Boydston Family

Starting Fresh

2011-01-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't been the best blogger for the past few months so instead of back tracking I have decided to start fresh for the year. Anyway!!!

We took a quick trip to the coast, well quick as quick can get with 4 kids. The kids loved playing on the beach and they all got in and played in the water... CRAZY!!! I love watching them run in and out of the water with their big smiles. After 2 days of playing on the beach we headed home.

I love our cute little kids and love to see the excitement in their eyes when they enjoy such simple pleasures.

Family Picture- 2010

2010-12-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

ok so it has been awhile since I have blogged, it is to far back to catch up but I will just start from here. Our family of 6 was able to take some great pics in the almond orchards we have here in fresno. Here is 1 pic of our family that turned out good.

My Little Wild and Wet Animals!!

2010-08-12T20:59:00.001-07:00

I love, love the towels that have animal hoods. It all started when my sister got a lion towel for Clayton for Christmas when he was our one and only. Then I have always tried to find cute towels for every child I have had. So Ella is a cute Flamingo, "mingo" as Cade would say. Then Cade is my little frog, and finally I just found Ryder his little puppy dog towel. I love these babies sooo much and they are so cute in their towels.

CADE TURNS 3

2010-07-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Cade our third child, our bright red head, our sweetheart, our goofball turned 3. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. He is such an amazing addition to our family. He is always on the go, he keeps me busy, he keeps me on my toes. He laughs so much and he makes us laugh.

We were able to go to Pump it Up for some jumping fun. He had a lot of fun.

Then we went to the Island Water Park were he loves to swim and go on the slides. We had a full fun day. He fell asleep on the way home at 5:30 so he had great day.

4TH OF JULY

2010-07-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

We had a fun 4th of July. Our church always has a pancake breakfast and the kids are able to decorate their bikes and have a parade.

My poor kids, trying to take a group picture with the sun soooo bright. So this is the best I got but I love it because it is so appropriate for the time.

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TRIP

2010-07-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Robert and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We were blessed to have a long weekend thanks to my parents who watched our kids for4 days and 3 nights. I think they were exhausted by the end of the weekend but we were so thankful they did that for us.

We headed to the central coast for a cool fun weekend. We started out by getting some great In N Out food. What is vacationing without pigging out a little?????
(by the way this vaca is all self portrait or timer pics)

When we got there we checked into our hotel then headed to the San luis Obispo farmers market. It was a lot of fun and there was great food and awesome music.

During our vacation we were able to go running together. We ran in the hills behind Cal Poly, it was a great run and fun to run with my hubby.

We were able to go to pismo and enjoy the beach and some awesome clam chowder. Walking around pismo is always fun and the weather was great.

We went for a walk on some trails and found my future beach house!!!

One day we went to Morro Rock and there are no restrooms there so I had to go behind a rock. Robert thought it would be funny to take a picture.

On our last day we went to Hearst Castle, the first time we went we had 3 kids with us, we were so worried they would touch stuff they weren't suppose to we didn't get to see a lot of the details. This time was unreal, that place is so crazy and amazing.

This was our last picture of our vacation. We had a lot of fun and can't wait for our next vacation together.

FIRST HAIR CUT

2010-07-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

So Ryder finally got his first hair cut, well actually it was about a month ago but I am behind in my blogging. He did a great job and he looks so much older.

RYDER TURNS 1

2010-06-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

We had a great birthday for Ryder, it was a jungle theme and we had great family and friends come to celebrate his 1st birthday. We had food, games, a bounce house and of course cake. I can't believe our baby is 1 it always goes by so fast. We love our little Ryder and we had a great day to celebrate his life.

One of our good friends made the cakes for us, he did a great job. Check out his fan page on facebook... Cakes by Brew.

Ryder loved his cake, it was fun to watch him eat it.

We played a couple of games inspired by Minute to Win It. 1st we had oreos on your forehead and you had to get it in your mouth without using your hands. Then we had 4 kids who had a tissue box the first one to get the tissue out of the box one at a time was the winner. It was fun, lots of laughs.

Ryder loved his presents.... (i don't know what the deal is but this pic refuses to go straight)

BIKE RIDING ADVENTURE

2010-05-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

BIKING THE FRESNO TRAILS...

My mom, myself and all 4 kids had a great idea, lets go ride bikes together on the trail. Clayton rides really good, Ella just learned to ride her bike without training wheels (it took her 2 minutes to learn, a natural athlete), We had Ryder in the back pulling him with my bike and my mom had her beach cruiser we were good. Well, we thought we were good, I didn't mention Cade because he didn't want to ride with Ryder he wanted to ride his "bike" as well but he doesn't have a bike yet he has his spider man hot wheels that a neighbor gave him. He loves it but he can go as fast as his little legs can peddle but doesn't move very far. We went one direction on the trail and made it slowly but semi surely to the park, needless to say we had to call my dad to come pick us up. There was no way we would make it back. It was eventful but still fun. I think it is time to get Cade a bike.

Trying to load all of the bikes and carriers in the cars!!!

Our attempt at a group pic with the timer, almost good but I blocked Ryder.

And we are off.

Ella rolling through.

Clayton posing for me with the amazing background.

SHARPIES.... GOOD FOR SOME THINGS.

2010-04-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

I know sharpies are really good for some great projects, making signs, writing boldly and now they have those mini ones that you can just put on your keychain so clever!!! BUT When a 2 year old finds one it is not a good thing. Cade was being a little to quiet, I should have known, and this is how I found his legs, covered by sharpie. A little got on my door as well. Oh Cade I love you but seriously sharpie on the legs???? HELP!!! Any suggestions how to get it off?????

Spring Break

2010-04-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Day 5
Robert takes fridays off so he was able to join us in some spring break fun. We took the kids miniature golfing at Boomers. it always amazes me how fast they go through 18 holes but they always stay 20 minutes on the hole that has the castle.
After golfing Robert took the little boys home for a nap and I took the big kids to go see How to Tame a Dragon or whatever the title is. They seemed to like it, I thought it was ok. Sometimes a cartoon is a cartoon. We had a fun day.

Day6

This is the second year we have gotten together with my Aunt Tina and her family at Burris Park in kingsburg. We had great food, games, easter egg hunt, and the park has a museum that I thought was interesting the kids not so much. We had a huge egg hunt I think we had over 200 eggs maybe more. Each kid had plenty of eggs and candy.

Day 7

Easter sunday was a lot of fun and it turned out to be a relaxing day. The kids woke up to their "baskets" i used buckets instead since I thought they would enjoy those more. We stayed home most of the day enjoying the spiritual message on tv. That night we had a great dinner, enchiladas. I know doesn't sound very eastery but it sounded good to me.

Spring Break Day 3&4

2010-04-01T22:29:00.001-07:00

DAY 3

Yesterday I took the kids to the mall. It was a little rainy and wet so the outdoor fun was limited. Fresno doesn't have to many places that is fun indoors but we had a fun day anyway. The kids got a new pair of flip flops, played on the indoor park and got brownies from Mrs. Fields. It was a short trip but it was a lot of fun.

DAY 4

Today the kids, my parents and myself took the train from fresno to hanford. When we arrived in hanford we walked a few blocks to Superior Dairy for a giant sundae which was so good. The kids had never been on a train before so it was a new adventure for most of us. The train ride was only 30 minutes which is a perfect time for small children, as soon as they got restless it was time to get off. They had a lot of fun. I had fun to see my little babies smile and seeing the first time through their eyes.

