Accepted

We found out a week or so that Trevor got ACCEPTED to the Nursing Program!!! We are beyond thrilled. Especially since the program he was accepted to had over 600 applicants, and only 40 were accepted. (It also happens to be the same nursing school that I went to). Of course, we had to Celebrate!!!


Here's Trevor with his first Nursing kit! Thank you to the parents!

Marc & Shel also came to join in the festivities. We had homemade spring rolls, veggies & dip, spinach/artichoke dip, and lots of other yummy treats. Shelly brought her perfect rice crispy treats (she's the best rice crispy treat maker ever!) and other yummy desserts.

Either the celebration was not exciting, or he had too much to eat....Wes tried to take a cat-nap in the living room.

I am so proud of Trevor for all of the hard work that he's done in order to get accepted to the nursing program. I'm kind of nervous for the program to start...I know how hard and time consuming it is, but I know Trevor will do well.

Now, as soon as Ang is done with medical school, and Trevor has his RN, we can start a family clinic!!!

Happy Birthday

Today would be my Mom's 60th birthday. It's kind of weird for me to think that she would be that old, because this is the picture I have in my mind of how she would look, since I have no memories of her face. I'm not trying to do a tribute, because I don't know where I'd start, or what I'd even say. I just know that today is her birthday, and she isn't here to celebrate.

I know that everything has happened for a reason, and I would not be where I am today had things not tanspired how they did.  At the same time I can't help but feel like I was cheated a little. When I was younger I always thought that it would be so much easier when I "grew up" not to have my mom here, but I was very wrong. I feel like I need her now more than ever.

I wanted her there on my wedding day.  I didn't know what a wife was supposed to be like.  She cooked, cleaned, sewed, gardened, canned, and all other domestic things you can think of.  Unfortunately, I was too young to observe those things and am nothing like that. I wish she could have taught me some of those things so I could have contributed more to my marriage and family.  Instead I had a father who worked full-time, cleaned the house, cooked the meals (if you call it that :o) ), did yard work, etc.  So my expectations weren't exactly realistic when I got married.   

I wanted her there when I gave birth to my children, when I brought them home from the hospital and didn't have a clue to what I was doing. I wanted to call her at 2 o'clock in the morning when I couldn't get Jace back to sleep or when I found out I was pregnant when Jace was only 6 months old.  I want to ask her what I was like when I was a baby (my dad is not a very good historian in that department :o) ).   I want that connection that daughters have with their mothers.

Here is the last picture I have of the two of us. I only have a couple of pictures of us together because she was so sick when I was little. This is shortly before she passed away and she was very sick and swollen from the radiation and chemotherapy. I get teary eyed everytime I look at this picture because she died when I was 2 1/2, the same age as Jace is now. I can't imagine how much courage she must have had to leave us behind.

I do not feel sorry for myself, I just can't help but think of what I'm missing. All I can do is try to be the mother that my mom would have been, and be there for my children. She is such a big part of my life and I love her so much! Even though I don't have a single memory of her, I still feel like I know her, and she knows me. 

My dad was blessed to have married a beautiful and caring woman that I am lucky to have as a parent. I love her so much and cannot imagine our lives without her. She has completed our family in so many ways. There is not a sad ending to this story.  We all continue to live and grow. And like she said in a letter she wrote to me before she passed away "Remember, Families are Forever".

Happy Easter!

We had such a nice Easter this year! I know I sound redundant, but holidays, amusement parks, etc. are so much funner when you have kids! Our Easter Weekend started out by going to Tooele to participate in the Taylor's neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. It was so much fun! It's such a great idea too, hopefully when I make more friends in my neighborhood I can do the same thing here!



Jace did the Easter Egg hunt last year, and could hardly contain himself when he saw Shelly's front lawn covered with Easter Eggs and candy! Here he is already to go!



Brooklyn was excited too! Unfortunately, both of my kids share my love for all things sugary and sweet.
Jace had to stop and eat some treats. It's way too tempting to just keep them in your bucket while your hunting.


