Tony and Jen Grimshaw

2010-02-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

https://kristiapproved.infusionsoft.com/go/ltlwomens/madjtone/

2010-02-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

2009-11-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

The girls had tons of fun playing in the leaves at grandmas house. It was Halloween so that is why their cousin Livee is wearing a mummy costume!

My dad and Madilynn were hiding from Ryder..

My daughter is such a cute poser!

Halloween Partay

2009-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

My cute trick or treaters. (minus Lexie, who was taking a nap! :)
My mom threw a "spooktacular" Halloween Party for the family. It was so much fun. We had a pumpkin carving contest, doughnut eating contest, and the best costume award! Tony and I were scuba divers, Josh and Rach were the swine flu, Jared and Heather were mummies, mom and dad were pirates. And the best costume award went to Mark and Katy who were terrorists (totally inappropriate, but the funniest thing EVER!) We had a blast. Thanks mom for throwing another awesome party!

Lexie Mae

2009-11-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

I know that I should have posted these pictures six months ago, but better late than never!. Lexie is an amazing baby. She brings so much joy to our family. She loves to cuddle and laugh! She is growing way too fast. Maddie is a perfect big sister. She protects Lexie from her other sister Sophie!

2009-11-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

California

2009-10-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tony, Lexie, and I went to California for my cousin Brianas wedding. We had a really good time. Then we went to the Golden Gate bridge and saw a random missionary who wanted to hug me and my mom! It was the best day EVER!! I miss you brother, and now I am trunkee! We went with Justin and his funny companion to lunch and then drove around a part of his area that is...crazy!

check out my brother Jareds blog http://jaredbenson.blogspot.com/

I love you Just!

What Was I Thinking?

2009-04-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend Mark and Katie came down for a visit. We always have so much fun when they come down. They are amazing and fun and we love seeing them.
On Saturday Mark and I competed in the SHAC triathlon. I was so glad that my uncle did it with me. I love doing them and I couldn't resist doing it. My goal was to finish in less than an hour and I reached it barely. I finished in 58 minutes and 30 seconds. I felt really good after the race, however I am pretty sore today. All I have wanted to do is sleep. I had so much fun though. I love doing triathlons and I hope that Tony will do the next one with me.
After the race we took the kids hiking at Red Cliffs. I love all of the mountains in Utah. I have always loved the green mountains in Northern Utah and I love seeing the red rock of the mountains in southern Utah.
Thanks Mark and Katie for such an awesome weekend!
The swimming portion of the race is always my favorite part!
The transition from swim to the bike. The bike was harder than I thought. There was some pretty steep hills that I wasn't expecting!
Coming in to the finish line.
After the race with my family
Mark and I after the race

Any guesses?

2009-04-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

I am back from my blogging hiatus! It has been a while, but I am going to try better to post. We have been staying very busy. I am 35 weeks pregnant and I am starting to get a little nervous about being a mother of three! Maddie said that she would help me a lot, but only if the baby is a boy! She really wants a brother. (No pressure!)

To the dismay of most of our family and friends we don't find out what the sex of the baby is. I am starting to wonder if that was such a good idea this time around. When I was pregnant with Sophie I figured that babies just sleep and eat the first 6 weeks of life, so that would give me plenty of time to get clothes if she were a boy. I still agree with that concept, but now I live in a no shopping zone!! (I should add one more thing to my "10 Things I learned while Living in Enoch"...see http://jenandtonygrimshaw.blogspot.com/2008/03/10-things-ive-learned-living-in-enoch.html It would read 11. The only place to shop here is a Walmart where I could conveniently buy some clothes, milk, and a bike tire all in one stop, and a department store that I have never heard of and the parking lot is always deserted, so apparently I am not the only one who has never heard of "Bealls")

Anyways, I am sure that my baby won't have to leave the hospital "nakey bum" because I do have plenty of pink and generous friends who have blue!

The other thought that I have is that the extra room in our home is pink with a really cute pink diamond chandelier!

We are just incredibly grateful to be having a baby, and we look forward to learn all the things that you learn with every child. For example, Tony has learned how to give excellent pedicures to all three of his girls!

Me and the blogging world

2009-02-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

I really have been struggling with thinking of ideas to blog about. When I go to blog my brain closes and the creative juices run dry! So, while I work through my "bloggers block", enjoy my mom's "love" of blogging by checking out her blog http://www.bkathy.blogspot.com/

2nd attempt

2009-01-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

I finally was able to make bread. My dad makes really amazing bread, (that's right, I said my dad!) He uses a mixer that I have always wanted, but never have gotten. It has been on my list of "things I want" for a while now! (I try to make birthdays and Christmas really easy for Tony by telling him my "Top 5 Things" I want. I know, I am so thoughtful!) I ended up, finally getting the mixer from my mom and dad this Christmas! So I practiced making the bread with my dad in Orem, but he was there to make sure that I didn't add too much salt, or burn it. This week I tried making it all by myself. The first time I made it I let it raise too much, so when I took it out of the oven it was all lumpy. When I cut a slice it just crumbled. The next night I tried again. I was nervous, so I called my dad a lot to ask him a lot of question! But I pulled it off! I am very proud of myself! I couldn't have done it without my dad for passing along his knowledge, and my mom for getting me the mixer!and also for helping me check off something on my "Top 5 List of things I want!" My bread!
My new mixer!

