Happy Birthday Dakota!!!!

 Dakota turned 5 today!! The day started out by celebrating at school. He got to take treats to the class and they sang happy birthday to him, also his teacher made him this cute birthday hat.

He couldn't wait to open his present from Mike and I,  he had asked about it a million times and as soon as he got off the bus from school he just HAD to open it. We got him two John Deere diesels that were hauling tractors and a combine.He LoVeD them.

He wanted a John Deere birthday party this year.

We ate tractor tires (chocolate covered donuts)

Haystacks (Butterscotch and peanut butter treats)

Mudd and Dirt (chocolate pudding and crushed Oreos)

And John Deere cake push ups

We made them green and yellow like John Deere

And of course we ate on John Deere plates

All the kids enjoyed their treats

Even Maddy loved hers!

After treats he opened his presents and we finished the night by going down stairs and watching his new tractor movie he got for his birthday. I think he had a really great day! I love having Dakota in our family I sat down with him this afternoon and told the story about when he was born, and I showed him his baby pictures. I told him how excited I was to have him and that I love having him in our family. There is truly no greater joy than being a mother!

Back to School 2011

On the Monday before school starts we get together with my side of the family, and have a back to school family night. We make everyone a sack lunch for dinner. This year we bought these cute lunch sacks and water bottles to pack them in.

For the treats we made crayons (chocolate covered pretzel rods)

Apples (Chocolate covered oreos)

And apple and football shaped sugar cookies

After we ate dinner the kids all got to model 2 of their favorite school outfits

I got to go to the school on the first day and eat breakfast with Brielle and Dakota and meet their teachers. Dakota is in preschool and he has Mrs. Monroe.

Brielle is in first grade and she also has a different Mrs. Monroe.

They both really enjoy school so I am sure they will have a great year!

Bath Tub Notes

I bought these soap crayons for my kids to use in the bath tub, you can write on the bath tub with them and then they just wash off. Mike got a new job a couple weeks ago though and on some days he doesn't get home until after the kids are already in bed, so Mike and the kids have been using these crayons to leave each other cute notes. Brielle will write Mike a note and he will answer her back the next day when he showers. Dakota and Maddy have been drawing pictures for Mike to see when he showers.

One of Brielles notes to Mike. The TD FB at the bottom stands for to Dad - from Brielle

Dakotas picture for Mike

Maddys picture for Mike

It has been fun to get in the shower and see what new message is on the wall. Some of them have been questions for Mike, and some have just been sweet notes to each other telling each other how much we love them or just saying something special to some body in the family. There have been so many cute things said I wish I could take a picture of each message and save it.

Rainbow Pudding Pops

Another yummy summer treat my kids had fun making this summer is Rainbow Pudding Pops. First you make your favorite kind of instant pudding.

Then you seperate it into four bowls and add a different color of food coloring to each one.

Next you layer the colors into popsicle molds

And after that put them in the freezer until they are frozen.

The last step is to lick away!!!

Home-Made Slurpees

One of the things my kids liked to have for a treat this summer was slurpees.

They are super refreshing on hot days

Slurpees

1 pkg. Kool Aid

2 c. club soda ( I use Sprite instead)

1/2 c. sugar

2 1/2 c. crushed ice

*Blend Kool Aid, 1 c. club soda, and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

* Add ice and blend

* Add remaining club soda and blend.

* Pour into individual glasses and put in freezer for 30 min.

*ENJOY!

Friends

I have been babysitting cute little Holly for Scott and Andrea, her and Maddy have so much fun together. Andrea and I were best friends all through high school and these two little cuties are already starting to carry on that friendship into the next generation.

Girls Weekend

The monday after the 24th my mom, Mindy, Melissa, and I all took our girls to St. George for a weekend away. We went shopping all day and then we went to dinner and we went to watch The Little Mermaid at Tuachan. The show was AWESOME! We stayed the night in a motel and then shopped some more the next day before we headed home.

It was fun to spend some one on one time with Brielle she is such a sweetheart, with three little girls I look forward to having many of these great weekends!

24th of July

For the 24th this year Mike and the kids went out to Kanosh first thing in the morning for the parade, then they came back home and we all went up to the church in Flowell to celebrate the rest of the day. The celebrations started off with the kids parade, after that there was a variety of activities going on at the same time. There was a bake off, dunking booth, straw dive, greased pig, face painting, bucking bull barrel, blow up slides, bumpy ride, baseball game, and some throwing games. For dinner we had Navajo tacos and fruit. After dinner we watched a magic show, and at dark we watched a movie on the lawn. My kids had a blast!

For the straw dive candy and money was hid in the pile of straw and the kids dove in and searched for loot!

The dunking machine was one of my favorite things on the 24th when I was little, and it was a hit with my kids this year too. Sooooo refreshing on a hot day!

All the little ones were lined up to watch the greased pig. When they let him loose he must of been traumatized because it didn't run it just sat down!

Koda thinks he could be the real deal bull rider

Maddy got her face painted

 The kids thought the magician at the magic show was super funny.  Great memories were made this day!!!