SPRING BREAK WEEK OF FUN... DAY 2

2010-03-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

So day 2 of spring break wasn't as busy but just as fun. The kids and I had a movie day. We went to target and purchased Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakual, Curious George 2 and lots of good snacks. We got lunch at Mahs teriyaki, which is so good and you get so much food for the money. After lunch at home we watched Alvin and the Chipmunks and at some popcorn, chocolate and licorice which is my favorite. We laughed and had a good time.

SPRING BREAK WEEK OF FUN

2010-03-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

DAY 1 OF SPRING BREAK

I have a goal to do something fun everyday this week since the kids are off for spring break. Day 1 was a success. We started out by going to the Fresno Zoo with a great group of friends and of course my mom who is always a lot of fun. Saw crazy animals and a few crazy kids. It was a little bit more crowded than we were used to but it was a lot of fun.

After the zoo we met my dad at Costco since I needed diapers and we had lunch there also. Then we made over to Target and got Hi Ho CherryO the board game and played a few times, well we played until Cade started to grab all of the fruit off the board, that was a sign to clean up.

Then when it got a little dark we had a fire in the backyard and made smores. It was a great, fun day and can't wait for the rest of the week.

2010-03-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

Video of our Easter Egg Hunt Practice

Easter Egg Hunt... Practice!!!

2010-03-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Like any major event there needs to be practice, so my mom brought over some easter eggs and of course candy and the kids practiced hunting for easter eggs. They were so excited to do the hunt and eat candy. They keep talking about it and I think they feel really confident for the big day. Practice makes perfect. Plus the weather has been in the 70's so we needed a fun actvity to do outside, this was perfect.

Ryder Cohen

2010-03-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

The 4th baby needs some spotlight...

Ryder is growing rapidly. He is almost 10 months, still can't believe how fast time has flown by. I look at him a little differently since every time he passes through a stage in life or a milestone I know that this will be my last time seeing a baby do something for the first time. He is crawling everywhere and trying to pull himself up on things but still can't do it yet but almost. He is a big boy just like his brother Cade and just as sweet. He loves to give kisses and he wants to be where ever the other kids are. We love our little Ryder!!!

CLAYTONS BAKUGAN BIRTHDAY PARTY

2010-02-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

BAKUGAN BRAWLERS BIRTHDAY

Clayton turned 7 a couple of weeks ago and he had a Bakugan party. For those who don't know what Bakugans are (you probably don't have boys) they are these round balls that you roll over a magnetic card and they open up to look like different creatures. There is an actual game but I'm not convinced he really knows how to play.

Clayton got to have a few friends and family over for his Bakugan party. We started off with pizza, chips and juice. After we ate we had bakugan competitions.

The first game the boys had to guess how many Bakugans were in the jar. Easy but they had fun!!! The second game the boys had to get the bakugan ball into numbered buckets and the person who got the highest amount of points won a prize. The next game was stick the Bakugan ball onto the Bakugan card, the one closest to the middle got a prize. The prizes were actual Bakugans. (there was enough for everyone, don't worry I was fare)

Then the boys had a blank circle out of poster board and they had to create their own Bakugans. They were all very creative and had a lot of fun with it. Then we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. Clayton had a lot of fun and is already planning his next birthday!!!

STUDENT OF THE MONTH

2010-02-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

Clayton received student of the month for December. We are so proud of him. He got to go up in front of all 1st and 2nd graders and get an award. He got a free kids meal to Mimi's Cafe.

This is where my happiness ends. I have been able to see many minivans in my lifetime and now those big SUVs that all get to parade obnoxiously that there kid is student of the month. Now that I have a child in school don't I get to be obnoxious don't I get to paint my bumper in stickers.

I thought one day i will get my chance I want to be the obnoxious parent. Did Clayton get a bumper sticker NO!!! No sticker for my car, tear tear!!! I guess I will just have to take one from the minivan in the Target parking lot that has 10 bumper stickers on it and put it on my car.... They won't even notice it is missing.

WHY DON'T YOU JUST WRESTLE HIM???

2010-02-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

My little and feisty Ella has always made me laugh. She can be so stubborn then turn around and be so sweet and witty. This morning as 3 of our 4 children had managed to get into bed with us, Ella asked,

"Why do you sleep on this side? You used to sleep on the other side?"

(side note, when ryder was born Robert and I switched sides because his side had more room so i could put the pack n play near me.)

I told Ella in a joking manner, "Because daddy won't give it back."

She got that serious look on her face and said, "Why don't you just wrestle him?"

I love how she thinks if you want somthing you get it by wrestleing. You just take it back!! She then pounced on Robert trying to defend my side and get it back for me.

Flower Clips

2010-02-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Flower Clip Mom

I have been making Ella bows and flower clips for awhile now and so I thought i would start selling the flower clips. (I'm not that good at the bows yet) Check out my facebook store.

http://www.flowerclipmom.com

Let me know if there i something I can specialize for you. Thanks for looking.

Here are a few

Ella Turns 5

2010-01-24T20:02:00.001-08:00

Ella 5th birthday, A Garden Party!!

Ella had her very first all girl party. It was a garden theme party. The girls first came over and were able to pick out a dress up outfit and hats or scarves. Then they got to make their very own pizzas, any way they liked!!! After pizza making and eating the girls got to paint frames. Then came the cake. I attempted to make her a flower cake since that is what she requested, it turned out ok just don't look that close!!!

After cake Ella opened up her presents, she got a lot of great things from family and friends. Her daddy even got her, her very own pet fish. She loves well a little to much we are worried for his survival in this household but we hope she can learn to be nice and that the fish doesn't like to go everywhere she goes.

Classic Ella, NO PICTURES!!!

Ella insisted on getting a pinata, when I say insisted I mean she threw a tantrum minutes before her party so Mima( my mom) went and got her the pinata. I know I know not good parenting, giving in to the tantrum is not good I KNOW!!!

So the girls took some whacks at the pinata and of course know one was able to break it open. So i tore into it and dumped the candy on the floor so the girls can jump, dive, sprawl for all the candy they can get their little paws on.

After the pinata it was time to go home. The girls had a few gifts to take home. I made gift boxes that had tons of candy in it. With homemade flower hair clips on the top. The place mats, plates and cups were also theirs to take home.

Ella had a lot of fun. I still can't believe she is 5 the time has gone by so fast!!!

FREE GIFT CARD

2010-01-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

FREE FREE FREE Gotta Love it!!!

sorry to my facebook friends who have already heard my rant about my free gift card I received from this website. All I did was some surveys and I earned points to get a free Target gift card. You can choose any place but I thought well I am at target every other day so I might as well get a gift card that supports my habit.

Check it out http://www.surveysforgiftcards.com/

Time To Catch Up

2009-12-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

I know I have been horrible about updating my blog, but here it goes. A whole month of no blogging so lets see... we finished soccer, then thanksgiving, attempted family pics, class partys, class programs, family friends and fun. Clayton and Ella finished their soccer season. Clayton loves soccer and he is excited to find an indoor league to keep playing. He played 8 and under so it was a bigger field and more competitive. He played forward most of the time, he did not get his speed from me that is for sure. Ella also played but she would get shy when certain people came to watch her play so she would run off the field. I never thought she would be the running child but she was. We got to see a glimpse of her competitive nature the first game before she realized there was an audience. She played aggresive scored goals and she would throw the ball in to herself so she could get it faster.