Christmas Morning

2009-01-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas at home. This is the first Christmas that we haven't spent with my parents (I know, I am spoiled!) Every Christmas Eve that I can remember we have always gone to my grandma's house for a while and then go to my parents house and open up one present. I decided that I would have been too sad if I wasn't able to spend time with family on Christmas eve, so I invited Tony's family over. We had such a good time. About 35 of Tonys' aunts and uncles and cousins came over for dinner and games. We had to move out all of the furniture in the family room so that everyone could fit. After dinner we played chimes (which ended up being more of a hit with the adults then the children) then we did a "family game gift exchange" Then Tonys dad read the Christmas story. It was a great night. I only wish that I took some pictures!
After everyone left the girls opened up their new pajamas and went to bed because Santa had a really busy night ahead of him!
Maddie asked for a "big bed" because she wants Sophie to sleep in her room. I have always told her that her twin bed was too small for the both of them. Tony set up her bed while I cleaned up from the party and stuffed the stockings.
Christmas morning the girls were so excited! Tony's parents came over to open gifts, and Vern recorded the whole morning with his video camera. We were supposed to go up to Orem in the afternoon, but the weather prevented that from happening. I was pretty sad because my brother Justin is on his mission and he was calling that afternoon. Tony's whole family gets together for a Christmas breakfast. We went over there and I was on the verge of crying because I missed MY family! Thankfully Tony's cousin is one of my closest friends, and I was grateful for her because she helped me get my mind off of not being in Orem. We all played games then went home to take naps! About an hour later my brother called me!! I was so excited! We were able to talk for about a half hour, and it was so good! (thanks Justin for tweaking the mission rules slightly, so that I could talk to you!) Afterwards the power went out because of the storm, so we went over to Tony's uncles for more games. Only this time it was under lanterns and candlelight! It ended up being such a fun day. When we got home later that night we moved the mattresses in the family room by the fireplace because the power was still out, and our house was freezing. Tony, the girls, and I fell asleep there. The power came back on at about 2 a.m. We were all too tired to go back to our own beds, so we just cuddled all night! The next morning we were able to leave for Orem. Where we basically had another Christmas because of all the gifts (I told you I am spoiled!)
I truly am so blessed. Tony is so good to me. He is so caring and understanding. My girls bring so much joy to my life, and I love them so much. I have an amazing family, we are all so close. I have the greatest friends ever, and I couldn't be happier!
This is the night before Christmas after Santa left

Madilynn slept in Sophie's room, so she was surprised to see her big bed in her room that morning.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

2008-12-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

It is definitely going to be a "white Christmas" this year. The snow keeps falling and my kids are loving it. Sophie keeps looking out the window saying "snowman, snowman" I haven't gone outside because I am not a fan of being cold, but I think that I just need to suck it up and take my daughter out! Madilynn has loved playing in the snow with her friends. Our nice neighbor Kyle (who I happen to know is a major "blog lurker") Took the girls sledding on the back of his four wheeler. Maddie had a blast. So thank you Kyle (I know that you are reading this)!

I posted a picture of our friends Nalea and Boston, since Ashley has given up on the blogging world!

Dance Recital and visiting Santa

2008-12-17T09:46:00.001-08:00

Madilynn had her first dance recital of the year, and I thought that she did so good. I love seeing her dance because she has so much fun, and totally shakes her booty! Her cousin Danny goes to the same dance studio, but she is in a different class, so we were able to see her dance too. They both did amazing!

A tradition that I definitely want to continue is the Live Nativity at Tuachan. It was a great way to get into the holiday spirit. Before the show the girls sat on Santa's lap. He was the cutest Santa, and I was glad for that because last year Sophie sat on a Santa's lap and screamed her head off, and Maddie yelled out really loud "That is NOT Santa!"

Going Private

2008-11-24T07:50:00.001-08:00

Well, I am sad that I have to do this because I have loved getting comments from friends that have found me through blogspot. But, unfortunately, I have also gotten TOO many comments from strangers as well. I don't understand why someone would leave a comment on a strangers blog, but it creeps me out! Anyways, I hope that all my family and friends will leave their email address. Even if you never comment, but sometimes just check out my blog!

Things that I am scared of...

2008-11-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know what is wrong with me, but I am literally terrified of the dark. Refer to this post for one experience http://jenandtonygrimshaw.blogspot.com/2008/05/storm.html

Tony has been out of town for work, and I almost lost my mind sleeping here all by myself. First I put Madilynn to bed She told me that she left her blanket upstairs, and asked if I would go get it for her.... It is dark upstairs. So I casually tell her that if she wants it I wouldn't care if she got out of bed to get it. So instead of me going I send my five year old! She didn't care because she is so brave! The rest of the night I was miserable. I kept hearing people walking in and out of my house! Apparently, it was just the wind mixed with my imagination, but I didn't sleep at all! So when the night comes I sleep at my mother in laws and then come back home in the morning! I know I am being lame, but I get sleep! Plus, the other night I slept right through Sophie crying, but my sweet mother in law was up most of the night with her! OOPS! (but I really had a good nights sleep!)

I am scared of hobos..(I know that "hobos" isn't politically correct, but I am scared)

I walked out of Lord of the Rings. Tony was a little upset at this one, but I was scared. So he got over it.

I am scared of cats. I think that they are going to jump on my face and claw me to death.

One time, my mom and I went out of town , and all of the Hannibal movies were on TBS. My mom watched the entire Hannibal story (she falls asleep during scary movies, they must be peaceful to her?) I was trying to ignore them, but we were in a hotel! where was I supposed to go? She will never live this down, and I hope she is happy!

Thriller and Little America

2008-11-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

Every Halloween my family goes to "Thriller" at Kingsbury Hall. My aunt is in a lot of the dances but my favorite is "Frankensteins Bride." She is awesome and amazingly flexible! She also plays a really good dead person! Before and after the show creepy people get "all up in your grill!" They seriously get like 1/2 inch from your face with there face, and the more you try to back away the closer they get. It has been a fun tradition for our family every year. I think that this is Lisa's last year dancing in it? If so, that would be a bummer!

Lisa and my grandma and cousin Conner.

My dad, brothers, and uncles with the funny big guy (Blue shorts and shirt) who is "Lorena Bobbit's back up dancer!" in the show!