Brooklyn caught on really quick, and didn't even seem side-tracked by the candy or what was in the eggs.

She is, however, irritated by her Mom's constant smooches. I just can't seem to leave those cheeks alone!


Jace looking exhausted with all the rewards from the hard work. He so graciously helped Brooklyn carry her bucket, although I'm sure he was eyeing some of her candy!



Here's some of the group hunting. Ry couldn't participate this year in hunting because he just turned 10 (apparently there's an age limit, can you believe he's 10?!). He was a great help hiding the eggs though.

After the hunt there was a pot-luck breakfast that was so yummy! I love this picture because it tells so much. Kylee is sweetly smiling, and Jace is saying "cheese" and thinking "if she doesn't take the picture now and let me get back to my candy, there's going to be a tantrum!". Tara obviously isn't thrilled about the picture and is touching her oh so cute belly. Brooky's oblivious and stealing some food off of Tara's plate.

Next we colored eggs. Jace was in heaven stirring the different colors of water. The boy can't get enough of all things liquid.

By the end his face and hands were stained yellow. He got it all over his clothes too, but thankfully it didn't stain.


Rylan Tara & Brooklyn enjoying the festivities. Yikes, it looks like Brooklyn's going to take a drink of the coloring!

On to Easter Sunday. The kids looked adorable in their new Easter clothes, but both were grouchy and didn't want to take pictures. Here is Jace making sure we don't forget his chocolate milk at home!

Here's the princess putting on a little drama. Sunday mornings are always an event at our house!

This is one of the best family shots we got. Jace is cheesing it, and Brooklyn has a marshmallow in her mouth (the only way we could get her to take the picture) but it's still cute. I just love my little family!

While we were at church the Easter Bunny visited and left some fun toys for the kids (as if they needed anymore). I'm glad that the Easter Bunny has learned that if you get something for Jace you also have to get it for Brooklyn too.

Then it was off to Grandma & Grandpa Barnes' for their annual Easter Egg Hunt. It was a little more difficult to find the eggs this time, but Grandpa was a good help!

Jace is digging through the goods. Geese, when did Easter turn into Christmas! My kids got spoiled!! We had a yummy dinner and celebrated the Ry Guy's birthday. I made myself sick eating too much junk & Easter candy! Now I'm ready for spring!!

Huntington Beach

Our last day in California was spent at Huntington Beach. After spending a few hours at the ocean, we wondered why we spent so much money on Disneyland when the kids absolutely LOVED the beach! Sand + Water + shovels/buckets = Tons of FUN!

Here's Jace sitting in a sand puddle. He wouldn't look at the camera at all, he was too involved with splashing and getting dirty.

Brooklyn's burying Jace's foot.

Here's Jace with all of his gear. He loved to go up to the tide and run as soon as it started getting closer. He thought it was hilarious!

Jace & Brooklyn digging to China.

Brooklyn's face was covered in sand!

And if her face wasn't bad enough, then she decided to do somersaults in the sand!

Here I am enjoying the beautiful ocean. It was quite cold, even though it was a nice day outside. Tara & I forgot to put sunscreen on our feet and our poor little piggies got FRIED! My feet have never been so painful and swollen!

This is our sandcastle creation! I wish! This was an alligator that someone built nearby. I tried to get Jace to get close enough so I could take a picture with him, but he was too scared.

We had such a fun time in California! We were sad to say goodbye. It's nice to come home & sleep in our own beds, but all the travelling has caught up with us. The kids were sick last week, and Tara and I have been sick yesterday and today. Oh well, it was worth it!!

The HAPPIEST place on earth!

Last week, we (Me, Tara [30+ weeks pregnant, mind you] and the kiddos) spent SIX days at the Happiest Place on Earth!!!! What an absolute blast! Going to Disneyland is SO much funner when you take you're with your kids! It truly is a magical place. I have LOTS and LOTS of pictures, and this is only a fraction. So bare with me.

Here's a group picture with the "Big Cheese" himself! Jace was SO excited to see Mickey and said he wanted to give Mickey a hug, but quickly changed his mind when we got up close.