Then Thanksgiving. We had a fun day. Robert, my mom, my aunt and I woke up early and ran a 5k in a turkey trot race. Robert smoked us but I came in after him at a good time well good for me. We eventually made it over to my parents house where there was a lot of neighbor kids and friends of ours for the kids to play with. We ended up renting a bounce house, the kids loved it. We had a great dinner and enjoyed family and friends.

The day after thanksgiving what else is there to do but shop all day. It actually started that night. My friend Shelly, my cousin Nia and myself headed to Toys r us that night to stand in line. I know CRAZY. We finally got into the store and it was chaos. I was going for little things but my friend shelly was going for a major Lego set that was crazy cheap. She spotted the set and strarted walking toward it. She then felt a nudge from another lady, irritated but didn't bother her to much until that lady bent in front of her and grabbed the last lego set. We then went to the line to check out when we saw this lady again, she was mad at something and was cursing at the toys r us worker and she had 2 of those lego sets in her cart. We were very annoyed. We were about to check out and behind a lady paying with a check so that took forever when I saw this crazy lady fiddling with her lego sets, so I had this feeling, call it intuition, the spirit, a little holiday inspiration, I toldmy friend to go check over there I think the lady left the lego set. So she walked over and the crazy lady DID leave one. She was so excited it made the wait totally worth it. We shopped for many more hours but nothing felt as good as getting the lego set.

Then the kids had their christmas programs. First Clayton and the rest of the entire first grade. He did so good and those kids are so cute. Ella had her very first performance with her preschool class. She sang every song maybe the words weren't right but she sang her heart out and they both looked so adorable!!!

Now we are finishing up christmas shopping and enjoying the first weekend of christmas break or winter break whatever you want to call it. We love this time of year and I am always looking for great ideas to teach my kids about the true meaning of Christmas and giving service at a level they would understand, so if you have any great ideas let me know???

Sorry for the length!!!

13.1 and 26.2..... and Pre-baby weight goal.

2009-11-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

Run the River

This past weekend i ran a half marathon with my mom. Yes my 51 year old mom who hasn't ran in 10 plus years ran with me. She did great and we had a lot of fun. We have had a bonding moment with this race, training together 3 times a week for the past 3 months. When we were in the car waiting for the race I thought we were having a moment, feeling the excitement of the day. My mom quietly says "I hope I have no regrets" I am thinking great I have to pump her up, she needs some great words of encouragment, so I tell her in a motivating voice, "There will be no regrets today, this run will be a great experience for your life book." She looks at me weird and says, "I was talking about my sports bra." We got a big laugh!!!

Robert ran the full marathon and shattered his last time by 45 minutes. We ran with a lot of friends and had a great time, not to mention it was great to burn 1300 calories in one event. which leads me to say I finally reavhed pre-pregnancy weight of 130. I got there a month ago and now I am trying to reach my ideal weight of 125. Ryder is 5 months now and I am thankful to fit into my jeans!!! Sorry about the no makeup It is a little scary!!!!

Newport Beach!!!!

2009-09-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

OUR FAVORITE PLACE...

Last weekend we went to Newport Beach for a 4 day excursion. My parents came with us for fun and HELP!!! We loved the hotel, it had an amazing pool area that had pool tables, ping pong table, and a life size checker/chess set. Robert and I were able to go for a run on the coast it was perfect weather. We walked beaches, shopped and tried to take family pics. When you have 6 people with 4 children the pictures don't always come out the way you want but I will take what I can get. We had so much fun, Clayton said "This is the best day of my life." Hopefully he can eventualy top this weekend but it was pretty fun.

The boys in the back seat.

Cade loving the pool.

Ella is starting to get more brave in the water but still refuses to swim by herself.

Clayton our little fish.

Only at the beach does a chocolate/vanilla swirled ice cream in a waffle cone sound soooo good.

My little Ella Bella Cinderella.

Mima and Poppy with my babies.

Our semi succesful family pic.

Blessing Ryder

2009-09-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ryder finally was blessed. He was 3 months old but the other months didn't work out so he almost walked up there but that is ok. He is such a sweet little boy and we love having him in our family. I loved the words Robert was inspired to say about our little man. He is truely a treasure in our life.

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE

2009-09-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

I know you are all waiting to hear about my weight loss so here it is. I have been runnig a lot eating healthy and I am almost to my goal. I always feel there is progress then I weigh the same for weeks. I also have started taking a kickboxing class which kicked my butt!!! I am currently so sore. As for weight loss here is my "stats". I have about 12 pounds before pre pregnancy and 17 before my goal. Not bad but still not there yet. I will keep all of you posted!!!

Starting weight- 13o lbs
Final weight- 190 lbs
Goal weight- 125 lbs
14 weeks after baby- 142 lbs
Total weight loss- 48 lbs

Don't forget about me!!!

2009-08-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been neglecting my sweet little boy. I get so busy with the other kids i feel like he is just along for the ride sometimes. He is such a good baby. He is now 3 months, I can't believe how fast it has gone by. He is only waking up once a night and that is usually at 5am or so. Ella loves hlding him like he is her very own live doll, makes mommy nervous sometimes. He is such a great final addition to the Boydston clan. We love him so much and can't wait to see what is yet to come for our family.

Back to School

2009-08-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

1st grade and pre-school

Clayton started 1st grade today. It was more difficult to get everyone out the door for early start time. 8:15am is not bad but when you have 4 kids to get ready it is a little harder. They all did a very good job and we walked to school. We found Claytons class room and he found his desk. We said bye and we were off to walk home. I can't believe he is old enough to be gone all day at school.

Then we came home and got Ella ready. She starts at 11:30. We hung out for awhile then got her dressed for school did her hair, i am trying to get better at french braiding, it is coming along. We drove her to school and I signed her in she found her square and off we went. She is really excited and looked really cute going to her class.

Wonder Valley Ranch.

2009-08-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

FAMILY CAMP

My husband has a patient that owns Wonder Valley Ranch, which is a place were family and kids go to summer camp. He invited us up for the weekend to check it out. It was so much fun. The rooms were big, the activities were amazing and most important the kids had a ton of fun. We got there late so after a ok night sleep (kids were excited) we were up and ready for some fun. First we had breakfast with all sorts of choices from fresh fruit to cinnamon cake. Then it was off to find activities, the kids got to go on go karts including Cade he loved it. Then they got to crafts, they made a treasure box. After crafts it was time for lunch and a rest. Our kids don't really rest they like to keep going. So we went and played pool, well kids style pool roll the balls in the holes. After that we played on the trampolines. They had 6 trampolines including one that was a basketball court, it was so fun.

After jumping the kids went swimming and down the waterslides. Clayton went on them a lot, Ella was to scared and not really swimming fully yet. Cade had his life jacket on so robert took him down. He chose the fastest slide and they came out so fast I think it scared him and Cade did not want to go back down them.

After swimming we had dinner, then a talent show and finally to end the night a campfire. We ahd a lot of fun and would recommend this place to anyone.

Weight loss update!!!

