I blinked...

...and my sweet baby girl grew up!

Time flies way too quickly. I swear it was just last week that I was holding a sweet, freshly born baby girl in my arms and looking into her huge eyes as she took in the new sights of the world. She was so alert and bright-eyed. She was the only one of my four that I got to hold right after she was born, and that is such a sweet memory for me. I couldn't stop looking at her... it was instant love. We did have a little scare a couple of days later when the Dr. heard a murmer. Turns out she had a hole between the ventricles of her heart. We were so lucky, and learned that it was fairly small and that they would just watch it. I think it was her 4th birthday check-up when Dr. Johnson said he couldn't hear the murmur anymore. Hooray! The hole had finally closed on it's own. Kaitlyn has been such a joy. We always say she is a true Stafford (and all true Stafford's probably know what that means.) She is a joke-playing, teasing, silly girl that makes us laugh constantly! She loves to steal food off of others' plates (thanks Daddy!) She is the one that always gets her chores and homework done early, saying "Mom. What would you like me to do for chores today?" I appreciate her help, and her sense of humor. She is a complete joy, and we love her with all our hearts.

Starting with our kids' 10th birthday, we let them pick an "activity" and invite 1 or 2 friends... instead of having a big, crazy party with a million kids. Kaitlyn took us up on that offer last year for her 9th birthday and we went ice skating. Of course, we all remember what happened (Eryn broke her arm). So what does Kaitlyn choose this year? JUMP ON IT! I must say, I did have a small fear that someone would get hurt, but all was well. Everyone had a great time, and there were absolutly no injuries. Whew! The kids had a blast jumping around. Kaitlyn even let Eryn bring one friend (Eryn said she'd pay, so Kaitlyn said, "fine.") The boys had their cousin, Justice, to play with, and my twin nephews had eachother. Everyone had fun.

The only bad part of doing the activity, is when they have to choose which friends to invite. It was a really hard decision, but Kaitlyn decided to bring Elizabeth and Tamsin along.

After Jump-on-it, we came home for dessert and gift opening.

When I asked Kaitlyn what she wanted for her birthday "dessert" she said, "I want to have something that Grandma can eat." My mom has celiacs disease, so she can't have anything with wheat in it. We went to the Good Earth and bought a couple of Gluten free brownie mixes (which are Kaitlyn's fave anyway) so that Grandma could have some too! Kaitlyn is always very sweet and thoughtful.

Kaitlyn wanted Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, so we loaded up our little family and went out to eat. You know you've done something wrong, however, when you leave KFC and your kids say "That was the best restaurant ever!" Poor deprived children. Shows you how much we eat out. It was fun and pretty yummy, though. :) Then we came home and Aunt Christina and Tim, and Jodie, Corey and Harlie came for MORE dessert and MORE presents. Since Kaitlyn's birthday was on Sunday, and we had to do the majority of the celebrating on Saturday, Kaitlyn called it her "pre-birthday." She said she had the best pre-birthday ever!


Happy Birthday Sweet KK. We love you so much!

Who Doesn't LOVE a Challenge?

