Kaeleb Turns Six

We had a wonderful week. The pictures loaded randomly and I am too lazy to move them around, so here is our week in a random fashion...

Actually, this is a few weeks old, but this is Kwint's new Dodge Nitro. We love it! It drives like a car but will be sturdy in the snow, which is why we bought it. Now we are a double Dodge family.

Friday night Kwint took me to see Jack Johnson. He has been our favorite artist for years. He chills us out and helps us relax. Brenny spent all his colicky nights listening to us sing along to Jack as he cried. It is the only thing that sorta calmed him down.

This is us, sitting on our blanket waiting for the show to start. He really puts on a good show. Jack is so laid back and makes it look so easy to be ultra mega talented. We both agreed that in ten years, it was the best date we have ever been on. The kids were even great with the babysitter!

NOW, for the BIG story of the week.... KAELEB'S BIRTHDAY!!
Like I said, these are in a random order, but we had such a fun party. We opted to keep it small, since we had not had a party at our house and weren't sure we could house many people, but boy, did we have fun!! Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Marie came to support his big day, as did Kris and Barbi and Dan and Dee with all the kids. We had 9 kids in total, which is perfect for a party.
Our first pic was one of the last I took, and I just couldn't not include it in this post. Tate, my buddy in the affinity for chocolate... Look at that face!

Kaeleb's party theme was the movie, "How To Train Your Dragon". We all loved it, it is a super cute show. So, I made the cake and put Kwint in charge of the games. So, of course, he went to the cabin and brought back LARP props. They played dragon freeze tag, a Vikings vs. Dragons bean bag toss, and Viking, viking, dragon (variation on duck, duck, goose). They had the best time and Kaeleb was so excited that Kwint did so much for him.




Here is our little viking in one of his new presents. He has wanted this little get up since the movie came out. He has been wearing it every day. :)

ANd, now for the cake. I love how it turned out. I am a simple girl, so it had to be easy, but all the kids loved it. I used my round Pyrex containers. I usually have leftovers in them, but they are oven safe and perfectly tiered, so I turned the little cakes upside down and hollowed the top one out to make it a crater.

Lastly, we have a shot of Kaeleb opening his gifts. I always love how all the kids gather around and get so excited.

Kaeleb was very happy and grateful for how his day turned out. We love him more and more. He is so imaginative and fun to have as a son. He is smart, sensitive and silly. He has always been our little intellectual, asking questions, taking things literally and understanding life in a way beyond his years.

Kaeleb and I have started reading Harry Potter together. It takes a half hour or more to get through a chapter because he asks so many questions! He loves it though, and it is fun for me to have this new way to connect with him. I have realized that he is growing up and doesn't "need" Mommy in all the ways that he used to, but we do still need each other and this feels like a good way to show it. Oh, how we love our boy!

Kwint took the boys for a hike one evening while I studied, and came back with these cuties:




I love life lessons. We have really felt uplifted by the Lord this week and are learning to relax and trust Him. Well, ok, Kwint relaxed and I relaxed as much as I am capable of. Ha ha! Kwint has been a busy bee managing his current caseload and marketing. He is working hard and I am really proud of him. The week turned out to be pretty good. We are thankful that the Lord hears our prayers!

We really do love Heber. The valley is beautiful and the summer weather has been fun. Almost every day this week it has either started out sunny and ended with a thunderstorm, or started with a storm and ended with sunshine. Kris said this happens a lot in August. I love summer rain!

Reality Checks

There are some weeks that I re-read my blog and think life couldn't get much better. And then there are weeks that feel like a slap in the face. This week was one of those.

BUT, we are learning!! We lost a major referral source and spent the week marketing and brainstorming how we can drum up enough business to make up for what we lost. There is so much potential in Kwint's career and we have a lot that we can do, it will just take some extra work and time. We are willing to work, and in the meantime we will keep learning.

I also suddenly got very homesick for my friends in St. George. I read all of your blogs and got so sad!! I was ready to hop in the car and drive down. I couldn't come on moving day like I wanted to, and I think it will be September before we can make it down and it is really pulling on my heartstrings.