2009-08-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since i have updated my weight loss progress. I think i haven't updated since it has been a slow few weeks. Ryder is now 10 weeks old and i am down to 151 lbs. That is 39 lbs so far. I am running 5 miles a day, and still training for the half marathon in November. If anyone wants to join it's November 14th in Folsom. I still have a ways to go but I will have this weight off soon enough.

Starting weight- 13o lbs
Final weight- 190 lbs
Goal weight- 125 lbs
10 weeks after baby- 151 lbs
Total weight loss- 39 lbs

Cade Turns 2!!!

2009-08-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Cade Is 2!!!

I have been really bad lately at updating my blog. (Facebook addiction) Cade had his 2nd birthday on July 19th. It was on a sunday so we had a relaxing sabbath then had family over for dinner and cupcakes. I can't believe he is 2 he is getting so big . He still not talking very much but he is very smart. He loves dancing and music. He copies everything his brother and sister do. (not always good). He has lately discovered he loves the pool. He jumps in and swims to you, makes mommy a little nervous. We love having his personality in our family.

Ella the Entertainer!!!

2009-07-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

My little lady is so full of energy and spirit!!! She loves music and loves to sing along with the songs and dance. She usually says "don't look at me" butsometimes she loves the attention and she lets me record some of her moves. I love her and I am so happy I got one little lady to go along with my boys.

ps Don't let your kids play with your cameras, you will end up with a permanent black spot like mine on all video and pics.

July 4th

2009-07-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

We had a fun 4th of july. We started out with our ward pancake breakfast. The food looked good, notice i said looked. The kids decorated their scooters and had a parade. They were on those things for so long. Then we went to my parents house for a barbeque, all the kids on the block played together and had a great time. Then we had fireworks which scared Cade and Ella back into the house. He is still recovering!!

Weight Loss Update

2009-07-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Weight loss week 4 and 5....

The past two weeks have brought progress and frustration. Last week I started working out so I thought the weight would come off quicker that week but I found myself the same almost all week. I was frustrated with myself and knew I had to keep on going, it took me 9 months to get this way and it will take time to get back. I have been runing at least 3 miles a day and have got my mom into my running life. We are currently planning to run a half marathon in November in Folsom. (Anyone care to join us??) This past week was better. I continued working out and eating healthy and In the past two weeks I have lost 6lbs.

Starting weight- 130lbs
Final weight- 190lbs
Goal weight- 125lbs
5 weeks after baby- 158lbs
Total weight loss since baby- 32lbs

9 YEARS!!!

2009-06-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today Robert and I celebrate our 9 year anniversary. I can't believe how time has flown by. It's funny to think that we were only 19 when we were married and now 9 years later we have a great family and still have a great relationship. I love him and love the 4 children we have created together.

sorry pic is blurry, it is a picture of a picture. When we got married digital was up and coming I guess so our pictures are all on film. I guess we are old!!

Weight Loss

2009-06-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

So most of you know when I get pregnant I put on a lot of weight. This pregnancy was no different, I ended up putting on 60 lbs. I know that is almost a whole person. Now I am on the weight loss mission. The day I had Ryder is the day I change my eating ways. No more sugar, No more fast food and lots of brown rice, chicken and vegetables. I want to blog about my journey to chronicle it, since it is my last time ballooning up for a baby and to keep the pressure on me.

Starting weight 130 lbs

Final weight 190 lbs

goal weight 125 lbs

3 weeks after baby 164lbs

pre pregnancy

9 months prego aaaaahhhhhh!!!

I want to give an update once a week to track my progress, hope there is some changes soon!!!

We Love Our Brother!!

2009-06-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ryder is fitting in nicely with our family. The other kids want to hold him all day long. Cade even thinks he can pick him up by himself which makes mommy a little nervous. Ella is a great big sister she is our second mommy. Clayton continues to be a great big brother and helps me with a lot.

Ryder sleeping has changed every night. Sometimes he eats every 3 hours some nights 2 hours and one night it was every hour, that night was a little rough. Coming into a family with 3 kids already he definatley doesn't have a schedule. When he sleeps it's usually time to go get someone from school, thank goodness summer is here and no more school schedule.

We love having him and now feel our family is complete!!!

Baby Finally!!!

2009-05-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Ryder Cohen Boydston

Born 12:36pm 7lbs 19 inches

He is finally here. I had a scheduled c-section today and we got to meet our 4th (and final) baby. He has been doing great so far. The older kids have been amazing, they love him so much. We are very blessed to have him here.

(and yes I am at the hospital blogging, what else is there to do.)

Our first family picture!!!

BABY? MAYBE!!

2009-05-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I have been feeling something going on with my body. (Back pain, cramps, nausea) I need to mention that even though this is my 4th baby I have no idea what contractions feel like since I have had 3 c-sections and I have no idea when I should go into the hospital. So thursday I decided to go in and see what was going on. I guess there was something going on, my contractions were 4 to 6 minutes apart. My doc was not on call so the on call doc told them to give me the meds that make labor stop. (I am pretty sure my doc would have just delivered me.) So I was sent home. Tonight I am starting to feel the same again but I have no idea when to go in. My doc said that he doesn't want me contracting on my previous scar but I don't want to go to the hospital just to hang out for 3 hours and go home, so am I in labor or aren't I. Who knows? For now I am staying home and we will see what happens in the morning.

My Marathon Man

2009-05-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

NEWPORT MARATHON

Robert ran in his second marathon, the Newport Beach Marathon. This is one of our favorite places, to bad I am huge so the beach wasn't sounding all that exciting. Robert did a great job finishing 26 miles and we had a fun time without any kids.

Totally out on the drive home.

NKOTB.....

2009-04-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

WHAT DOES A MOTHER OF THREE, WHO IS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT, SWOLLEN ANKLES, TIRED AND CRANKY DO???

Well she goes to the NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK concert. OH OH OH OOOOHHHH....

My sister, mom and I got tickets last minute and headed for some flash back fun. Jordan, Donny, Joey, Danny and John was back in prime form, (granted they are all about 40 years old acting like they are 20). We had a lot of fun singing to the oldies and dancing the night away.

The Jabbowockeez opened up for NKTOB, they were awesome!!!

I'm still 8 months pregnant, what do you expect!!!

MUD MAN!!!

2009-03-26T20:37:00.001-07:00

My little Cade is getting to be such a big boy. He discovered, with a little help from Ella, the water and mud combo and loved it. I can't believe he will be a big brother soon. I am assuming there are more mud days to come.

RUNNING IS IN THEIR BLOOD!!

2009-03-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

1ST RACE...

Clayton and Ella entered into their first runnig race. It was a 1/4 mile run at woodward park to benefit The Brian Sturgeon Cerebral Palsy organization. The race started Clayton took off, Ella on the other hand couldn't handle the loud cheering and took off toward me and started crying. Clayton ran his hardest and finished the race. Clayton did a great job and wants to run more, Ella says she can do it next time but we will see.

WEIRD PREGNANCY ISSUES...

