[ More of Taylorsville Days ]

We went to a Neil Diamond impersonation concert with Joey's family out at the Taylorsville park...not so much for the Neil Diamond guy...but for the firework show afterwards. I'm not a big Neil fan...although Joey and his Mom share a love for his music. But it was fun for the kids to be able to play with their cousins. Joey was in Vernal all weekend, so I was flying solo with the kids...which can always be interesting! Aspen and Clayton are either the best of friends or the worst of enemies! It drives me absolutely crazy when they fight with each other! Aspen is also in this phase where she likes to push as many buttons as possible before her Mom and Dad lose it! So without Joey, this night was full of me threatening the kids that if they "ran away from me one more time", or "picked on each other one more time" we were going home! A few tears were shed by them...and by the time the firework show started...I felt like shedding a few happy tears when the kids finally zonked out! It was actually not that bad...and we did actually enjoy ourselves! I'm just so thankful that I don't have to do it alone all the time! Here are some pics from our crazy night!

I got these cute little cowboy hats at Reams for $3...and Aspen just loves it!

Aspen and Auntie StephoLook at that pretty pink sky! I just love sunsets!

[ Taylorsville Day's Parade ]

The Taylorsville Day's Parade runs just up the street from Joey's parents house every year. So the kids and I decided to meet Gramma Darcy and some of the neighbors to watch the parade together. Aspen had lot's of fun catching all the candy...and Clayton had lot's of fun stuffing it all in his mouth!! By the end of the parade he was on a sugar high!

Here's the Dude watching the parade with his bike helmet on...he watched the entire parade this way...when he finally let me take it off...his hair was soaked with sweat!! He's so cute!

Aspen with Karry watching the parade...This is Lizzie...one of the neighbors little girls. She was my little buddy during the parade and wanted to look at all the pictures i was taking! So we took one of her so that she could see her owee!Some of our favorites...I have always loved parades! I try to get Joey to take me to the SLC parade on Pioneer day every year...but he hates parades for some reason (and we are always conveniently out-of-town)...so i guess i'll have to settle with the good ole' Taylorsville parade!

Watch out Hannah Montana...you've got some competition!!

Gramma Darcy and Grampa John got Aspen this really fun Hannah Montana dance/sing along kit for her birthday. It came with a DVD instruction video on fashion/singing/dancing, a wig, microphone, dance mat, and headset. So we set it up and Aspen totally loved it! She doesn't ever watch Hannah Montana...but she has some pj's and has listened to her music before, so she has the general idea of who Hannah Montana is. I got some cute pictures of her doing the warm-ups...until she heard the camera click and then she got pissed!! She was so embarrassed...so i put the whole get up on and she snapped pictures of me...I know I look HOT!! But it was really fun!!

Warming- up!

I've been caught!And now she's pissed!

Such a cute Hannah Montana!

Ooh ya...look at that hot chick! (Aspen was snapping the pictures)My Glamour shots...by AspenI know...this one is pretty scary!!!

Aspen turns 5!!!

It is hard for me to grasp that 5 years have gone by since Aspen was born!! She has grown up to be such a little lady. She is smart, funny, caring, and beautiful! It's so amazing watching her grow up, but at the same time it makes me a little sad that she is getting so big so quick! I can't believe that she is going to kindergarten this year...it makes me feel so old!! We had a small get together the day before her birthday (since her b-day fell on Father's Day this year)...unfortunately it was raining pretty badly so Joey ended up BBQ-ing in the rain! But it turned out nice anyway and Aspen got lots of really cool presents! She loves everything she received! Mom and Dad got her a new backpack with school supplies and a new desk for her room...which is still not assembled...but i will post pics of it as soon as it is!

Opening Presents!!

Princess tea party set...Marcie you know Aspen so well! She loves this!Okay...so these are about the ugliest cakes ever!!!
I decided after spending so much $ on past years birthday cakes that i would make Aspen's cake this year. I thought...how hard could it really be? I looked online and found recipes and cute decorating ideas... Well you must have a LOT of patience to be a cake decorator!! Something I have very little of lately! I found this cute 3 tiered cake display thing for really cheap brand new at the thrift store...so I made 3 different sized cakes and had 3 different colored frosting's... Well by the time i cooked the cakes...and then frosted the dumb things...I had no patience left for decorating! So I called Aspen into the kitchen and had her help me decorate them! It turned out to be a lot of fun for both of us...we got frosting and sprinkles everywhere...but that is okay! But seriously they are HOT...right?!! At least they still tasted yummy!Blowing out the candles...Clayton helping in the background!
Having a tea party with cake and pink lemonade!

Thank you everyone that came to help make Aspen's day so special!! We are so grateful for all the love and support you show our family!

Happy 5th Birthday Aspen! We love you so much!

Butter Boy

Remember how I mentioned that Clayton was getting into things he shouldn't be! Well this is what Joey and I caught Clayton doing one night after dinner. I had left the butter on the table and apparently Clayton thought it would be fun to play in it...and eat a little bit too! So gross! It was too funny...so I had to grab my camera!!

Note to self: Don't leave the butter on the table with out adult supervision!!

Hill Air Foce Base Air Show

Joey and I took the kids to the Air Force Air Show up at Hill AFB this year. I think Clayton was in heaven...he thought all the planes were pretty cool! We all had a really good time, despite all the thousands of people that were also there!! Joey kept pointing out all the different military planes...and he even took over the camera while i stood in line to get food! Here are some pics of some of our favorites...it was hard to narrow it down...I think we took close to 75 pics! And we got some good use out of the new camera lens...