We didn't take any pictures this week, but even during our challenging week we were able to spend the weekend with cousins and wonderful friends. It feels good to love and be loved, and no matter what, we know that we are richly blessed in everything that matters.

The big news from our house this week is that Brennan has officially decided (by way of persuasion) that he is a big boy and will never wear another diaper. WOO HOO!! Brennan has been very anti-potty. We have tried for 6 months to talk him into it and he just kept saying "No!" No matter how I tried to bribe him, nothing would convince him. On Friday I was making the grocery list and said "I am so sick of buying diapers. Don't think we could talk him into potty training?" So, Kwint said, "Hey Brennan, we ran out of diapers so you'll have to wear underwear now." For some crazy reason, that is what finally worked.

Friday we went through 5 pairs of undies, yesterday 3, and today only one so far. He woke up dry both mornings. I am truly pleased. I can no longer stand the smell of the garbage can.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Today is double post day. I didn't want to make such a lengthy display as I did over the 4th. So, here we will blog about the 24th, and please feel free to check out the blog below about our recent move to Heber.

First of all, Kaeleb has outgrown his bike. We made him a deal that if he did extra jobs around the house for a while, he could earn a new, bigger one. We told Bren that he could earn Kaeleb's old bike if he helped. (Ha! We tricked the kid into working for a hand me down!) So, they have worked very hard, which has been easy with the move, and yesterday they took their first spin on the new bikes. Kaeleb was so excited and happy that he rode two whole miles!

Stay tuned next week for pictures of Kwint's new wheels... The last two times we have moved into a new house we have also bought a new car and had a baby. No, this is not an announcement, I am not pregnant, but we are buying a new car tomorrow. We have been planning on it anyway, because the Saturn is not the car for driving to Park city or up and down Parley's canyon in the winter. We would have waited, but the AC in the Saturn went out and we didn't want to pay to fix a car we were not going to keep anyway. We went car shopping on Friday and put money down on a Dodge Nitro, which we pick up tomorrow at 4pm. Sometimes I wonder about us and why we add stress during stressful times, but hey, it is tradition.

Yesterday we went to Kris and Barbi's for a 24th BBQ and fireworks. The boys (meaning Kris and Kwint) had soooo much fun with fireworks. The kids were very happy as well. The all time faves were the dinosaurs that shoot fire out their mouths and then backs and then feet, as well as some big displays that were surprisingly pretty for being ground fireworks.

I know this is not a cute picture of me, but I had to include it because I am wearing a sweater. On July 24th. I am so acclimated to St. George. Winter will be a shock to my system I am sure. This should be fun.

In this one, they are waiting for a parachute to fall. They loved them! They launched so many parachutes and ran all over the neighborhood to catch them, including the neighbor's roof.

For some reason, Kwint and I go ga ga over the back of our kids' heads. We love nothing as much as the way we feel when we look at them together, even the backs of their heads.


We are so blessed by the sacrifices the Pioneers made for us. I truly cannot imagine crossing the plains. I know I am far too wimpy to have survived and know that the Lord knows me well to have placed me here today, but I respect and revere the brave souls who made Utah what it is today. Even though I was not raised here, my mom was, and I would not be who I am were it not for her ancestors paving the way.

Today would have been my Dad's 56th birthday and I can't post without paying tribute to my Daddy. Love him forever, miss him for now.

Moving Day

Home Sweet Home! We are officially moved. It was a three day process getting it all in and will be a three month (or more) project getting it all unpacked. On Thursday (the 15th)Kwint's mom and I filled two cars full of our things that we brought to Layton and took them to Heber.

On Friday Kwint and his parents drove down to St. George and spent the evening loading the U-Haul. My sweet hubby worked so hard and so many friends and family came to help. Our well trained EQ buddies packed it all in good and tight in just a few short hours in the blistering heat. We were so thankful for all the friends and family who came to our service! On our own, we could never have done it... especially on the hottest day of the year thus far down there. I was sad that I stayed behind, but I had to be here so that good ol' RC Willey could drop off the fridge and microwave.