2009-03-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

So this is my 4th pregnancy and last, yes I said last. I guess all the weird pregnancy issues get to happen during your last pregnancy. It all started with the worst morning sickness of all my kids, then progressed into an issue that does not need to be discussed on the blog. After that issue subsided the left side of my face went numb, my lips swelled and chapped. The numbness went away but the chapped swollen lips are still here. DID ANYONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM???? My lips are double the size, though that could be a good thing but something that is not normal, and they are red and chapped. I have been layering with lotions, lip stuff (i have tried all brands) and I am trying to drink more water. NO RELIEF. if anyone has any tips or remedies let me know.

IS IT WARM YET???

2009-03-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

What do your kids do when it gets a little warmer outside??? My kids go straight for the water. They bust out the water guns, turn on the hose and get wet. They all love it, well Ella is not a huge fan of receiving the water just getting others wet. I think it was only 65 degrees out but I guess that was warm enough for them to have a water fight.

HELP IN THE KITCHEN!!!

2009-03-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

I guess when you need help in the kitchen, you should be careful what kind of help you ask for. My crazy little lady is always a help but in her own unique way.

CLAYTON TURNS 6!!!!

2009-02-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

CLAYTON RYAN BOYDSTON
MY 6 YEAR OLD

Since I decided to not do partys this year we started a new tradition with the cards which hold exciting activities to do through out the day. Since Clayton had school he only got 4 cards instead of 6 but still a fun day.

CARDS:

1. Breakfast at McDonalds

2. New outfit, I am so glad that my kids like to get new clothes!!!

Then he was off to school, his teacher, Mrs. Taylor, makes each birthday child feel special. He received a hat and a bag of treats and I also brought cookies for his class to enjoy.

3. Clayton then got money to spend. We went to target and he picked out a toy.

4. The last and most fun card was bowling with family and friends. He got to invite a couple of friends and we all went bowling.

We all had a lot of fun. It's hard to believe that I have a 6 year old. I am starting to feel old!!!

ULTA GRAND OPENING!!

2009-02-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

Fresno just got a ULTA, a store that is dedicated to all products for hair, face, body, you name it they got it. I went to the grand opening where they handed out gift certificates, anywhere from $5 to $100. Of course I got the $5 one but hey free $5 is better than nothing. So with my gift certificate, coupon and the Grand Opening Deals I spent $7 and I was able to get a Revlon hair dryer, Sebastian hairspray, Ulta brand eye shadow, Back to Basics conditioner, Ulta brand lotion and a sample bottle of Artec hair sculptor. I haven't tried them all but the conditioner, hair spray and hair dryer is amazing. I love Grand Openings!!!

I AM FINALLY AN AUNT!!!!!

2009-02-04T19:18:00.000-08:00

ACELIN GWEN GARNER
8LBS 15OZ 20IN

My sister had her baby today finally making me an aunt. I was so excited for her and her husband. Their little girl is so cute.

ELLA ROSE BOYDSTON- 4TH BIRTHDAY

2009-01-26T20:09:00.000-08:00

ELLA TURNED 4!!!

Ella woke up to balloons, presents and six cards. I didn't want to throw another birthday party so i decided to make a day of fun for her. I made six cards, she got to open them up one at a time and each card had an activity for her to do.

1st card- We went and got donuts for breakfast.

2nd card- Getting dressed which was one of her presents, a new outfit

3rd card- $30 falling out of the card and we were off to Toys r Us for some toy fun

4th card- Lunch time, she chose to go to Chuckie Cheese

5th card- Movie time with Dad and Clayton. (mom took Cade home for a nap)

6th card- Dinner and cake with family

She seemed to have a lot of fun and wanted more cards to open. Clayton says he wants his cards on his birthday.

1st Day Of Nursery

2009-01-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

18 MONTHS

Cade is finally in nursery. No more walking the halls the whole 3 hours. He seemed to have a good time, he went in there really easy. I forgot to mention our church doesn't start until 1pm so he was already tired. He then realized he was left and started to cry, he eventually fell asleep. When he woke up he started to cry again. When we picked him up he was crying but he didn't cry the first minute. I just need to figure out how to get him a nap before church.
These pics are the best I can get, Cade kept trying to grab the camera!

IT'S OFFICIAL...

2009-01-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

THE FINAL BOYDSTON SCORE

BOYS- 3 GIRLS- 1

Christmas... is it already over!!!

2009-01-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

A Boydston Christmas

We had a great christmas, we have had a great break. I can't believe two weeks has come and gone. We started out christmas with celebrating Christmas Eve with Roberts Grandma, grandpa and cousins. We had a great turkey dinner then our gift exchange Robert received a gift card and I got a pretty sweater.

We continued our Christmas Eve celebration at my parents house where my mom attempted to have the kids dress up and perform the story of the birth of baby Jesus. Well that didn't go over to well but we got the point. Cade was a great angel!!! We opened up one gift that night, Cade got some awesome rollerblades from my sister and her husband. I don't think the read the age recommendations but he still loves them and he wears them as long as he stays on the carpet.

We finally got the kids to bed and they woke up to a great Christmas morning. Nothing like chocolate and candy for breakfast. The kids opened up all the presents, they had a blast. My family came over for my traditional Christmas breakfast. After breakfast we headed over to my parents house for more presents. My brother got a Wii and Rock Band 2 and my kids loved

playing with him.

Christmas was amazing and I am so happy to be able to spend it with my family and to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

TIME FOR A CATCH UP!!!

2008-12-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

ONE POST, ONE MONTH, ONE FAMILY, LOTS OF ACTION

When Clayton and Ella had Thanksgiving break we decided totake a trip to Pismo Beach. We had a lot of fun. When we arrived it took Ella about 5 seconds to get in the water. She loves it and does not care how cold it is.

In pismo we went to the butterfly sanctuary, it was a place where thousands of monarch butterflies migrate, we saw one!!! (If you look really hard in the picture you can see our one butterfly).

While we were at the coast we decided to check out Hearst Castle. Althouth this place was amazing I do not recommend this place for kids, to long, to boring for them and you can't touch anything. The house was unbelieveable so much detail.

"Yeah you will totally need the carrier" says the Hearst Castle worker. Ha now we have to carry him and the carrier.

Then we had Thanksgiving, we went to Roberts moms house, my parents decided to have their thanksgiving in Hawaii, I'm not bitter, jealous or unhappy about that I'm not I swear. That morning our ward had a football/soccer game, and by this I mean the adults played football and the little kids played soccer. I do have to say watching out of shape older dudes play football is hilarious, I have never seen so many men fall in my life. I think it is time to retire for some of them.

Thanksgiving Over, Check Check!!

Now Christmas is here. I wish I had a great picking the tree story, how we all went to the farm and picked out and cut our own tree but I don't. Mom was impatient so I ran with all three kids by myself to Save Mart picked out a tree shoved it in the back of my mini van and bam, we had a tree!!!

Tree is up, It's starting to feel a lot like christmas. Clayton and his kindergarten class had a wonderful musical holiday show, I think you have to call it "holiday show" I'm trying to be P.C. It was fun to see clayton on stage, he sang every song and Ella wished she could be up there also and she can't wait to go to girl kindergarten as she describes it.

A lot has gone on but a lot more is to come. Can't wait for the party's with family and friends. Happy Holidays

HELP! HELP! HELP!

2008-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

I NEED YOUR ADDRESS!!

It's christmas card time and I need most of your addresses. please help me out and send me your address. PLEASE. You can also send it to my email if you don't want it on my blog, since millions of people read this. thanks

erb0965@yahoo.com

BOYDSTON 6

2008-11-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!

