My Graduate

My little boy is a preschool graduate! He has LOVED preschool and grown so much this year. He has learned so much too. I am so glad he was able to go to preschool and learn from his amazing teacher.

Here he is getting his "diploma". He was so excited for graduation, and had the countdown going each day. A couple weeks ago he saw a picture of Jerry at his college graduation. Hayden said, "Look dad, you're graduating. That's JUST like me graduating from preschool."

This is one of his teachers, Miss Nicole. She taught them health and nutrition.

This is another of his teachers, Mrs. Hagfeldt.

This is his teacher Mrs. York. She is really amazing. I hope I can get Rebecca into her preschool in a couple years. It fills up really quickly. I'm talking within minutes after online registration opens the class is full. It was so fun seeing his beaming face.

Because he was so excited, and we really are proud of him we decided to have a little family party for him with a cake. (Besides it gives me something to experiment with cake decorating on.) So here is my graduation cake.





Then we got him a couple little presents. (We just like an excuse to spoil our kids. He got some M&Ms, and an Iron Man figure.

Did you notice?

Do you see it? How about now? Notice anything missing?
How about the big CHUNK of hair she CHOPPED from the right side!
I thought we had passed the danger zone, especially because Rebecca LOVES her long hair - so she can look like a princess of course. But the temptation to cut was just too great. I guess I should be grateful that it is easily hidden. In fact, either I don't do her hair enough or I'm not very observant at all, but I didn't notice till two days later when I found the hair hidden in the pantry. (That's where she hid to do it.) I'll need to even it out I guess, but I don't want to make it any worse, so I'll have someone that knows what they're doing help cut the other side. It just looks like long bangs, but only on one side. Who knows, she did a pretty good job when it comes to cutting her own hair, maybe she has a future in hairstyling??

Happy 101

My sweet friend, Jaime over at Far From Supermom nominated me for this PRESTIGIOUS award - weeks ago, and I still haven't listed my 10 things that make me happy. So, now I get to write my list of 10 things that make me happy, in no particular order, and then nominate a couple others to do the same.

# 1. My family! This includes the family I was raised in, the family I married into, and the family I have now with Jerry. I was very fortunate to have some amazing parents that raised our family in a loving, Christ centered home. They taught us in every way, from example and from discussions. My parents have a strong testimony of Christ and of The Gospel and that helped me in gaining my own testimony of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the many siblings I have, they are my best friends! My family is spread out all over the country - well, globe actually because my parents are in England right now on their mission. But we still have such great friendships and keep in touch, and strive to get together whenever we can. Some of my FAVORITE times are after a family party when the kids have gone to bed and all of us sibling & spouses & mom and dad, sit around and talk and LAUGH about fun memories, and funny stories of life "back then" and life now. We are all grown now, but when we get together we still act like children and have so much fun. (This is witnessed in every single Halloween party post.)

I'm grateful that I married into a wonderful family. I'll be forever grateful to Jerry's parents for raising him to be such an amazing husband and father with a strong work ethic. They have been so wonderful to me and welcomed me into the family with the most loving arms from the first time Jerry took me to dinner almost 8 years ago. I also love how close he is with his brothers and sister. They are wonderful!

And of course my family with Jerry and my children makes me SO happy! Before I got married I was the "fun aunt" that played with all my nieces and nephews and they brought me so much joy, but just a portion of the joy that my own children bring me. Seeing my children grow and develop areas of interest and talents makes me so happy, and amazes me at the same time. I'm so lucky to have been blessed with these three precious children. And I love that I married the perfect man for me! He makes me so happy.

(Ok, I know that was SUPER long for #1 - I won't be so long winded on the others.)

#2. Friends! I have been blessed with super friends that are always there when I need them. I still have a lot of good friends in Utah. Friends from my childhood. Friends that I went to high school with, that I still love dearly and love to get together with. Friends from college that were really answers to prayer that I love and miss laughing with. Friends from when I first moved to Las Vegas and didn't know a soul. They really became my family down here because I had no one else. And I have also been blessed to make some awesome friends here in my ward that are some of the most giving people, and so much fun to be around. Thanks all my great friends - you make me happy!

#3. Yellowstone! I worked in West Yellowstone for 3 summers during college and it became my second home. I have so many great memories of those summers and just thinking about the place makes me happy. There is a feeling I get every time I drive into the tiny little city of West Yellowstone. I can't really describe it, but I'll do my best. It's a feeling of love, familiarity, belonging, and happiness. I think it was during those summers that I really discovered who I was. My friends went up with me and we had so much fun. And I made some other great friends there too. Some of my favorite times were times that I was alone and I got to go on a bike ride out on the hidden paths behind the city. BEAUTIFUL! I also loved going out to Hebgen Lake to camp, or to just lay by the lake and read. We went into Yellowstone park quite a bit after work. We'd go cliff jumping at Firehole at 1:00 in the morning. Seeing Old Faithful erupt is awesome anytime, but when you are there at midnight with only 4 other people it goes up a notch in "awesomeness". Ok, so I'm strolling down memory lane too much, I won't go into all the details of how we'd have little parties in our cabin, with a bonfire in the driveway of our cabin only 20 feet from a gas station, or the colorful people we met or else I would never get to #4. But Yellowstone/ West Yellowstone makes me very happy!