Here we all are on one of our first rides. It's a boat ride through Storybook Land. This kids loved it!

The three kids on the carousel. Of course two of them are having too much fun to look at the camera.

Jace and Brooklyn are chillin' out enjoying the ride. They would always take their shoes off as soon as they got in the stroller and used their trays as foot rests. Tara and I wish they made a double stroller that was adult sized, although I'm not sure who would push us!

Looks like their snoozing away but their fakers. Brooklyn's the only one who would actually crash in the stroller.

Tara and Jace on his "favorite" ride, the "Caterpillar Choo Choo". * I didn't really know Jace had "favorites" but apparently he does! As a side note, his favorite color is pink!

This is Jace going through the watermelon. It squirts water and smells like a watermelon. He loved it as you can tell!

Brooklyn's giving Mickey a high-five at California Adventures. Both kids had to give the characters fives and bones before we could leave. Otherwise they (or maybe it was just Jace) would cry and we'd have to but back up in line so he could hurry and do it!

Jace while we're waiting for our shuttle. Riding the bus was one of the highlights of our day.

Jace and Brooklyn loved the fountain at California Adventures. They stayed and played here multiple times during our trip. We found if we let them run around and be free for awhile they weren't cranky.

Such a sweet moment.

Jace is giving Pooh Bear a five. They loved the Winnie the Pooh ride, and had to see the characters afterward.


Brooklyn's about to hug Pooh. She was really sweet with the characters.

I think this is the only time Jace hugged a character. Tigger's one lucky guy.



Group shot with Tigger.

Here's the three of us in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle (or Cinderella's Castle, depending on who you ask). Once Jace saw the castle, he knew we were at Disneyland because every time the Disney logo with the castle comes on the TV, he yells "Disneyland"!

This is what Jace threw in the water in front of the castle. Lovely.



Luckily we found a "Handy Manny" to help us! (Although Jace suggested we use a fishing pole. He's such a smart guy!)

Here's Jace and I on the bumper cars in "Bug Land". He loved being able to drive!


The kids didn't mind waiting in line for rides (although, really, we never had to wait too long) because they would play with the ropes or chains or whatever else there was. I guess it was a good way to get all their wiggles out.

Jace is showing Brooklyn the "goods" while we're waiting in line. They both thought it was hilarious! It's so much fun to watch them laugh and play together.

Here's Jace a Wall-E. It's just a statue, which made Jace much more comfortable.

Here we are with Tara's favorite: GoOfY!


We went out to lunch/dinner a few times in Downtown Disney.

This is Jace's new face whenever you ask him to say cheese.


Here are the kids enjoying a laugh while they eat their hot dogs. I kind of felt trashy giving my kids whole hot dogs to eat but you're kind of limited at a hotel. It was nice because Tara & I would put the kids down at 7pm Cali time so they'd keep they're same schedule (and we were all POOPED by that time anyway). Tara and I would listen to books on our Ipods and go to bed early. I think I got more sleep while we were there than I have in a long time!

This face shows how we all felt by the end of the day. Exhausted and a little cranky. She can give the BEST dirty looks!

Here's the beauty queen waiting to go to Disney the next day. 12 hours of sleep does both kids well, and they slept awesome all week long!

Jace and I with are snazzy 3-D glasses waiting to go on Toy Story Mania.

Jace was a pro with his gun. It was such a fun ride!!!

Here we are looking at another water feature. My kids love the water!

Jace is waving to Woody and Buzz during the Pixar parade! Both kids sat so still and mesmerized in their strollers.

Although I went with a pregnant lady and two toddlers, I still was able to go on my fair share of rides (thank you SO much, Tara). Here I am on Screamin'.

Every time I go to Disney, I'm impressed with all they do to entertain you. I was so surprised with how many things there were for the kiddos and six days didn't seem like long at all! (Tara may tell you otherwise, though.) Thank you, Tara, for playing with us in all your pregnant glory! You were a trooper!