I am finally out of my first trimester. I am waiting for that miracle day where I get my energy back but I am sure it is any day now. It's kind of hard to sneak in a nap with three kids running around but I'm sure they are fine. Ella is really excited about another baby let's hope it is a girl or she might be disappointed, me on the other hand I have no preference. My due date is June 5th, wow that sounds so far away.

Girls, Girls, Girls...

2008-11-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

Ribbons, Bows and One Cute Little Girl..

So I love how Ella has very long hair, she doesn"t love getting it brushed and done but it is fun that you can do many things with it. As I shop around for great hair accessories I find myself getting angry that one bow costs $8.00, for ONE LITTLE BOW you are crazy if you think I am going to pay $8.00 for one bow. One night at a church activity (enrichment) one station was how to make bows and flower clips, I was so excited. If I can learn to do this it would save plus a fun little craft to do. They taught us and the bows weren't as easy as I thought but I am getting better with time, but the flower clips were so easy and so quick and it turned out so cute. I recommend learning and creating your very own cute creations for your little lady.

do u think one more would be as cute as these cuties???

"TRUNK OR TREAT"

2008-10-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

I love how halloween seems to last all month. Pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, church party and finally halloween, there are so many great activities and so much fun to be had. Our kids got to dress up for the first time during this holiday. Clayton went as the white Power Ranger, Ella as batgirl and Cade my little pirate. We had so much fun, costume parade, cake walk, face painting, cookie decorating, food and of course trunk or treating.

PUMPKIN PATCH

2008-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Great Pumpkin...

The holidays are fast approaching and the first holiday coming up is the great candy holiday Halloween. Every year we take the kids to the pumpkin patch or "punkin pitch" as ella calls it. We got to go on the horse swings, feed the animals and of course pumpkins. We had a lot of fun, and mommy can"t wait until we got all the good candy on Halloween.

My Adventure With Cade

2008-10-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

Cade and I head to Colorado...

Cade, myself and my parents headed to Colorado for my Uncle Andys wedding. My parents flew out of Sacramento and I flew out of San Francisco, did I mention we were flying standy-by and we didn't get on until the third flight which was 6:30 which put us into Colorado at 10:30. Cade was a trooper so was the two guys sitting besides us, he cried a little but then fell asleep.

We finally got to the hotel after the 1 1/2 hour drive and crashed. The next day we drove around found the local Target, yeah they are different everywhere, then we got pedicures with the bride and my cousin. It took 5 hours but it was fun. That night we had a barbeque with family and friends of the bride and groom. I was able to meet cousins I have never met, there are 40 first cousins total.

Then there was the wedding day we had time to kill so we drove up the mountain to the Hotel Stanley, a huge old hotel where Steven King wrote "The Shining" they also filmed some there. The hotel is supposed to be haunted so my mom and I were searching for the ghosts. No luck!

Then we hurried back to the hotel got ready and went to the wedding. It was a lot of fun.

I finally got home, tired but I really enjoyed myself, plus it was a lot of fun to spend one on one time with Cade.

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!!

2008-09-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE IDEAS. ALL THOSE WHO TOLD ME THEY HAD RECIPES PLEASE SEND THEM, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THEM ALL. ERB0965@YAHOO.COM THERE WERE 16 COMMENTS AND THE WINNER IS.............

WATCH VIDEO TO FIND OUT THE WINNER.

DON'T WORRY I EXPLAINED BEFORE THE VIDEO THAT HE COULD CHOOSE ANY NUMBER FROM 1-16.

HELP!!!!!!!

2008-09-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

GIVE ME SOME IDEAS!!!

I am in desperate need of some good ideas for lunch and dinner. I have the pickiest kids and to get them to eat something they like and it also being healthy has got me stumped. This is where i need your help please share some ideas. All ideas are greatly appreciated but to make it more interesting after 4 days I will pick one idea and you can win a $25 gift card to Target(my favorite store)

DON'T HATE ME CAUSE YOU AIN'T ME

2008-09-12T20:20:00.001-07:00

OK SERIOUSLY I KNOW I HAVE SOME MAD DANCE MOVES AND YOU GUYS ARE JEALOUS. SO I HAD TO POST A LITTLE SUMTHIN SUMTHIN FOR YOU ALL. I LOVE THIS NEW PINK SONG. I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT I THNK SHE ROCKS.

OK OK I AM JUST A BORED STAY AT HOME MOM THAT IS TRYING TO HAVE FUN WITH HER DANCING BABIES!!!

NO KIDS ALLOWED!!!

2008-09-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

My mom and me!!!!!

I have been wanting to go somewhere with my mom to take a little trip without babies or men to bug us. We Didn't know what to do but we new we wanted to get away and maybe do some hiking. We left friday morning and drove, ate and really enjoyed one anothers company. We found a random hotel and stayed. The next day we went to The Big Basin, mountains outside of Santa Cruz. We did a 3 mile hike that took us to a small water fall. Even though it was short it still was so beautiful and peaceful. After our hike we got great Rite Aid ice cream and walked around Santa Cruz. It was a short weekend but we had fun.

IS IT EVER TO EARLY.....

2008-09-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

ELLA GETS HER FIRST PEDICURE!!!

Ella got to go with mommy to get her nails or as she says her "koenails" done. At first she was hesitant but after she saw mommy relaxing in the big comfy, vibrating, feet soaking chair she decided she wanted to do it. She didn't get the full spa treatment but she got her "koenails" painted and they put a cute flower on her toes, she loved it.

I HAVE A KINDERGARTENER

2008-08-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

CLAYTONS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL...

It's official I have a kindergartener. I can't believe he is old enough but sometimes we have to let go. He was really excited to go and he had a great first day. He said, "It's like preschool but some kids don't know the rules and they got a time out. Don't they know the rules???" He loved it and he has a really great teacher. He also has 5 other kids from our church in his class so he is happy to know some kids already.

ps i may not be on as often do to the demise of my laptop, i'm waiting for my dear husband to buy me a new one.

To water park or not???

2008-08-17T22:36:00.001-07:00

The Island Water Park...

All summer i have had an internal debate to take the kids to the water park or not. My friend Brooke asked if I wanted to go and she would help me watch the kids. I asked my mom to watch Cade so I would be at least one child short and Brooke and I would be man to man defense. We ended up having so much fun and I would totally recommend going. After the day Ella was wiped out and fell asleep in the car, it was really funny.

Ice Skating

2008-07-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Robert shows his skills ice skating...

So we tried to do a family outing by going to the ice rink. The place is where Robert used to live (ghetto) jk, so he showed us his mad skills. Ella tried to go but didn't last long, i mean she lasted 2 seconds and said the skates were to tight and she wanted a hot chocolate, who can blame the girl. So Clayton kept going he loved it. He fell a few times but wants to go back.

Don't ever try to find gloves in July it is impossible, they have adult gardening gloves on.

Ella two seconds of fun!!

Cade always has fun as long as there is a good bottle close by.

A Month Of Celebrations...

2008-07-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

July= Party....

This month has been full of fun and excitement. July started off by a great fourth of july party, then I had my birthday which i will not be talking that much about. The day after my birthday we threw Cade a birthday party (a week early but i was in a wedding on his actual birthday). His party had 35 people there and we had a great bbq swim party with family and great friends. He fell asleep half way threw but he lasted longer than i thought he would. It was a great day and I can not believe he is already one.