I'm not gonna pretend like I remember what all these planes are called...so just look at how pretty (I mean cool) they are!!

My "I love taking pictures" kids!
Me and the Dude...Joey and Aspen

A little bit of softball...and Aspen's owee!

Here are some pics of my hot husband playing softball at one of the games I actually went to! It was later at night, so the pics are kind of dark...oh well!
That same night (6/3/09) we were getting ready to leave my brother's house when Aspen and Clayton came running out of the gated fence. Clayton shut the gate on Aspen and she ran right into the gate's lock thing and cut her eye pretty good! I wasn't sure if she needed stitches or not so Stepho and I took her to her work to see one of the Work Care Dr's. Luckily no stitches, and she did pretty well while the doc poked and prodded and even while Auntie Stepho washed her wound!! Here are some pics i tried to get of her at Joey's game that night! I don't understand why but she hates having her pictures taken...it drives me crazy!!

Her wound has since healed up well...with some slight scarring :( But apparently kids skin regenerates as they get older so we are hoping it will go away. Although that is what we were told about her "stork bites" on her forehead and five years later they are still there...so who knows. She is still beautiful no matter what!!

I've been slacking on the blog big time lately! I have so much to catch up on...and not sure where to start! Hmmm...it looks like the end of May... We're having a pretty busy Summer so far with lots of things going on. Aspen had her 5th birthday last week (really...I have a soon to be kindergartner!!), Joey is playing lots of softball and hockey, Clayton is potty training and getting into things he should not!! And Me...well I'm not very interesting...just taking lots of pictures and doing the same old stuff a little crafting and painting along the way! You would think that with Joey being gone all weekend in Vernal for his softball tournament...I'd get in as much blogging as I could without his nagging. But I've been trying to get some yard work and housework done...and some much needed bonding time with the kiddos! I will try to post some pics of all the non-sense later today...

I will leave you with this though...

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

~ Maya Angelou

Rest in peace, Michael. We will never forget the way your music made us feel!

Back to Oregon!

We had plans to go camping with Joey's family near Baker City, Oregon. Why Oregon? Well Joey's brother and his extended family live in Washington, so we planned to meet halfway. We did this last year on Memorial Day weekend so we thought we'd make it a tradition! Being that we were planning to turn around the very next weekend and basically pass through Nyssa, my Mom offered to keep the kids for the week! I was a little hesitant not knowing how they would do with out us (okay really just me not knowing how i would do without them!) for a week...but the kids really wanted to stay. So, we let them. They don't get to see them very often because they live so far away, so it was fun for them all! It did make the trip home and up there without them a little easier...and then we didn't have to drive up both our vehicles to pull the trailer. So it was a win win situation i guess.

Here are some pictures from our camping trip...

The camping was great! Getting 2 ticks...not so great! I freaked out...they were seriously everywhere! I think I was the most careful...and I was the only one who got them...most likely from my 3 grubby children...yes I said 3...that includes Joey! :) But thanks to my loving hubby...he got them out of me quick! And let me just say that it is not as sexy as Brad Paisley's song makes it out to be to check someone for ticks!!

We had so much fun...I didn't totally suck at badmitton this year! Riley and I totally kicked butt...and I forgive him for pouting when he found out that I was his partner! Who can really blame him tho?! Joey and his Dad were the champs this year! It was really good to see everyone again and the kids had so much fun playing with their cousins! I can't wait to do it again next year!

Michelle

Shortly after we got home from our trip we got the sad news that our friend Michelle had passed away at the age of 28 from cancer. I can't even begin to imagine the things this family has had to go through. Knowing what was coming and never giving up hope. We were able to go see Justin and Michelle a couple weeks before she passed away, and it was tough to see her so fragile. It's hard to describe the feeling of being there while she is just a couple years older than we are. She was so optimistic about everything, and it was fun to see her still telling Justin what to do (or what not to do)! If it were me I hope I'd be the same way! It was an emotional heartbreaking funeral, but bittersweet at the same time. Knowing that she is in a better place and not having to fight such a horrible disease anymore. I don't think there was a dry eye in the entire church...it was a little surreal to be surrounded by a bunch of big tough Marines with tears in there eyes. Thank goodness our goodbyes are not really goodbyes. I'm so thankful for the knowledge of the Gospel. I know that families are forever! I could go on and on but I'm already crying again just thinking about it all!

Also, this is such a sweet song that they played at her funeral...it fit so perfectly for Michelle.


Here are the lyrics...

Artist: Alan Jackson
Song: Sissy's Song
Album: Good Time

Why did she have to go
So young I just don't know why
Things happen half the time
Without reason without rhyme
Lovely, sweet young woman
Daughter, wife and mother
Makes no sense to me
I just have to believe

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me

Loved ones she left behind
Just trying to survive
And understand the why
Feeling so lost inside
Anger shot straight at God
Then asking for His love
Empty with disbelief
Just hoping that maybe

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me

It's hard to say goodbye
Her picture in my mind
Will always be of times I'll cherish
And I won't cry 'cause

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels
By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees
And she walks with jesus and her loved ones waiting
And I know she's smiling saying
Don't worry 'bout me
Don't worry 'bout me
Don`t worry 'bout me


Oh and 3 funerals in one month is enough for me thank you very much...i don't think i can afford to buy more tissues or waterproof mascara!