The boys and I came up to Heber Friday night (the 16th)and had a little slumber party on the floor. It was not as fun as I thought it sounded. Kaeleb didn't fall asleep until 11:30pm because he did not like not having a bed and he forgot his suddenly very precious teddy bear-- even though he had his Buddly Lou, the Green Lantern, his Monkey AND his furry bear-- poor baby bear was left all alone at Grandma's house. As soon as he fell asleep Brennan woke up and cried "Where is my Daddy? My legs hurt! I don't like this floor! I want my bed!" He was up until 2:30.

We didn't get bored or lonely waiting for the truck though. Shelley came and brought us food, in "you get to keep these as housewarming gifts" containers. I got a double crock pot, a new cooler and three Pyrex casserole dishes. WOW! She is my favorite adopted sister. After she left, Paul and July brought a truckload of things from Layton. (I accumulated a few large items while we stayed there, planning ahead, you know?) It was fun to talk to them and share our food. Not long after they left, the big truck finally arrived and the chaos commenced. The EQ here showed up bringing a few strong men with jovial attitudes, for whom we are truly grateful.

We went to bed tired that night. This picture is the chaos that resulted from speedy unpacking. For FHE we broke down boxes and to take to the recycling center.



Now, 8 days later, with not a box left in the house, here are a few shots of our home. (Just don't ask about the boxes in the garage or the basement. That is a party for another day.)


This is the bunk bed Kaeleb earned by being brave and going to bed on his own. We are so proud of our little guy!


We love Heber! Everyone we have met is super nice. The post office guy, the city people, the trash company, our new bug guys, and wowsers-- our neighbors! We are completely surrounded by nice people with kids the same ages as ours. We are so thankful and excited to get to know everyone.

Our ward is wonderful so far. We have been very welcomed. It is huge and will probably split soon as they are receiving one to two new move ins every week. We don't feel like we stand out too much because everyone else is new too.

So, halfway through Gospel Doctrine a man made a comment, and when I turned to look at him it was none other than Michael McLean. I totally stared because I was telling myself it couldn't be him, but he has one of those unmistakable hair do's, if not faces. I decided I would rather not introduce myself, although I have met him before and sang in a back up choir at one of his concerts many years ago, I felt a teensy bit awkward. Who'd have thought that Michael McLean would be in my ward? I am still weirded out.

We also have had a lot of fun with Kris and Barbi and their kids. It is always an instant party to have family close by. We are excited for this new chapter in our lives. And tired. Definitely tired.

Boondocks, Fireworks, Boating, and By The Way, We're Finally Moving!

Get ready for the ONSLAUGHT. We took a few vacation days to enjoy the 4th and took about 200 hundred pics. I chose a "few"... they posted backwards, so we will start with yesterday and work our way back to the 2nd of July.

We had sooo much fun! Tam and Dave came for a week and Kris and Barbi came for a few days as well, so we had a house full of cousins and the boys were in heaven. I have purposely left out a good many pics I wanted to post, and I will condense the itinerary for the sake of us all.

But first, we are actually moving into our new house on Saturday! S-WEET! Kwint is going down on Friday to load up our stuff and bring it home on Saturday morning. We spent ALL day yesterday putting up blinds. Thanks to Uncle Kris for putting together the boys bunk beds! We didn't take any pics, which I can see now is a good thing. ;)

Friday night we took the boys bowling. We didn't take any great pictures but I had to include this one because of the flower in my hair. I MADE it. Yes, with yarn and a crochet hook! Jaiden bought one at the mall and we all loved it. So, Kwint's mom sat down and figured it out, then taught Tam and I how to do it. We spent a whole evening, until midnight crocheting. I made three.

Tuesday afternoon we spent at the Hansen Planetarium in Gateway. It is the best place for nerds like us. Kaeleb and Kwint both love outer space, and ever since I got hooked on Stargate SG-1 many years ago, I have become a nerd too. This is a pendulum which always swings in the same path, but because of the tilt of the earth, it appears to move in a circle. Cool, eh?

