleaned up and dressed in your nicest clothes.

Sweet Lola

2009-08-19T21:34:00.001-07:00

Lola Jane.

We have a new niece who is as sweet as can be.

The family of five.

This is the only picture I got of Kaden with Lola. He kept going over to her and softly rubbing her head, but he always had this scowl on his face...not sure why, but it sure is silly.

Kaylee just loves her and always wants to hold her or touch her.

Angela has cute pictures of Lola on her blog here.

clippies

2009-08-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Kaylee doesn't usually like getting her hair done, but with school everyday she has been letting me do it. I saw some cute clippies here and showed them to Kaylee. She l.o.v.e.s. birds and was excited when I showed her the pictures. So I made her some and she actually wears them! She won't let me put them in her hair, but she likes to do it herself. And they don't get caught like some others.

Pre-school

2009-08-10T15:34:00.001-07:00

Kaylee's first day of pre-school was today. She has been so excited to go. Kaden and I walked with her over to the school. She had no problem going with her class. What a big girl. I can't believe how big she is getting and how great she is.

She is going to have the best time learning and playing!

Ready to go.

She wanted me to get a picture of her backpack. She loves this backpack!

At the school waiting for her teacher to come get the class.

I told her to smile for the camera and got a full on pose!

Jumping for joy!

Kaylee came home with yellow paint drops on her and sand in her shoes.

It looks like an awesome first day!

true love

2009-08-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. I was looking through a photo album of pictures from our wedding to find for one to scan and post on here as a tribute to our marriage lasting six years(we are planning on many more). Kaylee came into our room to look with me. She stopped me and pointed to a picture of Ryan and I kissing and said, "Ahhhh, True Loves Kiss!"

How right she is...and pretty cute too!

Happy Anniversary Ry, My true love.

August Header

2009-08-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Speaking of

2009-08-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Before I forget I wanted to note that Kaylee gave her first talk in primary this last Sunday. She was so proud to stand up there and tell everyone about the temple. She would do it every Sunday if they would let her.

You did so good Kaylee!

Kaden turns 2!

2009-08-03T21:57:00.001-07:00

Kaden woke up from his nap and was so excited to find the house all decorated for his Beach Bash Birthday Party!

The birthday boy!

Lovin the fishy crackers.
It is way too hot in August to have a birthday party without water.

The kids had fun cooling off in the pool and playing with bubbles, but the best were all the water balloons! I didn't get any pictures of the water balloons. (I was a target).

Then it was time to open presents. Kaden opened a couple and wanted to play with them. It took some coaxing, but eventually he did unwrap all his presents.

The ocean cake.

What a great day!

Celebrating you is always fun.

We love you so much little buddy!

Happy Birthday!

All boxed up

2009-08-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

We got some packages in the mail this last week and the kids had the best time playing in the boxes.

Fun with Grandpa

2009-07-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Christiansen came to visit a couple weeks ago.

The kids loved to wrestle with him.

Grandpa's favorite thing to do is spoil the kids with fun toys and gifts!

This included a trip to the mall. With several rides on the carousel and some shopping. Kaylee found these beautiful dress ups! And a trip to Chuck E Cheese! Then off to get Kaden and Kaylee some toys. A couple of remote control cars for Kaden and a Pony for Kaylee.

Glad you could visit Grandpa. Hope to see you again soon!

workin hard

2009-07-15T14:34:00.001-07:00

Kaden loves to help Daddy mow the lawn.

He has a hard time with the turns, but he hangs on tight!

The 4th

2009-07-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

We had a special treat for the 4th of July. Nana was able to come down, which is special because she doesn't get to spend many holidays with the kids. She got the kids these backpacks. They LOVE them and pull them around everywhere taking with them their toys and books.

We ate yummy BBQ and played in the water.

And enjoyed some homemade ice cream.

Then off to see the fireworks!

We found a fun spot where we could watch from the back of the truck.

The kids thought they were "beautiful" and "sparkly".

A big hug for Nana.

Kaden, the puppy dog. On the way home, tuckered out.

Pictures with Nana

2009-07-03T15:30:00.001-07:00

We are having so much fun with Nana!

We had our pictures taken today.

Aren't we just adorable.

Kaylee Kaden

Summer Header

2009-07-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

Birthday

2009-06-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Kaylee went to her first birthday party! She had so much fun going to Peter Pipper Pizza with Katelyn and the other kids. She couldn't wait to give Katelyn her gift.

Again

2009-06-25T10:19:00.001-07:00

Does this look familiar?