I'm not one to turn down a challenge. Especially when that challenge is a cute little 4-yr-old with big blue eyes and the best laugh in town. We have had some challenging moments lately. I'm in the primary presidency, and last Sunday it was my turn to do sharing time. The Sunbeams in our ward are a very special group. I say special with tongue in cheek, because they are probably the rowdiest, wiggliest, craziest bunch of little people I've ever seen. Of course, one of them belongs to me! They like to move their chairs all around, sing at the top of their lungs, wander around the room (and sometimes escape into the restroom to make a sudsy soap mess)... it's all of them! They all have their reverent "moments" but they have definitely been a challenge. It was my kid's turn to be the super crazy one this past Sunday. Here I am, up in front, doing my sharing time... and my kid keeps coming up to the front wanting to help. Of course, they are supposed to be reverent if they want to help, so I keep telling him to sit down please (in my nicest primary-presidency-mommy voice) and he doesn't want to! Oh boy. It was all I could do to not pick him up and march him into Daddy. I think he just knew that there was nothing I could do. Well, he finally sat down after trying to draw on the board and move the game pieces we were using (with a huge frown on his face) and I was able to finish the game we were playing, but that wasn't the end of the challenge. About 20 minutes later (after he had gone to class) I was told that he had hurt his eye. What? Well, apparently, he had fallen off his chair in class and hit his eye. It had a huge scrape right underneath it, and was a bit swollen. When I asked him how it happened, he said "I was standing on my chair trying to get a silver thing." When I asked him where the silver thing was, he said "On the floor." Of course. Who doesn't stand on their chair to get something off the floor. I'm not sure what was going on that day, or what had been slipped into his milk at breakfast to make him so nutty, but it was quite the day. Don't get me wrong... these days are not in the majority, but when they come along, they are doozies! The rest of that lovely Sunday was quite similar... filled with time-outs and scoldings, but thankfully Monday came with the sweet, obedient half of my Jekyl and Hyde back in full force. He is normally a very fun, sweet, happy kid who makes me smile. He just has his challenging moments. And I definitely love this challenge of mine!

Here are the many faces of Hayds. Check out that shiner!

Jack-o-lantern Teeth!

What a perfect time to lose a tooth. Right before Halloween, B's loose front tooth became REALLY loose. He worked on it for days... and finally, the day we carved our pumpkins, he let me pull it out. Usually Daddy is the tooth puller, but I had a trick up my sleeve. I tied a piece of floss loosely around it, and then pulled it tight. The tooth shot right out! Our little nephew, Justice, wanted to watch, and I think he was seriously amazed. The best part, is that our usually duddy tooth fairy actually remembered to come that night. Miracles do happen! And now we have a real, live Jack-o-lantern at our house :)

Fall Fun

I think I've said it before, but I LOVE fall. There is a certain feeling, even a smell... and the beautiful colored leaves. LOVE IT!! We've had a ton of family from out of state (and even from way up north in this state) come to stay with us this month. We've had Jared's sister Marie and her husband Jeff here 3 out of the 4 weekends, and it's always fun. We had Jared's brother Matthew and his little family here for a week, then Jared's mom came out. It was fun having her around too. One of the days she was with us, we walked to a park about 2 blocks from our house. It's just a little park, but the kids like to go there. We've seen deer there a few times, and we are almost always the only ones there when we go. It was such a nice day. Warm and sunny, but definitely fall. There is a little "trail" back into some trees and weeds, and the kids like to take walks. Bryson even found several little colored pellets. Make sure you push "Play" below to see our little slideshow :)

Sock Boy

Laundry. My arch enemy. My nemesis. Did I mention... not my favorite chore! When I do a load a day, and keep on top of it, it isn't so bad. However, these last couple of weeks, I've been so busy that laundry is LAST on the list. So I have to take a day every once in a while and try to "catch up" if that's even possible. I took all the laundry up to my bed to get it all folded, and half-way through that adventure, Bryson came upstairs to see what I was up to. I was trying to separate all the socks so that I could have one of the girls pair them up as one of their chores. Well, Bryson and I proceeded to have a sock fight. It was really funny. We were both laughing so hard throwing socks at each other. Once we had finished throwing socks everywhere, we gathered them up and I piled them on top of him. We had a great time, but all good things must come to an end... soon it was bedtime, and time for me to finish folding that stinkin' laundry. I still haven't caught up. I'm not sure I ever will. But I will definitely have a sock fight with anyone who wants to!

Mopping Machine

Backwards, too small T-shirt? CHECK!

Green sweats that are too small, too? CHECK!

4-yr-old who picked out his own pajamas and dressed himself? CHECK!

New mop-head and a dirty kitchen floor? CHECK!