Here are the kids on Mars. I always knew that they were Martians.

On the moon... One giant leap for mankind...

Here are the boys beneath a giant replica of the solar system, which I couldn't fit in the picture.


On Monday we went boating at Pineview Reservoir with thousands of other people. Here are the boys playing on the beach. I usually take a few pics of Kwint showing off on the wakeboard, but I was holding a sleeping Brenny this time. It is always amazing that the little ones fall asleep so easily on the boat.


Backing up to Sunday, the 4th. The Fireworks! We actually set them off for two nights in a row, which was very fun.

Here were the onlookers.

The tailgate party... Cera, Brennan, and Krystal, who all turn three this summer!

Earlier that afternoon several adventurous souls took turns skateboarding on Kwint's newly inherited Tierney board which is a snowboard on wheels.

This is Shelley and her daughter Samantha. Shelley is our office manager, which is short for "the woman who can do anything and we would be nowhere without her". She has become a sister to us, and Sam an Auntie for the boys. Sam is a pro snowboarder-- she gave Kwint the Tierney board.

Sam just got back from France and brought the boys these police hats and giant balls of the French flag.

The Robinsons made Navajo tacos for dinner. Here are Sadie and Dave heating the oil.

Meanwhile, the ladies prepping yummy food inside.

While Grandpa played Wii Sports Resort (his father's day present!!)

I just love the smile. Aunt Tam is filling a bucket to diffuse the fireworks.

Sadie and the boys were doing acrobatics in the yard moments before this shot.

On Saturday, the 3rd of July we went to the Jacobs for a little game of cards and a 4th of July relay race.... which we famously lost. The boys swam in the pool and terrorized the basement. Jacobs parties are always fun-- we love to crash each other's family parties. Dan and Dee have 3 boys with one on the way, Bruce and Kristy have 3 boys with one on the way, and we have 2 boys with none on the way, so it always a funny chaotic mess of boys! We love boys!



Friday, the 2nd of July, yes, folks, we are nearly done with this post. This day kicked off our family stay at home vacation. Since we are moving this year there would be no Disneyland, no cruise, no hiking Mt. Everest, so instead... we went to Boondocks!! What a fun filled day we had!! The boys loved Rollerball, which is bowling for tots. The balls are small, with no holes so they can chuck 'em granny style. The lanes are short and the pins are small. It is perfect. (Of course, they did just as well real bowling on Friday, considering the bumper pads. They both beat me.)

I love this one. Brenny begged and begged to ride the carousel, but once it started moving he got scared. I made him stay on because I was not about to waste the whopping 25 cents it cost to get the thing moving.

This is for my brother, Alan, who is obsessed with guns. I am not, but my sons are. Thanks bro, for passing that gene on.

This is Kris on the Go-Karts. They were going so fast I could never get a shot of anything but the back of their heads as they raced by.

Everyone's favorite... The bumper boats... a refreshing ride which consisted of everyone shooting each other with blasts of water as we scooted through the pool. Kaeleb and Talan rode it six times. The rest of us at least four.


And last, but not least (actually this would have been first if blogger had uploaded it in order...) Mini Golf! This is all of us on the 1st hole. After that we scattered to the four winds. Kaeleb and Talan golfed hockey style, scooting their balls through all 18 holes in record time. On the second hole Brennan wiped his brow (it was very hot) and threw down his club, declaring "I'm done with this." After that Kwint and Kris tried to keep up with Kaeleb and Talan and I tried to keep Brenny from jumping in the water.




So, that is that. Wow! I don't know about you, but I am tired.

Summer Days

Oh, summer fun! I have neglected my blog for a few weeks, and I have neglected my camera, so if this is a boring post, feel free to skip it. For posterity's sake I have a bit to write, but it's more so that I don't forget these precious days than anything else.

We have been having a fun summer. I love it up here!! I am so happy that we can be outside and not suffocate in the scorching desert! Right now the boys are running through the sprinklers and I am sitting in the shade quite comfortable. Ask me again in 6 months how I feel when I am snowed in and terrified to drive anywhere, but this is sure nice.