Like I said before I was in a wedding and obviously when you say wedding of course that come with a lot of partys. I was the Matron of Honor so it was a whirlwind of fun. Last month I threw my friend Brooke a bridal shower but a few weeks ago her sister in law hosted a bachelorette fparty, then her family cameinto town and so we had another bachelorette party/ shower. it was so much fun.

So obviously there was a wedding, a big so much fun, dance all night wedding. The day started at 7 am with us getting our hair and makeup done. We took lots of pictures and then the ceremony. (Side note my friend Brooke is one of the most creative, fun loving and entertaining person i know) The reason I mention this is because for the last six months we had choreographed and practiced a whole routine for the bridal party to do at the reception, but as fun as this was it wasn't enough so Brooke decided she wanted the bridesmaids to walk into the ceremony to the song "Then he kissed her" and we did a special walk/choreographed dance down the isle. It was so much fun. The whole day was great and Brooke and her husband Raymond are so happy and I was so excited to be apart of this fun day.

4th of July Festivities!!!

2008-07-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Fun Fourth!!

so we had a great, fun but long fourth of july. We started out for a breakfast with our ward, the breakfast burritos were really good. Then we went straight over to my parents house where we had a bbq with my aunt and my cousins family, and we all went swimming.

My mom and I had a watermelon carving contest, of course mine won.

After Robert did snakes with the kids then the cousins left.

We then went back to the backyard and started a fire to make Smores.

Those are always good. When it got dark we did fireworks even though my kids were all scared. We had a lot of fun and it was fun to remember what fourth of july is all about.

STORY OF LOVE!!!!!

2008-06-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

I want to tell a story of young love. A 16 year old and a 17 year old found eachother. Well found is stretching it. More like the girls parents went out of town and she left the house at midnight to go to a party to meet a friend and there was the sweet red headed boy that she found herself talking to. About two weeks later they saw each other again. They went to a basketball game and she drove him home, which she was not suppose to do since he lived out of her "driving boundary." They started to hang out a lot and became "boyfriend girlfriend" That year they attended her senior prom.

They had a lot of fun. The year ended and they had to part since she was going away to college and he was still in high school. The year was long and sometimes hard but they survived. That summer they got engaged, yes a 19 year old and 18 year old engaged. They decided the summer of 2000 would be a perfect time to get married. That year they were together and had as much fun as they could. That summer they were married, two 19 year olds in love and so happy.

It's been 8 years since that summer day and they are still in love and now have three beautiful children and can't wait for more years to come.

happy anniversary ROBERT!!! I love you!!!

MY B.F.F!!

2008-06-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

some of you may know that my mom and I are best friends. We are together almost everyday and she has been a huge support and friends in my life. Here are some pictures of some of the ways she helps in my life.

we are always together, shopping or whatever

she is a bicycle extremist

she is our photographer

text message queen

my spray tan professional

and best of all my nanny jk, but she does watch my kids a lot so Robert and I can go out on the town.

love ya mom, missy, marianne, mima

SUMMER SWIMMING

2008-06-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE, SO TAKE OFF....

So swimming has officially started for the summer. The weather is HOT, the pool is cool, the kids are ready to dive in. ok well they are still learning so not dive in but hang out on the steps or get in floaties. So we went to swim for the first time we had to get goggles, you know the staple of a good swim. Clayton got the cool superman goggles and Ella got the Dora the Explorer goggles, we had a lot of fun and there are many pool days ahead of us.

superman goggles

dora goggles

don't be jealous!!!

no goggles for Cade, but he is still cute

3 kids or 4 that is the question???

2008-06-05T12:58:00.001-07:00

Decisions!!! Decisions!!!! So I have been thinking about my kids lately and my baby Cade is almost one, I was thinking that if I did another two year gap I would be getting pregnant in 4 or 5 months. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH 4 kids can I handle that!! Am I capable of 4 kids?? I don't know?? I thought the decision to stop or have more kids would be so much more obvious than what has been. I thought the heavens would open just for me and a huge sign would come down and spell it out for me, well needless to say I am still looking in the clouds for my sign. Didn't I just have a baby??????

Clayton is 5

Ella is 3

Cade is 10 1/2 months... Do I Need More???????

ps I also don't want to be fat again since I have finally got below honeymoon weight!!!

Disneyland and the Whole West Coast

2008-05-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Our California Adventure....

well we went to disneyland with the kids, (this picture is not good but it is typical family pic)

we also brought my parents along for much needed help.

4 adults to 3 kids is much better than 2 adults to 3 kids. We had a lot of fun, but i forgot how dark the rides are at disneyland,

so my kids got scared and we had to talk them into going on any ride, even the baby rides were dark.

After disneyland we went to Newport Beach the next day. The kids played in the water and we had a lot of fun.

The next day we traveled to Malibu

and since it was so hot we decided to drive the coast so we drove threw santa barbara and onto pismo beach where we walked the streets.

We finally headed home, it was a long trip but we had a lot of fun.

MY THREE LITTLE FISH

2008-05-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

BATH TIME!!!!!

Cade is finally old and big enough to get in the bath with his brother and sister, YES thats right no more bath in the sink with the dishes. They all love the bath, even though they always ask me not to wash their hair. I love bath pics but it's hard to get cute ones or pics without showing parts that shouldn't be on blogs.

this has nothing to do with bath time but it is proof that i had some of the cake (this one is for you jackie)

BIRTHDAY CAKE

2008-05-05T21:42:00.001-07:00

My brothers 24th birthday cake

my brother had a luau birthday party for himself and his friends. When i was in Utah i saw a cake that was a tiki hut and ocean so I thought i could make that. With a little bit of helpful tips from those with cake experience (thanks a lot) i was able to create a tiki hut birthday cake. It wasn't perfect but it was a lot of fun to make.

This is the cake I saw at the store!!

This was the practice cake!! (My brother Michael)

This was the party cake!!!

HOW BIG IS CADE???

2008-04-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

SOOOOO BIG!!!!

Cade, our little baby boy, is getting so big. Well some might say to big. I have been buying him 18 months shirts and some 18 months pants because his gut is so big. Did i forget to mention he is 9 months. I don't remember my other kids being this big he is just a good eater I guess. The first time i gave him rice cereal i thought it would be typical put the food in and he would spit it out like my other kids did, but no not Cade he took a spoonful and he immediately gulped it down and had his mouth open looking for another bite. Well he is such a big boy but i love him so much even though he hurts my back some time.

2008-04-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Tag
alright alright here is my first tag, i am not that interesting, so sad!!

Ten Years Ago: I was a senior in high school, rulin the school. I was playing softball and I had just met Robert and we have been dating for 2 months.
If I were suddenly a Billionaire........... duh quit all work whatsoever, and no we will not open a free clinic like some of you crazy people. travel, pay off all debt buy a house customized to our liking, pay off my parents house and other debt. Pay off friends debts, don't start sucking up now. Eat out every meal, hire a maid and whatever else I feel like because i am a billionaire.
Things on my to do list today: LAUNDRY, planning parties and pealing off wallpaper.
3 Bad habits: Drink diet coke like it is going to save my life, hate cleaning, and shopping ( some days I don't think this is a bad thing)
3 places i have lived: northridge, ca... provo, ut... san leandro, ca
Five Jobs I've had: UHHHHH..... umpire, summer at Japanese restaurant, seriously that is it... i am not the working type i guess
5 things people don't know about me:
1. during my pregnancys i tend to put on a lot of weight, so from the biggest(pregnant) I got I have lost 80 lbs in my life. I love to diet and see how much weight i can loose in one week, kinda weird but i think it is fun.