#4. Nature! You might think this is redundant of #3 Yellowstone - but you are wrong:) Yes, nature is part of the reason I loved Yellowstone, but not all. There are other areas of nature that I absolutely love and that make me happy as well. I was lucky enough to grow up 10 minutes from one of the most beautiful (in my opinion) canyons - Logan Canyon. So many times, as I was in high school or college I'd just want to go on a drive just to think. Might have been happy, might have been sad, might have just needed some time to think, but Logan Canyon was always the place I'd drive while listening to some great music. Sometimes I'd stop at some of my favorite spots and get out and walk around, and other times I'd just drive, and maybe even end up at Bear Lake - one of the bluest, beautiful lakes ever. (Once again, in my opinion) One year on my birthday, I was in college and had a class that I hated. I decided that I shouldn't have to do anything I didn't want to do on my birthday, so I skipped my class and hopped in my car and went on such a great drive through the canyon. That made my birthday happy.I love beautiful mountains, a nice lake, and I LOVE swimming in rivers. Also, in the category of nature I LOVE a good thunderstorm. I mean the kind that makes the lights flicker, and beats against the windows. Ooh, love it. I think I live in a little bit of the wrong place to love green mountains, blue lakes, and thunderstorms. I guess Las Vegas has a beauty of its own.

#5. Vacations! Yes, I know - most people love vacations, and they make pretty much everyone happy. But, that doesn't mean I can't include it on my list right? I love going to new places and seeing the sites, and the people that live there. Some of my favorite vacations have been to Disneyland - obviously! Seattle, New York, Washington D.C., Ohio, San Fransisco, Colorado, Ireland, Winnepeg - we went to Jerry's mission area - Warroad, MN up to Winnepeg, Canada - awesome. Ok, so that's mainly all the vacations I've gone on, but any vacation is a good one. It's just great to break up the monotonous day to day life with a good vacation every once in a while.

#6. A Clean House! Yes, I have turned into my mother. I used to roll my eyes everytime we asked what she wanted for her birthday, or for mother's day and she would just say, "A clean house." And even more I didn't quite understand when we would stay up until after midnight doing a surprise cleaning on the house while she slept, that she would cry in the morning when she saw it. But we figured the tears meant she liked it. NOW - I totally understand. When my house is clean I am so much happier. Oddly, when my house is a mess, my mind is a mess too. I can think clearer when my house is clean, and I am just so much happier. Now, with 3 kids my definition of clean is not quite what it was before I had kids, but even with my house meeting the new definition of clean it makes me happy.

#7. A good book! I was actually not much of an enjoyment reader until a couple years ago. Then I discovered the joy that comes from getting lost in a good book. Being swept into a whole other world with new characters. I knew I had it bad one day when I was shopping in the grocery store and I could have sworn I recognized this man. I couldn't quite place where I knew him from, when I realized I thought it was a character from the book I was reading. He looked just like I'd pictured this character to look. - Ok, maybe that's a bad example of showing that I get a little obsessed with things. But yes, reading a good book brings me joy.

#8. Having a good cry! Is that dumb? Does that make me seem like an unstable person? Ok, maybe I am. :) It doesn't happen all that often, but sometimes when life gets so stressful, or if I'm just having a bad day I love having a good cry. It cleans out my system and refreshes me, and makes me happy again. So, that probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but to me it does. Believe me, it definitely doesn't make any sense to Jerry - I think he gets scared when he sees me cry. Sometimes a good chick flick that makes me cry can be very therapudic.

#9. Quality time with Jerry! I love this man! He makes me so happy. I am so lucky to have him. And getting good quality time with Jerry makes me happy and helps me return to "Sarah".

#10. A good dose of alone time! Once again, this is probably odd, and doesn't make a lot of sense. I LOVE being around people and I like to be social. But I also really like to have some alone time. Not too much - then I go a little stir crazy. It was probably fostered when I was a child and was constantly getting grounded because I was a sneaky little girl. I was grounded to my room so much that I actually learned to like it. :) Yes, I'm a strange one. Now I'm mom and on duty 24/7, so it's nice to have time just to myself to do what I want to do. I NEED my time with Jerry too, without the kids, but I also crave time for just myself. 20 minutes alone can do me a world of good and makes me a happier individual.