My family has tried to get into "The Pie Pizzeria" for three years now, but there is always an incredibly long wait. This year we got in. We ended up having a ton of food left over because we didn't realize how enormous the pizza's are.
After the show my parents got us all rooms at The Little America. My in laws watched the girls, so Tony and I were able to have a fun night out. We played cards with Jared and Heather until 1am. Then slept in (we got an extra hour of sleep because of daylight savings, and Sophie wasn't there!) Sunday morning we went to the Sunday Brunch at the hotel. It is amazing and another tradition of ours! If you go to Little America you have to be there on Sunday for there brunch! My favorite: The crepe table, YUMMY!
Thanks, mom and dad for a fun birthday weekend!

Halloween!

2008-11-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

This year Madilynn was Cleopatra and Sophie was "Tinkerbell". We went Trick-or-Treating with our friends and then went back to our house and had dinner in a pumpkin (thanks for the recipe Tina.)
The weather was nice and the girls got enough candy to last a long time.

High School Musical 3, BAAAAA!!!!!!!

2008-11-04T08:14:00.001-08:00

On opening night We all went to see Troy Bolton get his game on in the best High school Musical EVER!!
We all had a blast and Maddie and all of her friends were happy to see it together! Maddie and Sophie eyes were glued to the screen!
This is all the girls on the way to the theater. The drive there was priceless. Listening to them all scream when we got there was so funny!

11 more days!!!

2008-10-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite brothers is coming home from his mission on October 25!!! I say one of my favorites hoping to make one of them jealous! you know who you are.

I do not like it when my brothers leave on their missions. (my dad said that I will never have any sons because of this) I have one more brother that just left in May. I don't write them letters because the time goes by faster for me if I don't!

Josh has been serving in the Jackson, Mississippi mission. I miss you Josh and I am so excited to see you . Even if you are chubby from Southern fried food!

I Think Someone Tagged Me?

2008-10-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

So either Jenny R. or Carlynn tagged me! They both said Jen and Carlynn's said that she tagged Jen G. So I'm pretty sure that is me! Either way I decided to do it! So here goes...

7 Things Tag

7 Things I Can Do...
1. I can shop online all day.
2. I can do a back flip off of the diving board.
3. I can touch my tongue to my nose
4. I can snuggle my girls all day long, if they let me!
5. I can drop my cell phone on the ground every single day
6. I can read books fast.
7. I can burp on command..What do you expect, I have three brothers!

7 Things I Can't Do...
1. I can't sing
2. I can't dive
3. I can't jump on a trampoline with out going potty just a little bit! :)
4. I can't believe that I just wrote that!
5. I can't go to bed without washing my face and brushing my teeth.
6. I can't do my times tables. (more embarrassing to me then the trampoline thing)
7. I can't wait for High School Musical 3!

7 Things That Attracted Me To Tony...(I opened my journal to June 2001, and this is what I wrote)
1. His Calmness (is that a word?)
2. Smells Good.
3. wants a family.
4. Sensitive (I tease him now that he cries more than I do!)
5. Would do anything for me. ( I actually wrote "Does whatever I ask!", Well at least I'm consistently selfish...Tony finish the driveway, Tony clean the garage, Tony...)
6. He is one of the hardest workers I know. (Thank heavens due to my #5!)
7. Able to get married in the temple

7 Things I Say Most Often...
1. I love you.
2. Have you seen my car keys?
3. Yikes!
4. I'm going to Orem.
5. I can't find my phone.
6. Sophie, get out of there!
7. Hurry, we are going to be late.

7 Celebrity Admiration's- I don't have any, but I will say people that I would like to meet, past or present
1. The Prophet; I have shaken his hand once, but I could use another
2. Joseph Smith
3. My grandma that died when my mom was little
4. George Washington
5. Nephi
6. A conservative Republican that is a movie star.
7. At SUU there is a circle of statues of very important people. Anyone of them.

7 Favorite Foods...
1. Pizza
2. Honey Bunches of Oats
3. Brownies
4. Double Chocolate Chip cookie in the red package, if the store doesn't have it then nothing. (That's what I tell Tony when he asks if I want anything at the store)
5. The Melting Pot
6. Steak
7. Parmesan rolls

7 People I Tag...
1. mom (can't get anymore specific)
2. Heather (My sister in law)
3. Kristen (my friend who hasn't posted anything new for a while!)
4. Ashley (my other friend who was also tagged but still hasn't done it)
5. Stacy (my new friend)
6. Kathryn (my long time friend)
7. Tony (who probably never will do it, but I want him to)

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-07T10:19:00.001-07:00

This post is identical to Kelli's post!
Last night we went to the pumpkin patch in Paragonah. I invited Tony's brother Sam and his family, but when I called to tell them about it I told them it was in Panguitch. Sam's wife Katie wondered why I would drive 1 1/2 hours for pumpkins, but eventually we all figured it out!!
Tony was getting ready for the last pour of concrete that we had for our driveway (Yeah! We finally have a full driveway!) He didn't get done working until 7:00 p.m. Thankfully (unlike Kelli!) we didn't get pulled over, but by the time we got there it was dark. They shut the gate right behind us, and we were lucky to even get in. We each picked out a pumpkin except Sophie who fell asleep on the way there. It was a lot of fun.
The Hillyard's were there and Kyle picked out 15 pumpkins! He said that he was going to throw them at Trick-or-Treaters, so BEWARE! Sorry Kyle to give away your plan, but honestly, 15 pumpkins!?! We had a lot of fun. What a fun new tradition!

Riding a Two Wheeler!