Kaeleb took swimming lessons for two weeks, which was fun because I could take Brennan swimming in the outdoor pool while he was in his lessons inside. My quirky little guy would not participate in a lot of the events in his lesson because he hates getting water on his face or in his ears (which is why I waited this long to put him in lessons) but he had a blast and ended up passing the class so he will move up next year anyway.

We have had a little kink in our house plans and are going to be in Layton for yet another month. The loan co. Richmond Homes uses is a small lender and a week before closing the underwriter had a panic attack about loaning money to people who are self employed... regardless of whether they have perfect credit and make enough money to afford the payment... but whatever... So, we had to move on to a bigger lender who will can "afford the risk". It is ridiculous, but we started over with Chase and hopefully we will close within a month. The house is finished and beautiful, and here we sit.

It is a good thing we like it here! It has been great for the boys to have four grown ups who love them and great for me to have help with the discipline and keeping them busy. They love to be outside helping Grandma in the yard. They pull weeds and dig with spades and even helped her plant two trees.

They also love playing the Wii with Grandpa. Kaeleb insisted on getting him Wii Sports Resort for Father's Day and they have been playing the Swordplay showdown ever since.

I got Kwint a door gym for Father's day so that he could show off how many pull ups he can do and I can whine about how many I can't do.

I have been missing my dad a lot this summer. Father's day is an obvious time to miss him, and his birthday is in July, so when summer hits, with all the fun, I also spend some time thinking about him. His face and the sound of his voice are still so vivid... I guess there are some things that are so familiar time cannot dim them. I am excited because my mom brought me some old pictures of him so I can make scrapbooks for my boys to keep that are all about Papa. I treasure them so much I almost slept with them the night I got them. But I would have wrinkled them. :)

Last weekend we went to a Monsen Family Reunion (my mom's family) in Fountain Green and had quite a lot of fun. I am ashamed of myself for how little I keep in touch with my cousins and I was amazed by all the little kids and how much they look like the cousins I used to play with. It was really fun to match the kids to their parents and in some cases, grandparents... (Hello Hayden!) My cousin Mindy and her hubby put together some creative games, as well as rockets for the kids to blast off and a big water balloon sling shot. So, as you can guess, Kwint had fun too.

I have the most amazing family. My grandma must be an angel sent from heaven to have raised such a family. She had nine children, one of which died as a toddler, but all eight living were married in the temple and of her 45-ish grandchildren, all but 3 or 4 are active in the church. It makes me proud to be part Monsen. As I listened to my cousins talk about their children and the various joys and trials they have been through, I was impressed and grateful for their examples. They have beautiful children and awesome spouses.

Brennan got his first mosquito bite there. (One thing we do miss about the desert-- there are so many bats in St. George that eat mosquitoes and we had narry a bite in 7 years.) He came running to us screaming "A bee is biting me!" with the mosquito still attached to his arm. We assured him that if it was a bee, it would not have been such a pleasant experience. Kaeleb loved the rockets best and had to make one as soon as we got home from church yesterday. We are so glad we went.

Kaeleb is such a good boy. I can always count on him to be obedient. He tries really hard to do the right thing and keep his brother in line. He is also so very smart. I love our scripture time at night because he understands it so well. We ask a lot of questions and he always has an answer, usually well thought out. I am proud of my boy. Speaking of bedtime, he is earning his bunk bed. We told him we would get bunk beds for them if he was brave enough to go to sleep without Mommy in his bed. It took two nights and he was saying "Night-night Mom, Night-night dad!" and hopping off to bed. Miracles do happen!

One more story and I will stop with my ramblings, oh how I do love to ramble... it is so therapeutic. Brennan said his first solo prayer (aka without help from mom or dad)two nights ago. It was very cute and went like this: "Henly Fadder, I'm fankful for dis day, fankful for Jesus, fankful for fam-i-ly, for Daddy, for Mommy, for Me, for Brudder, for Baby Lou's (their buddy dolls), for Bear...." Amen. He is the sweetest little rascal I have ever known.