There are many other things that make me happy, and after I hit publish I'll probably think several more things that I should have put on the list instead of others like music, or the feeling you get after a great workout, or the smell of clean laundry, sleeping in fresh sheets, experimenting with decorating cakes, sleep, HAVING MY HAIR PLAYED WITH - oh, that should have been #1, laughing till I have tears streaming down my cheeks, listening to my baby's first cry, watching all the expressions that cross the face of my sleeping baby, those crisp mornings that you hear a couple lawn mowers in the distance, or even doing home improvement projects, but that doesn't change the fact that these are 10 things that make me happy.

So now it's your turn. I'm going to nominate (tag) 3 people to list ten things that make them happy - But I'd love to see what everyone would write, so I "nominate" everyone! Can't wait to see what makes you happy!

Fabulous Fun Finds Auction

If you haven't checked out Fabulous Fun Finds now is the time. This is a site that my good friend, Heather does and there are always great giveaways and quality products that she reviews. A few months ago her 2 1/2 month old niece died of SIDS just days before she was added to their insurance. You can read more about it here Today and tomorrow (May 12-13) there will be an auction on her site to raise money for the headstone, and any additional money will go to the ambulance/hospital bills. There are great vendors that have donated wonderful items for you to bid on. Check it out and see if there is anything you'd like and spread the word please. All the money is going to a great cause. Thanks!

A little getaway of our own.

Ok, I admit it! If there were a 12 step program we would have to go. We are addicted to Disneyland. I promise we won't be going again for a long time. Last month we went to Disneyland, with our "give a day, get a day" passes. It was SO much fun, but a lot of work with the kids. On the way home Jerry got a brilliant plan to go on a trip to Disneyland in Sept. with just us, and his brother's & wives. I was sold, easily. When he called his brother to talk about it, Brian was on board, but asked, "Why are we waiting till Sept. Let's go next month." (You can see the love of Disneyland runs deep in Jerry's family) His brother Barry had to work, but they were wonderful and watched the kids for us.

It was such a different vacation without the kids. We missed them, but knew they were having a blast with cousins, and let's be honest.. I didn't miss pushing a double stroller packed with diaper bags, treats, a cooler, and children all around. And I didn't miss doing a head count every two minutes to make sure we had everyone. I didn't miss tantrums because of lack of sleep and over stimulation and hunger. I also didn't miss diaper changes and being woken in the middle of the night. It was so nice just being with my hunny!
We drove down Thursday afternoon and met up with Brian and Jennifer and went to Downtown Disney that night. Of course we had to go to the Lego store to get Hayden some Legos. Because that is always what I need, MORE Legos to scatter on my floor. :)
We ate at House of Blues - By the way, if you go on vacation check out Restaurants.com for restaurants in the are. We were able to get $25 off our meal.
I just love Downtown Disney at night. Just a fun feel.
The next morning we were there bright at early, right as the park opened. It was the perfect day to be in the park. The weather was perfect, and it was not busy at all. In fact we walked right on to several rides without waiting at all. We even looped Pirates because there was no line - unheard of!

Jerry's favorite ride! - Splash Mountain

My favorite ride - Space Mountain

Perfect snack - Dole Whip!

Small World

Jerry's brother, Devin and nephew Billy were there at Disneyland too, they spent the morning in California Adventure, so we met up with them for an early dinner at Blue Bayou. DELICIOUS!! I love that place. We had a good time eating there, and laughing. Then we all went over to California Adventures till it closed at 9:00.

I haven't spent much time at California Adventures because we run out of time. It was so fun over there. Here is a cool street scene.
We went on the Tower of Terror. It was the first time for both of us. SO FUN! I love that ride.
(Notice, I made the pic black and white to add to the fear) Teehee.

We are in the upper right corner. (We're too cheap to buy the photo's so we just take a picture of the picture.)

When it closed at 9:00 we headed back to Disneyland for a couple more hours. It was a very long day, my feet were sore, but such a great memory and wonderful vacation.

Time to head home!

Hayden's farewell to his buddies

My brother in law, Joe enlisted in the Army and has been away at boot camp and basic training for several months. The day finally came that Hayden had to say good bye to two of his favorite little buddies, his cousins, Joey and Tyler as they move to Alaska. He loves these two so much and it makes me sad that they won't be able to play together anymore. I'm also going to miss Jerry's sister, Bonnie. She is Jerry's only sister and has become a sister to me as well. We love you guys and wish you the best of luck. I'm so proud of Joe and his service to our country. We've been able to skype a few times, and that makes it seem like they aren't so far away. I'm excited for them on this journey, and a little jealous that they get to be in Alaska during the summer. Every summer I threaten to move to Alaska because of the heat. Now, maybe I'll just do that since there's someone there:) We love you guys!

Hayden, Joey, and Tyler - it is so fun to listen to their conversations all about Batman, Spiderman, Star Wars, you name it. They all love the same thing. It's very cute.

They had been playing dress up/Star Wars, and Rebecca was NOT Cinderella in this picture, she was Princess Leah.