2008-10-06T20:30:00.001-07:00

I thought that it would never happen, but it did. Today at approximately 1:00 p.m. my daughter rode her bike without training wheels!! I know that it doesn't sound like much, but this is HUGE for us. I say "us" because Maddie and I have been at each others throats that last 2 1/2 weeks trying to overcome this stepping stone!! Every single day we would practice, and every single day one of us would either walk away crying, or stomp back into the house. Yes I know that she is only five and I am the parent, but this was "killing" me!! First she said "I want to ride a two wheeler" so I said okay. I took off her training wheels, and I would walk around with her while she peddled. Then she would get scared, and say "I can't do it" I would tell her that if she says that, then she never will be able to ride a bike. I walk away because at this point Madilynn has started to cry, and was yelling at me. Later, at night we would talk about it, and then I would read to her "The Little Engine That Could" then we would talk about it some more! (I'm not kidding, this is serious!!) The next day I would see her riding her friends scooter. She told me that she decided that she likes riding scooters more than anything. I would ask her if she wanted to practice riding her bike, and the whole thing would start all over again.
Well today she did it!! She was laughing and smiling so much. She couldn't wait for her friends to come home so that she could show them. (because at one point I told her other 5 year old friends to teach her how to ride, but I felt guilty watching Nalea trying to hold up the bike for Maddie!! What? she doesn't yell at them!)
But, I am very very proud of her. I knew that she could do it. I really hope that this isn't a taste of how it is going to be when she is older, otherwise Nalea is teaching her how to drive!! Or Maddie will end up throwing "The Little Engine That Could" book at me!

(By the way, I put all these braids in her hair while watching conference. It kept her in the room, and me from accidentally falling asleep.)

Lake Powell

2008-10-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the Alton's for inviting us to Lake Powell. We had such a blast! It was so relaxing and fun just being with good friends! Aaron, Lacey, and I started building a sand castle with the kids and then we basically kicked them out because we didn't want anyone to ruin it! It took us about seven hours to build. Next year, we decided to make it bigger and better! I'm just getting the plans drawn up!!

Just putting the finishing touches on the castle! (I didn't post a picture of all the builders because I don't know how they feel about posting their faces on the world wide web!! Another reason to go private.)

San Diego

2008-10-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

I should have posted these forever ago, but time got away from me, so better late than never.
We had so much fun with my Uncle and Aunt/friends Mark and Katie at Sea world and the beach. I don't have any pictures of the time we were with them, because I decided to leave it up to the professional!! We had such a good time, and the girls loved it! We had good intentions of playing card games when we got back to the hotel each night, but our days were so packed full that we all just crashed by night-time.
On the day that Tony and I were leaving we decided to first go to the San Diego Zoo. We were all going to do this with Mark and Kate, but we wanted to spend another full day at the beach. It was a good thing, because the zoo only has steep up hills (NO down hills for some reason!) And this would have made my eight month pregnant Aunt pretty uncomfortable!!
This picture is so funny to me because of the lady in the back ground! What is she doing?

G.I. Princess

2008-09-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while and I have quite a bit of stuff to post about, so I better catch up. Otherwise, I will feel too far behind and blogging will be a thing of the past (ie scrap booking).
So here is a short post, just to help me get back into it!

My daughters love to play dress up. Madilynn will take Sophie and get her all dolled up. Usually in about 20 necklaces, bracelets up both arms, princess shoes, scarves, and a crown. Today Sophie came downstairs wearing a purple princess dress and her knee high black boots! I started to laugh at Sophie's outfit when Madilynn asked me what was so funny. I told her that Sophie's boots didn't really go with the outfit and my five year answered by saying "what's the big deal, mom!?"

That took me on a trip down memory lane....When I was 16 my parents took me prom dress shopping. It was a long day, mostly because my dad came and he was adamant about the dress having sleeves. (These days it would have been easy, because there are many dress shops now that sell modest dresses.) Eventually we found a dress that we all could agree on. It was a royal blue, flowy dress and just like my wedding gown all I had to say was that it "makes me feel like a princess" and my mom dropped the bucks! Thank you mama.
The dance was on Saturday, and it was tradition that everybody wear their "prom attire" to church on Sunday. So Sunday morning my hair was still in the up-do, I put on the princess dress and, using the excuse that my feet hurt from the night before, big black Dr. Martins combat boots. Needless to say, my mom flipped when she saw me walking the halls at church. My response "what's the big deal, mom!?"
I already know that I am in for some major payback dealt out from my oldest daughter who has A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E!

Family Pictures

2008-08-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

One year for Christmas I made an appointment to get our family pictures done at a place in the mall. I vowed never to do that again!! I had spent all morning getting myself and Madilynn ready and all day trying to keep us ready. Madilynn cried all through the photo shoot because all I wanted her to do was smile. Tony and I just had fake plastic smiles plastered on our face. We spent way too much money for those pictures, and every time I see them I think "oh, that day was horrible"

This year, however, my lovely aunt Kate took our family pictures. She is an amazing photographer. I love her photos because they are "real," and those are the kind of photos that have good memories attached.
I am so happy with the way our family pictures turned out this year. Madilynn was being a little stubborn for some of the pictures and Sophie was flat out NOT cooperating, but that is just how it goes! So thank you Katie for hanging out with us and snapping your camera at the right moment when we all looked good!!

I love this picture because it is so Maddie and Sophie! My four year old not about to do something that she does not want to do, and my two year old in "la la land!"

Tooth Fairy stops by

2008-08-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

So Maddie lost her first tooth! She is only four, so I figured she still had a couple of years. It is early for her to start losing her teeth, but the dentist said that it was fine. Maddie was worried when I told her that all of her baby teeth fall out, because she thought that they would all fall out at the same time. She was excited though for the tooth fairy to come, however, she was a little dissapointed because my brother told her that the tooth fairy leaves $5. My mother told her that she leaves $20. I told her that she needs to be happy with $1.

Finally!

2008-08-12T09:35:00.001-07:00

It doesn't feel like summer to me until I go boating, and we finally got to go! My uncle Tyler invited us to go out on his boat and we had a blast! Tony and I both went wake boarding, Tony tried surfing. The highlight of the day was tubing! Heather, my aunt Lisa, Lisa's friend, and I went first. It was so much fun! Thanks guys for making my summer happen!!