Atleast he still wants to help! I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts. I let him mop for as long as he wanted to, then I finished up. He was really scrubbing hard, too. Love this kid :)

Crazy Goofy Fun

A few months ago (yes, I forgot about these, so they are a little late) the kids and I were playing around taking pictures. I don't remember where Jared was. A meeting, maybe? Or a campout? Who knows! Anyway, I was trying to learn how to use my flash at that time, so I was taking "action" shots of the kids. They were being SO funny. We were all giggling and laughing. Even though I was excited for summer to end and school to start back up, I look back at these pictures that we did on a lazy summer evening, and I miss the days of having nothing to do. Our calendar seems to fill up so fast, and now with homework every night, there just isn't a lot of "fun" time. It makes me realize that we need to make room in our schedule for just goofing off! I love these four crazy kids of mine! I can't imagine life without them. It would certainly be a lot more boring. They are great kids, and I am truly blessed. :) Just click the arrow below to see our crazy slideshow!

Big Changes

Eryn is growing up so fast! She is going to be in 6th grade this fall, which at her school is MIDDLE SCHOOL! I can't believe I have a kid that old. She is such a great daughter. She's so fun to be around. She decided a couple of weeks ago that she needed a haircut. Her hair was getting so long, and it was hard to manage. Brushing was a pain! So finally, after days and days of asking, I called our friend who cuts hair, and she came over and gave Eryn a really cute haircut.

Then, the very next day, we headed to the orthodontist to have braces put on! Another crazy thing for me to think about... I was in 9th grade when I got my braces on, and didn't get them off until my Jr. year in High School (which was SO frustrating!) And now, here's my sweet Eryn getting braces in 6th grade! Lucky kid! All the crazy braces memories are coming back to me, like how sore your teeth are when they get tightened, how weird they felt the first few days, how depressing it was to not be able to eat certain foods... but Eryn is going to do great. And doesn't she look so cute!?!?

Steel Days

I have always loved Steel Days, our little AF city celebration. There is always a carnival with fun rides, a parade, and lots of other fun activities. This year, we weren't able to participate in as many things as we usually do, but we did go to the parade. The kids always love it, especially when people throw candy. We left with a grocery bag FULL! My favorite part is always the band. I remember when all the neighboring cities' high school bands would come. I really miss that. Now it's only AF and Lone Peak (AF is the best, of course!) The parade isn't quite what it used to be, but our kids love it!



And in case you are wondering who that kid is in the boat that got 3 pictures in my slideshow, it is my little nephew Justice. He got to ride in the parade, and it sure did make my Hayden a bit jealous. :)

Party time!

Wow, get ready for a huge post. I don't know why this one is any bigger than others, but apparently we were pretty picture-happy for Hayden's birthday. It was a really busy and fun day. He woke up to fun construction decor... his party was a Construction themed one! So we made some really simple construction cakes. One for the friend party, and one for the family party later - complete with construction vehicles and safety cone candles! Hayden thought they were the best!


Then at 10 am (nice and early) we had a fun "friend" party for Hayden. The girls were so cute to help me out. They were in charge of games and opening presents, so that all I had to do was snap photos! It was great. The kids had a ton of fun! They played Tractor, Tractor, Dumptruck (instead of Duck, Duck, Goose) and had a treasure hunt that Eryn prepared. Then Hayd opened presents. Then I sent them outside (thank you Summertime) to eat cake. Clean up was a BREEZE!


Check out the slide-show to see all the action!


Then, of course, when the friends all went home, Hayden had to try out all the new construction gear! He LOVES to dig, so he was in Heaven. Bryson even joined in on the action.



After that, Hayden wanted to try out his new Police Gear. He looked SO cute all dressed up, and handing out tickets. I was put under arrest several times!



Later that evening, Grandma Cheryl, PapaBob, Aunt Jo and Harlie, Jana, Brad, Justice, Talon and Cardon all came over to celebrate! We sure love having family come for cake and ice-cream. This was a pretty quick little get together, but it sure was fun. Thanks everyone for coming over!




I'm still having a hard time believing that my baby is 4. Where did all those years go? We sure love Hayden. He makes us laugh everyday!

Four Whole Years!