2. If I could i would eat out every meal, not because i don't like to cook but because i love eating out. It is so fun.

3. Everytime I have to bring a dessert or food to a party I have a internal competition with everyone who brought food. If my food or dessert was gone then I was the winner. I always ask Robert if he thinks I was the winner or I tell him I was the winner. ( he thinks i am crazy)

4. I can not sit still, I always want to go somewhere, anywhere. even if it is to the local target that is alright with me. I have finally slowed down a little, my third child is finally on a good nap schedule so it slows me down.

5. when i was little i wore dresses everyday, i didn't want to wear anything else. When I was in fourth grade a little girl, name Alyssa Kirchoff see I still reember her name, made fun of me and kicked mud on my dress and i never wore a dress to school again.

T-BALL STARTS

2008-04-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

I CAN DO ANYTHING YOU CAN DO.....

I decided to sign up clayton again for t-ball, he was a little to shy last year but i thought he woud be better this year. i took him to sign ups and we signed him up, then ella said i play baseball too. So I asked the t-ball staff if she could play, the staff is made up of four 17 year olds and one 22 year old, they said the age was 4 but hey it's your dime do what you want. So i signed her up. The first game we had went really good. They got their shirts and matching hats and hit the ball. My favorite thing about t-ball is when the kids are playing the field wherever the ball gets hit all 8 kids run after it no matter what position they are in. here are some cute pics

EASTER!!

2008-03-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

EASTER CELEBRATION!!

We had a great sunday!! We woke up to the treasures from the easter bunny, we have a tradition on easter we get, i mean the easter bunny brings the kids their bathing suits for the summer. We had to hurry and get ready for church, it starts at 9am. After church we went to my parents house for egg hunt and dinner

Waking up to their baskets, and yes they fell asleep in their clothes from the day before!!

Ready for church!!

Our children, especially Clayton, is really into clothes he is always wanting new clothes and loves it. The next pics are their wardrobe change #2.

ps the shirt Cade has on is the shirt I got at the store in Beverly Hills when I was discriminated against.

SECOND HONEYMOON...

2008-03-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

...EIGHT YEARS LATER

Well Robert and I finally got to go on a vactation by ourselves since we had children for the first time. We went to one of our favorite places Newport Beach. We just love this place every time we go we want to move there. We had a lot of fun and I wanted to stay longer.

Leaving for our va ca!!

Newport Beach Pier

Robert pigging out at Outback

We don't eat ice cream in the hot tub we eat chocolate

Outside the Newport Temple

Yes we went running on our trip, we love it

Hollywood... home of the crazys

This bag is proof i was discriminated against in Beverly Hills. I went inside Lisa Kline a hot store in beverly Hills. They had childrens clothes that were super cute, sevens for little girls, Hurley and Quicksilver for little boys, that kind of thing. I found this super cute shirt for Cade that was on sale for $11 I can totally afford that. I went to buy it and I saw they had super cute bags brown that had multi color handle, so cute. After I paid the lady, by the way some 20 year old with her boobs hanging out, threw the shirt in this grocery store plastic bag. ANYWAY I was really mad and felt like a loser.

Our last stop, $1.50 homemade cookie icecream sandwiches in Westwood

TO UGG OR NOT TO UGG???

2008-03-09T20:33:00.001-07:00

UGG!!! OR UUUUGGGG!!!

I personally love my Uggs I think they are so cute and I can wear them with jeans, with jammies or some times with mini skirts. ha ha Some people find them to be hideous and just so uggly( yes the two g's were on purpose) I have no idea why people would think that. I was at the park with my kids and i think i now understand why people think they are hideous, because what I saw almost made me rethink my uggs. anyway I will let you be the judge of this.

For the record I still love my Uggs I only have black ones right now because I wore my sand ones so much i got a hole in them. Let me know Can't live without them? or Can't live with them?

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

2008-02-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

WE MISS HAVING OUR FRIENDS!!!

We were able to hang out with some old friends this past weekend, thanks Brit for throwing the partaaay!!! We all had a lot of fun, well except for Matt when the guys would not stop talking about Chiropractic stuff he hid and played the Wii by himself, really guys get a new topic. Sorry Matt thats all they know. Girls we all love eachother and I miss having you guys near me. The greatest thing about this weekend is the kids played so good together, hardly any crying, hardly any fights and a little streaking going on.

Can you believe it I didn't I thought we were going to have to break up some big fights but they did so good. Thanks to the Dora vanity the girls were occupied,

well to be honest so were some of the boys.

Thanks everyone we had a lot of fun. Here are some more great pic from the weekend!!!

Tanner and Cade, instant friends!!

No need to have another baby I can always steal her!!!

This didn't last long, but a good idea

Cades two mommys

Hadley and Jaycie...BFF

LOVE YOU GUYS

Mother of a 5 year old!!!

2008-02-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

MY KIDS ARE SOOO OLD...DOES THAT MAKE ME OLD???

well we have had a few birthdays this past few weeks. Robert turned 27, Ella turned 3 and the biggest one Clayton turned 5. I can't believe he is so old. It still feels like yesterday that I had him. We were living in Utah and he was the worst baby, or maybe I was the worst mom being the first time I had a baby. anyway. All my kids are growing up so fast, I can't believe it!!!

THE ZOO CAN BE EDUCATIONAL

2008-02-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

WE LOVE THE ZOO!!

The first nice day in fresno we decided to go to the zoo. We love the zoo I always get the yearly zoo pass because we go year round. Some days we go for hours some days we run through as fast as we can. The animals are always fun to see, especially since our tigers are in a cage not a wall. So we are looking at some elephants, birds reptile house you know typical zoo day. Then I hear Clayton yell out from a few feet away "Why is that turtle climbing on the other one?" So I immediately try to think, do I use this as an educational opportunity or just say something clever like they are playing leap frog and move on. So I kind of shuffled them along and we kept looking at animals and it never came back up but I just couldn't let it go so i snapped a pic and would like to know your thoughts, If you saw this what would you say to your child????????

CADES BATH TIME

2008-02-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

OH YEAH I AM NOT MOTHER OF THE YEAR

I don't know about most of you with multiple children but for some reason my baby doesn't always get baths as much as my other kids. I know I know this sounds gross but he is usually asleep when my other kids take a bath or if he is awake i am afraid they are to crazy for my baby to go in there with them. I needed a solution, so i thought other moms put there babies in the sink to give baths so I tried it. It was easier to fill up, i didn't have to bend down and i didn't have to worry about my other kids being to rough. The bath went really well he was splashing, kicking and playing with the dirty dishes.... YEAH dirty dishes I forgot to do my dishes before I put him in. So he got clean and had some toys to play with!!!

FIRST BLOG

2008-02-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hey all i am officially in the blogging world. ( thanks Cyn) Hope we have some great stories for you. With 3 crazy kids my life is full of stories so hope you enjoy.