Here we are trying to do the pyramid. We were trying to do it backwards! We realized too late that we should have had to people on bottom and one person standing on our backs!! DUH!

Swim Lessons

2008-08-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Maddie did so good this year in her swim class. She loves the water, but has always been too scared to go under water. This year her teachers were amazing. They taught her to feel more comfortable in the water. She has so much fun jumping off of the diving board. She tells me "Just watch, but don't help me. I can do it!"

During her swim lessons, Sophie and I would sit on the lawn chairs and watch sister do her thang!

Red Cliffs

2008-07-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

The other day we decided to go to Red Cliffs. The weather was perfect. We brought some food and had a barbecue then went on a hike. Maddie was amazing and never complained. She would point out bugs and lizards, and we would try to distract her with other things like different trees or rocks. But she would spot the smallest bug and avoid it at all cost. Sophie was a good sport too, even though she had to spend the entire time strapped to Tony's back.
We didn't have a camera, so we had to take these pictures with my phone.

Happy 4th of July!

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

To celebrate our Independence we traveled "all" the way to St. George! We went with our friends and stayed at the Green Valley Resort and Spa. We had so much fun! The condo that we stayed in was amazing. We relaxed, went swimming, played the Wii, and ate! What more could you ask for?!

Cute Kids!

The resort offered a kids night where they teach the kids tennis then have pizza and watch a movie. I know Maddie had a blast! I wondered how she was going to act being the only girl with three boys, but they all got along perfectly. Kason, Dallin, and A.J. were perfect gentleman always looking out for her! I loved it! I know that Maddie soaked it all up and liked her only girl status!

Kristen took this picture of Sophie, and I think that it is so cute!

One night we did fondue. Of course, everything is good dipped in chocolate!
Fondue recipe
3-3oz. squares of Toblerone chocolate
1/2 c heavy cream
Stir over low heat.

We decided to pass on the fireworks, so we just lit sparklers on the back patio.

Dallin, Kason, Kristen, Jason, and AJ

I love this picture of AJ!

We had such a good time with our friends and it was nice to get out of town for the weekend! I am glad that we have such good friends to make fun memories with, and put up with me even when I'm in a foul mood!! :)

Triathlon Day

2008-06-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

My triathlon race was on Saturday and I had so much fun. I did it with my friend Rachel and my aunt Amber. This was my first triathlon and I wanted to do it in under 2 hours. My final race time was one hour and fifty minutes. I am a little disappointed in my transition times (the time between swimming and biking, and then biking and running) I took way too long during that time and it really brought my final time up. But for my first race I guess I shouldn't get too down.
Tony and the girls were there cheering me on. Jared and Heather came during the swim. I was so grateful for all their support and cheers!

The swim was the first leg. I was a little worried because I have only been training in a swimming pool, and it is totally different in open water. You can't see because it is lake water, so I got kicked a lot, and people swim into you because there is no lanes! The swimming was 750 meters and I swam that in 29 minutes. I was pretty proud of myself! I just learned how to swim at the SUU pool 3 weeks ago, and I was incredibly nervous.

This is the transition point. I am taking off my wet suit and getting ready to bike. Amber is on the left she has her helmet on.

The second leg of the race was the bike. It was 13 miles and my time on that was 43 minutes.

Finally the 5K. My legs felt like rubber, and it was hard to transition from biking to running. I felt like I was running in slow motion. It was like my legs wouldn't move. I ran it in 25 minutes

"We did it!" Me, and Rachel, and Amber after the race! You girls rock, and I am glad that we did it together!

Benson Family Reunion

2008-06-24T15:28:00.001-07:00

This last weekend we went to my family reunion. My parents were in charge of it this year, and they decided to do a "Survivor" theme reunion. It was amazing! The first night we had a "luau" in my parents backyard. We broke up into "tribes," and had our first challenge where we had to come up with a name for our tribe and make a flag to represent us. Our tribe won with the best flag! During this challenge my mom got Polynesian dancers to entertain us! My favorite was the "fire dancers!"

The second day we went up Provo canyon, and continued to dominate in the challenges! :) I don't have pictures of everything that my parents did for these challenges, but it was incredible. First, they had huge puzzle pieces that my dad had cut out of plywood. These were scattered around the Provo river trail and we had to gather all of them by using clues that my mom had made. Once we gathered all the bundles of pieces the kids had to put the 4 foot x 4 foot puzzle together. The other challenge was just as amazing, but hard to describe, I really should have gotten more pictures! Basically it was a memory game using tiles, and one person had to ride their bike 3 miles round trip to a legend that had 16 different tiles, memorize it, then put it together on a wooden frame. My uncle Mark is an animal, and totally won this challenge for us! Mark, you are our hero!
That night we went to Rock canyon and my parents had set up this huge slip n' slide. It was a blast! Unfortunately, there was a few injuries, but it is bound to happen when you have a 100 ft slip n' slide!

Tony and Sophie

My dad, Tony, and my brother Jared

I love Maddie's' face in this picture of her and my dad going down the slide!

Me, my mom, and Heather getting ready to go down the slide

This picture of us girls at the bottom of the hill makes me laugh!

Madilynn with some of our cousins.

It was a wonderful weekend, and I am so grateful for my parents and all the work they put into it. We will never forget the memories that we made. We love you!

Sophie is doing a new trick that she learned!

Kenny Chesney

2008-06-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last Friday tONY surprised me by taking me to lAS vEGAS to the kENNY cHESNEY concert!

We went with our friends who also surprised their wives with tickets. We left home early enough to go to "The Cheesecake Factory." I have never eaten there before, and I thought it was amazing. The menu was making me have anxiety because it is like a novel!

kRISTEN and jASON ordered Fried Macaroni balls that were so good, and I have been craving them since! (thanks a lot, you guys!)