I cannot believe that 4 years have gone by since our little Hayden was born! Time sure does fly. He was born on July 16, 2005 at 8:06 in the morning. He got to come a little early by C-section, because my pregnancy was being a difficult one. I sure didn't complain about him coming sooner! He weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz and was 20 inches long. The crazy part was that he was a boy! We had been expecting a girl... her name was going to be Madisyn, I had lots of cute girlie things... and low and behold, in the Operating Room when our new baby was born, Jared's eyes got huge, and the nurse said: "That's not what you were expecting, was it?" I was confused for a minute, but then I had to tease my Dr. who had NEVER been wrong before! We had a boy! I was only surprised for a minute, then it just seemed right. Perfect! It took a little longer for the idea to sink in with Jared. He has a hard time deviating from plans... even one like this! We had to come up with a name quickly, and Hayden was just the perfect name for our new little guy. I am so glad he was a boy! That made two of each for us.

Well, of course the first year FLEW by. He was walking by the time he was 10 months old, and he hasn't slowed down since! He was a sweet but busy baby! Here is his first birthday!

Gotta love 2-year-olds. Hayden was a joy... but sometimes a challenge. He learned to climb everything, get into everything, make a mess with everything... but those big blue eyes made it hard to get too upset! Here is his two-year-old B-day. (And a couple more from around that time).

Then he turned 3! Oh boy! Three year olds are sometimes really hard, but ALWAYS so much fun. It was fun to have real conversations with him, and he learned SO much! These are his 3-yr-old portraits!

Now I can't believe we just celebrated his 4th Birthday! He had a great party, and a wonderful day. Here are a few pics from his birthday. I'll post some from his parties next time!

Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!

The only thing better than trains...

... is tractors! Well, maybe not better, but just as good according to Hayden. He is so funny. He LOVES all the road construction that is going on around our neighborhood (I wish I could say the same...) because he loves to see all the construction equipment and vehicles. He can even name many of them, thanks to his favorite book which is all about Trucks! So a couple of weeks ago, when the guys came to put in our secondary water "box" thing, Hayden was in HEAVEN! He sat out on the front porch forever just watching them digging and working.

Hayden's Birthday! More Pictures

Hayden's Birthday!

Well, time sure does fly! Hayden turned three (yep, 3!) last week - July 16th. It's hard to believe it's been 3 years. He is such a sweetie (a little wild, really busy and curious, and ALL BOY!) We had a little cake and gift party as a family on Wednesday, then on Friday, Grandma, PapaBob, Jodie and Corey came over for MORE cake and ice cream. His favorite gift was his bubble mower!

Then, on Friday I took Hayden (along with a little BRIBE) for Birthday portraits. He did fairly well (for a kid who HATES my camera!)

Summer Fun

The kids had a great time the other day playing outside in the "pool." It has finally gotten HOT here in good old Utah. I think we've filled the little pool almost everyday this last week. The boys have a great time. One of the girls (we won't name names) thinks she is too big for that pool anymore. She is growing too fast, I must admit. The other girly LOVES it as much as the boys! We are trying to enjoy the heat. I won't complain, because it's much better than freezing cold, in my opinion.

Boys at the Park

I thought I should post some pictures of the boys at the park after I took Hayden's pictures... they had fun!

Kids and Dogs

Well, I guess it's been about a month now since we got our little dog Mushu. He is still trying to decide if he likes the kids... He is MY shadow. I swore I'd never have an inside dog, but I must admit that he's growing on me. He's pretty good for the most part. He's having the hardest time adjusting to Mr. Hayden (thus, no picture of Hayden with Mushu). I'm absolutely sure that he is named after the dragon on Mulan. He is tiny, but thinks he is big and important. The kids LOVE him, and he tolerates them fairly well.

Fun in the "Forest"

Well, here we go, I guess. My sisters all have blogs, and I LOVE to read them, so I figured I should "jump on the bandwagon." I guess I'll share a little adventure I had with my boys yesterday. We went to the ball fields where the kids play baseball, and we decided to explore the "forest" of trees that surrounds it. The boys thought it was pretty cool. Later, when we told Jared about it, Hayden said "We ate fishies in the forest." He ate some goldfish crackers while I practiced taking pictures - Bryson was my model that day. They caught a butterfly, climbed over logs and rocks, and "hiked" all over the place. Hayden kept falling down - on his tummy - poor kid. He's got scrapes all over! They thought it was a pretty fun adventure, though!