Kaden is truly enjoying the freedom of his new bed.

So much that he can't stay in it!

Again and again and again we find him asleep on the floor.

Sometimes at nap time, sometimes at bed time.

When Grandma and Grandpa Borgersen came to stay with us Kaylee and Kaden had a sleep over on the floor in Kaden's room.

half-way, does that count?
My favorite is this one, when he fell asleep behind the door playing with his cars.

He likes to crawl under the crib that is still in his room.

I love that he takes his blanket with him.
He does sleep in his bed...sometimes. I'll have to capture that too.

tonka

2009-06-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

That is as in truck.
Ryan has wanted a truck since...well, since we sold his Jeep. So here is his new baby! He loves driving it. We were both excited to get it.
I just have to say he absolutly deserves it!
So bring on the camping and hunting. We are ready.

me

2009-06-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

I noticed when I went through and added tags on my posts that I don't post about myself very often so I thought I would post some of the projects and crafts I have done this last little bit.

Sewing

I started this blanket before Kaden was born, but wanted to do this triangle fringe and was intimidated by it. But a couple months ago I just dove in and figured it out. It was worth it! I learned a couple of things and would do it a little differently next time, but over all so fun.

I love it and so does he.

Not the best picture of this baby quilt, but I loved this fabric and look so much that I made one for a friend and one for my little niece arriving in August!(Ang, if you are reading this, just act surprised when I give it to you(o: )

These pillow cases have an interesting background. Last year while camping in the Grahams we were so cold. The cotton pillow cases were not helping so I took the kids little blankets and wrapped them around the pillows. Sooo much warmer! So I took those same blankets and made pillow cases for this years camping trips.

I found a really fun blog that gives tutorials on so many things I have been wanting to make and so many things I didn't know I wanted to make! This bag holder helps keep my kitchen just that much more organized. I made one for me and one for my mom for Mothers day.

I made this for in the car, but it is never in the car because Kaylee love to play with it.

Cards

I made these for:

Mothers day this year(I added a mom stamp too),

My mom's birthday,

and Fathers day.

I really loved how the tie turned out on the fathers day cards. I think I am going to try to attempt a different one for my father in law though...a tie doesn't fit his personality just right....hmmm...I better get on that tonight. (:

Mod Podge

I made these to give out as valentines this February. I hope everyone liked them.

When Jay and Lanae(My brother and sister-in-law) were visiting I pulled out some wooden Easter eggs and Lanae and I each decorated one. It was fun to hang out with her. I didn't get a picture of her egg though. It turned out so cute.):

I made these last night at an Enrichment Night. Fun.

Vinyl

For our front door.

For a wedding present.

Kaden's room is sports themed so I cut these out for over his bed. He is our all star!

Kaylee's room is, what else, princess themed. My mom found these stickers, which were perfect, and I cut out the saying to put with them. I think I am going to go back and add the next line under it. "When you are fast asleep" I just think it is cute b/c it is above her bed...you know...where she sleeps and dreams. (: he he

I just can't decide if it looks done. What do you think?

Visiting

2009-06-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Dad, and Trent were visiting this week. It was fun to see them. Kaylee and Kaden were soo sad every time they would leave without them. My dad helped me cut the tile for a table that the glass had broken out of. It looks really nice. I am so happy with it. And my mom and I worked on some picture frames she had. Along with lots of playing and visiting.

Overall, a great visit!

I didn't take hardly any pictures and none of Trent, but I did get a couple at Emma's dance recital we all went to. She did so good and you could tell she loved to be, "on stage!"

Emma is up there some where. (: She is in red...here I'll zoom in for ya.

Grandpa with all his grandkids...until August when little Lola will be here!

blocks

2009-06-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

My super duper big brother, Jeff, cut out these blocks for me to make some craft projects with. The kids thought they were pretty cool too.

chopped

2009-06-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

I chopped my hair yesterday.

They took off enough for a wig(10 in) and then kept cutting and layering and thinning. Who would want my crazy curly hair for a wig, I don't know, but the lady saved it. It feels soo much lighter! That part, I really love. I haven't really done it myself yet, so we will see how much I like it then.

When I got home Kaylee took one look at me and said, "oh no!" She did not like the new look. (: She'll get used to it.

(It is harder to take a picture of myself than I thought.)

Big Boy Bed

2009-06-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Kaden has been sleeping in his big boy bed for a couple of nights now!
The second night in his new bed we went to check on him and found him asleep on the floor.
Such a cutie.