The concert was a lot of fun too. I actually don't know any of kENNY cHESNEY songs, so I wasn't able to sing the lyrics. But I still had fun, and of course, I love to dance like a nut bar! Then uNCLE cRACKER came out and sang some songs that I knew. In fact I think I knew the songs better than he did because he was totally wasted! It was his birthday that day, and he looked like he was struggling to just stand up!

kYLE and aSHLEY were really the only couple who listen to kENNY cHESNEY. They knew every song, so they were rockin' out. I'm just glad that Ashley didn't go into labor!

Here is a pic of just the girls! oh, and tONY!

I don't even know?!

2008-06-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

So, I am running a triathlon on Saturday and the other night I came out wearing the whole get up that I have to wear when I do the swimming portion of the race. Tony and I were laughing so hard, and without my knowledge as I was "air swimming" Tony was recording me. Don't ask me why I am posting this picture of me for everyone to see, but every time I see this picture I start laughing again!
The other thing that happened when I was wearing this stuff was at the pool where I train. One morning I was doing laps and another swimmer told me that I looked familiar!! What!? Apparently I looked like someone else. I seriously hope that nobody recognizes me when I am wearing a swim cap and goggles!

Check out my band!

2008-06-05T14:58:00.001-07:00

For Mother's day all my mom wanted was Playstation 3 and "Rockband!" So here is my fam rockin' out! It was a lot of fun!
I wonder if there is a way to get other songs. If there was then I would be all for Flo Rida "apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur.....Shawty got low, low ,low!!

Too much fun!

2008-06-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

We have so much fun when we get together with our friends! The other night we had a barbecue at our house and after dinner we played games. We were right in the middle of an intense game of cards when we heard a cry. Our friend Lacey went in to check on the kids, and what she found was our bath tub filled to the rim with water and items from my cabinet and drawers!
While the adults were oblivious this is what was going on! Luckily the only thing that was ruined was a box of tampons and maxi pads! (which are surprisingly much more absorbent than you would think!!)

MTC Blues

2008-05-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

This is my family at Mimi's Cafe for breakfast the morning Justin leaves for 2 years!

Tony and my brothers dropping off Justin's luggage

Last week we had to say goodbye to my little brother Justin as he entered the MTC. He is going to the California, San Rossa Mission. My other brother Josh is serving in the Jackson Mississippi Mission, and he gets home in October. I know that it is good that they go and serve missions, but I am not a fan! I miss them way too much! But Justin will be an amazing missionary. He is an awesome person, and even though he is my younger brother I have always looked up to him. In fact I look up to all my brothers!

Kangaroo Zoo

2008-05-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Every time we go up to Orem Maddie wants to go to kangaroo zoo. So this last time we went up there my brother Justin and I took the girls. They had so much fun jumping on all the inflatable slides and toys. When it is too cold to be outside that place is the best to go to get out of the house. Another plus is the girls play so hard that they sleep good that night! I just wish there was a place similar in Cedar City.

Madilynn's Preschool Graduation

2008-05-22T09:38:00.001-07:00

Maddie learned so much this year from the Busy Bee Preschool. She loves going to school with her friends and seeing Miss Brenda. Because she misses the school deadline for kindergarten by four days she will be in Miss Brenda's class next year too! I'm happy that she has one more year home with me!!

Storm

2008-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last night was basically a nightmare! Imagine the scene.... night time, huge drops of rain pounding at my house, Thunder and lightening every minute, oh and did I mention I'm home alone with the girls?

So this huge storm is going on outside and I am trying not to scare myself as I put the girls to bed. I'm reading Madilynn some stories, and I keep hearing noises, so I get up and start locking all the doors. I get to my back french doors, and as I am turning the lock...the power goes out. So I am trying to stay calm, but thinking in my mind that as soon as the lights come on the scream guy is going to be staring into my face!

Meanwhile the rain is coming down so hard that it started to come through the window wells in our basement.(luckily it is unfinished!) So I'm a mess and my friend Ashley calls. They are building their house right across from us in the cul-de-sac. They just got the sheet rock up, and Ashley was worried about her roof leaking and ruining the sheet rock. So she called me at about 9:00 p.m. and wanted me to go with her to walk through her house to check on it. She was scared that hobos were hiding out in her house, so she didn't want to go in alone. (If you know anything about me, you know of my extreme phobia of hobos...and cats) We are walking into her garage which is covered with plastic and the only way to get in is through a slit that is cut through. I am holding a big spotlight, and I go in first. Ashley is right behind, and she trips through the plastic and falls down (she is 8 months pregnant by the way!) I point the spot light up and see two pairs of eyes staring at us!!!! These two guys were in there just sitting in the dark!!! So we hurry and get out of there and call our other friend who lives next door!!

Come to find out those guys were the sheet rockers and they were waiting for their ride. But still I was shaking for about two hours!!

And through it all both of our husbands were with the youth enjoying themselves and receiving blessings at the temple. Never mind that I almost could have been attacked by some guy in a scream mask, and two hobos living in my friends garage!!

Mesquite

2008-05-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went with some of our friends to Mesquite to get out of the windy weather of Cedar City.

We swam all day and then went to the buffet. The weather was perfect!!
Later that night we played games. Boys against Girls (of course) and no matter how hard the boys try they just never win. (Okay I will give them one win, but we weren't even trying!)

Dancing Princess!

2008-04-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Maddie loves dance. She had her recital on Saturday, and everybody came to see her shake her thang! She loves her teacher Kari, and dancing with all of her friends! She is excited for next year to start dancing again!

Maddie loves getting her hair done. She always wants me to curl her hair. The problem is that it takes like an hour, so we were pushing it on getting there on time. I won't even say how fast Tony was driving to the recital!

Madilynn with her friend Deirdra

Always posing

Maddie with her teacher Kari Medina. She is awesome and the girls all love her!

Zions National Park

2008-04-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

My brother Jared and his wife Heather came down to visit and we had so much fun. On Saturday we went to Zions and hiked "Angels Landing" and "Hidden Canyon" I love to hike and be outside, so I had a blast! The two hikes that we did are rated "strenuous" so Tony and I were pretty sore the next day. But I have to say (because of my competetive nature) that Tony was more sore than me!!

Tony, Tim, Me, Heather, and Jared

Me, Tony, and my brother Jared

Tony and I at "Hidden Canyon"

I've been tagged!

2008-04-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

I have never been tagged before, and my aunt slash friend (It is funny to call her my aunt because we went to school together!) just tagged me. How exciting to have something to post!

Okay here I go...

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:30...........I wanted to sleep way longer, but Sophie would not allow it.

2. What do you usually have for breakfast? Okay..Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have "Honey Bunches of Oats". Tuesday and Thursday "Frosted Mini Wheats" On the weekend I have French Toast or oatmeal! I don't know what it is, but if I stray from my routine I get irregular (I don't know, too much info?)

3. What is your favorite CD of the moment? I don't listen to too many CD's anymore. But I do love getting on Itunes and finding songs that I like. My favorite song right now is "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis and "New Soul" by Yael Naim

4. What kind of car do you drive? Oh, I drive a really sweet car, Almost so cool that I probably shouldn't say, so that nobody gets jealous....Honda Odyssey aka mini van!!

5. Favorite sandwich? Anything that has EVERYTHING! I like my sandwiches with all the fixens'

6. Favorite item of clothing? Skirts or summer dresses! I love them. However, Enoch is a really windy place to live I have found, so I have to make sure the wind doesn't lift up my skirts when I wear them. It can be pretty embarrassing

7. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? whoa, there are way too many places to name! Honestly I don't even know, I just want to go somewhere!

8. What color is your bathroom? It is called "Lush Brown" it's a metallic paint, and I love it.

9. Where would you retire? Retire? I don't know, I'm still stuck on the vacation question! wherever the wind takes me, I guess!!

10. Most memorable birthday? When I turned 18 My mom filled up 200 balloons and filled every single one with $1 bill. When I walked into my bedroom it was over flowing with balloons. I had to pop them all to get my money!

11. Favorite sport to watch? baseball. Two of my brothers played and I loved going to all the games.

12. Are you a morning person or a night person? NOT a morning person! I stay up after everyone has gone to bed and clean or read. You could call me at one in the morning, and I am wide awake.

13. What is your shoe size? This has always been incredibly embarrassing to me, but I have a size 10 foot! I don't know why, I am only 5' 4",

14. Pets? No, thank you. I like dogs, but I took a test online to see what my ideal pet was. I had to answer all these questions, and when it was done the results came up and told me that my ideal pet was a pet rock. Yikes!

15. What did you want to be when you were little? A school teacher

16. What are you today? A mom

17. What is your favorite candy? Just one? Candy is my weakness, I love it. I can't narrow it down to one thing specific, so my favorite category of candy is chocolate.

18. What is your favorite flower? Gerber daisies

19. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? May 3rd. It is Tony's birthday and I already have his present. It is very hard for me to keep presents a secret, so I keep looking at the calender waiting for May!

20. What are you listening to right now? Brady Bunch?! Apparently Curious George is over, but my girls are still glued to the TV, and I am so focused on finishing this that I didn't even realize.

21. What is the last thing you ate? a thin mint girl scout cookie.....I'm still eating them...I could eat them by the sleeve.yum.

22. Do you wish on stars? nope.

23. What faith are you? Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

24. Who is the last person you spoke with on the phone? my mom

25. Hair color? blond, it has never been anything but blond.

26. Name of your favorite school teacher? Mr. Blatter H.S. English. I thought that he was cute, and everybody knew it, even him.

27. Chocolate or vanilla? easy, chocolate.

28. When was the last time you cried? a few days ago because I am stressed out!

29. What is under your bed? carpet.

30. What did you do last night? Got my temple recommend renewed, watched "The Biggest Loser", then went online to vote for who I wanted in the finale for "The Biggest Loser"

31. Favorite smell? Good shampoo.

32. What are you afraid of? The dark

33. How many towns have you lived in? 7 Livermore CA, Pleasenton, CA, Denton TX, Spanish Fork, Provo, Orem, Enoch.

34. Do you make friends easily? Lisa had a good answer...........When I want to, yes.

Okay, I'm done. I tag Kristen, Ashley, Kathryn, and Kelsie

Maddie and Sophie

2008-03-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

My girls love to pose for the camera. At least everyday Madilynn wants me to take a picture of her! Sophie just loves to say "CHEESE!" When I get the camera out she balls up her fists really tight and shouts "CHEESE!"

Soft Carpet

2008-03-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

Sophie is training to be on a carpet commercial. See how dedicated she is, she won't stop. She has been at it now for about two hours.

What really happens is I put her down for a nap and because she sleeps on a mattress on the floor, she gets right back up. So I hurry and shut the door. Then she knocks on her door for about 20 minutes until she just conks out. But to be honest our carpet really is soft!!

10 Things I've Learned Living In Enoch

2008-03-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

10.) Everyone is related. Somehow, one way or another, it is all one enormous family tree!

9.) Secrets do not exist in small towns. I know everything about everyone, and they know everything about me.

8.) It would be perfectly normal to have a few goats or a couple chickens living in your back yard.

7.) Polygamists really do exist. If you don't believe me go to St. George Costco any day of the week. (they buy in bulk)

6.) Burn Day starts on April 15th!

5.) Mac make-up is only available online! WHAT!?!

4.) You would say that you were going "into town" if you go to the store. For example someone might say; "I'm going 'into town' do you need me to get you anything?" Then I would respond "No thanks, I will just get it when I go 'into town' for the 100th time today."

3.) Another Enoch-ism would be "going up North" If you travel anywhere North of Nephi then it would be considered "going up North" Here is an example of how that phrase would be used in a sentence; "I'm going to 'go up North' to buy some Mac makeup, because I cannot wait that long for UPS.

2.) There is a really good pizza place that has a cinnamon roll dessert named a "Cow Patty" not to be confused with the "Cow Pie" which is basically normal bread sticks shaped like...well.. a cow pie.

1.) You can make best friends anywhere you live. I have a lot of good friends here, and I love them all! I hope everyone knows that I am teasing, and I enjoy poking fun at the town I now live in.

Baby

2008-03-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write down my feelings that I have had this past week. I want to tell our family and friends how grateful I am for them. I have felt your kindness and love, and we are so thankful and feel truly blessed to have you all in our lives. I have appreciated the thoughtful phone calls and visits. I am grateful for my loving husband who lets me cry on his shoulder. He is a comfort to me and I love him very much.

For those of you who didn't know; I was 17 weeks pregnant and went to the doctors for a check up. I had an ultrasound, and our baby had died. I cannot describe in words how I felt. It was an incredibly difficult day. Tony was by my side the entire day, and I was so grateful for him. It was hard for him too, but he was strong for me in my time of need. I had to have surgury on Thursday. Because I was so far along in my pregnancy I have since had to deal with post baby contractions. My doctor also told me that I will experience baby blues.

Even though it has been a very hard week I am grateful for the things I have learned. I am grateful for our Heavenly Father who offers comfort to me in my real time of need. I have learned, as Elder Maxwell has so eloquently taught, that "the submission of one's will is placing on God's altar the only uniquely personal thing one has to place there. The many other things we 'give' are actually things that He has already given or loaned to us. However, when we finally submit ourselves by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God's will, we will really be giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give"

Our new home

2008-02-28T11:46:00.001-08:00

I would rather family and friends come and visit me to see my house, but until you come here is a sneak preview. Here is where Tony says the magic happens. I don't know what he is talking about.

I haven't had a chance to decorate the girls rooms, but their light fixtures are my favorite part of the rooms.

Here is our kitchen. Tony just finished putting up the punched tin backsplash yesterday. I think it turned out looking pretty nice.

Here is the family room. Oh, how I would love new furniture!

I love being in our new home. I love doing things here that I never liked doing before. Like cooking. I love it. Maybe it is because I have my very own kitchen that I love, or because I have become obsessed with the Food Network Channel. Either way, my family is liking this new kick that I'm on!

We have a house!!!

2008-02-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

We did it!! We have finished our house finally!! I cannot believe that we live here. And I love it. I thought because of all the mix ups and delays I would end up hating the house, but I really do love it. It feels so good having our own space! We moved in over Presidents day weekend. My whole family came down and helped us so much. I am so grateful for them and all they do for me. To celebrate moving in and to give ourselves a break my parents got us all tickets to go see "Ka" in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. It was an amazing show! Plus it was nice to get out of town for a few hours!! (Britt, we would have visited, but it really was just a few hours that we were there!!) Anyways, I will post pics of my new fabulous house after I download some!

Can I just vent?

2008-01-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Building a house drives me crazy! Not only do you have a million decisions to make, but you have to deal with sub-contractors. This is the latest; I stressed over cabinets. I went through magazine after magazine. Then I found them. The most perfect cabinets. I loved them! We got bids from 3 different cabinet places, and we decided to go through a place that said they could make these exact cabinets. I ripped out the picture of the cabinets and gave it to both partners at the cabinet shop. Tony and I have sat down with them several times to make sure that they are right. Well we got a call saying that they are finally ready to be installed and we needed to go finalize the color. Hooray!! We get up there and they are not even close to what I wanted!!! So tony sais "These aren't even close to what we wanted" The cabinet guy freaks out?!? As if it is our fault that they are wrong! So I either get the ones that I wanted from day one and wait another three weeks for cabinets. Or have these installed tomorrow! It just drives me crazy that I stress for months about what to get for my house and then I don't even get what I asked for! Okay I'm done.
Oh, and does it honestly take three months to put up stucco? NO!

house

2008-01-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a more updated picture of our house. When the rock people are done putting the rock on all of the pop outs then the stucco people will come and put on the color of stucco that I decide on. I am just going through sample after sample of colors that it makes my head spin!!
Here is the view from my family room to my front door. The side panels will have glass windows as opposed to plywood! We are so close to being finished that I can taste it, and yet I go over there and it feels like we will never get done!

Tubing Fun!

2008-01-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun tubing at Soldier's Hollow with the whole family. It was pretty cold, but the girls still had a blast!

New Years '08

2008-01-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We had such a fun night. For Christmas my parents got us all nights stay at the Zermatt Resort in Midway. We loved it. Tony was in charge of the sparkling cider and I just had to stay awake until midnight!!

I was very blessed in 2007, and grateful for all that I learned. I am excited for the new year and welcome the experiences that I will have in 2008!!

House

2008-01-01T17:25:00.001-08:00

Our house after we poured the foundation, and on the right my "hot" general contractor!!

Here is our house towards the end of May '07, in Enoch Utah. We moved here so that Tony could start a construction company. He has been very busy building our house and also a 10 bedroom cabin for his grandma in Parowan canyon. The weather was incredibly hot, and Tony would come home everyday covered in dirt! That is the sign of a hard worker! And come on look how cute he looks with his tool belt on!!

Merry Christmas '07

2008-01-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! We all had a wonderful day! The girls were so excited and got everything that they wanted (Maddie wanted an Arial lamp and to learn Spanish, Sophie wanted stuffed animals!) We loved talking to Josh on the phone. It was fun to hear from him, he sounds so good. I love Christmas and I already miss the excitement leading up to the big day!!!