Happy Birthday Jace & Bear Lake Family Reunion...Its LONG...

OKAY...here we go...IN July we took a trip to Bear Lake in Idaho for a family reunion. We took a detour to Rexburg to see my sister and her little family for Jace's 1st Birthday.

We began the trip with Daylight donuts and various dollar store toys to entertain the kids, thanks to Grandma Patty who kept pulling new things out to keep them happy.Corbyn enjoying the ride so far...(first 15 mins of the trip)

My cousin Rachel was the stowaway and we were so happy to have her in our car. ONE she entertained the kids (which is the biggest one) and TWO she had fun & hip music on her Iphone to save us from listening to daddy's the whole way!!

This is when we got to the pretty parts of Wyoming...We drove through mountains and Jackson Hole near Yellowstone National Park...It really was beautiful!

Finally we made it and had Jace's birthday party the next afternoon. The cake was sooo yummy. We couldn't stop eating it all weekend...

This is Jace enjoying his birthday cake. He is so very cute and loved the icing, don't we all...

We had a cook-out in their backyard for his birthday with Great-grandma Kennedy & Rachel who drove up from Texas and Oklahoma as well, my mom and dad, my brother Matt who is at BYU Provo and Chad's brother Brett and his wife, Alyssa.

The weather was Fabulous...Even if it was hot, you didn't sweat!! Its great!! Of course, I
dont sweat normally anyway, so it wasnt that big of a deal to meeee, but you know :)

This is Rachel, Corby and Great-Gma Kennedy posing for a shot...

This girl could swing all day. She loves to swing...now if only she could pump herself !

Brett, Alyssa & Chad...the hamburgers were soo good...

My brother, Matt!!! He's Fantastic, really!

My dad and sister! we had a good weekend...I wished it was longer

Grandma and Jace

Too much fun...no strength to walk...

Jace was trilled to open presents.

After the party we then left to drive to Bear Lake.

Back in the car...We one side of th family to join the other side...It was a 3 hour drive from Rexburg to Bear lake so not too bad and the kids slept almost the whole way.

This is the cabin we stayed in. It was great!

The cabin had a tree house that was of course a big hit with the kids. When we were not at the beach they were up there playing house & "cleaning." I walked onto the 4th step & felt dizzy so I never did see inside the tree house but it seemed just fabulous!

This is the view of the beach- Isnt it FAN-tastic! The water was more blue then I imagined.
I loved the water!

Another view of the water! Cannot get enough of it!

Elayna starting a sand castle.

We spent two days on the beach and the kids had a blast. We never saw a fish and the water was shallow for about 100 yards so no worries for the moms. The kids had free reign and had a blast.

Corbyn, the little ham! decided he would hang out with the ladies and sunbath!
haha He knows where the fun's at...

Corbyn was in his element for sure. If he can get dirty or wet or dirty and wet he is a happy boy.

Elayna and cousin Colton playin in the water

The first day, we finally got the girls to ride the tube. We went super slow but they had a great time.

Layna & I sportin' the shades

My good-lookin boys!

The second day, we got more daring...Chad skiied...It was the first time in 7 years & he did really well...He wiped out good too! but we didnt get that photo!


My niece, Nikki got me to try standing on the tube. It was fun and the leg work-out was much needed! She & I had so much fun trying to do tricks.

We finally got a family shot. We could stay on the boat all day. We loved it!
On the second day Elayna got the courage to ride the tube fast. I couldnt tell if she liked it or not but when we were finished she was like, WOW I rode the tube, fast, huh. She was pretty thrilled.

The night time view. Awesome!

Last night at Bear lake...so sad

The whole Caldwell group, minus one family who couldnt make it...Great family!

So sad to say goodbye! Cannot wait for the next family reunion.

Water,Two Naughty Kids & Jane Austen...

One fine sunny afternoon, with a book in hand, I took the kids out in the backyard to play...the sprinkler was already on (we were trying get the grass to grow!) & we were all in our bathing suits.

Desperately trying to get some sun on my legs, I plopped into the lawn chair & began reading...my summer read is Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and (who could blame me) I got soo into my book that I lost track of time & all knowledge of what my children were up to...

I have no doubt who instigated this little charade but nevertheless both kids were completely covered in RED....Oklahoma....mud!!!

I took their pictures & then had the pleasure of hosing them off... They enjoyed that part as much as the mud.

It is really cute how they were painting each other! They didnt even look up when I left to get the camera.

No chance of grass this summer. We gave up after this!!!

It's hard to take pictures while hosing your kids off with the water hose!

It did worry me (after the fact) that so much was going on right in front of me & I, being so captivated by Jane of course, was oblivious to it all!..I'll have to work on that before they are teenagers!

Our New Backyard!

We have a backyard!! It is small and mostly on a hill but its partially shaded with Cottonwood trees that blow in the wind & has a small flower garden spot, which... I will probably never use but its cute, still the same.

Someone brought to my attention how beautiful the sound of the wind blowing through the cottonwood leaves is and now I can't get enough of it! Truly a hidden blessing that I overlook on a regular day.

It really doesn't matter to the kids either, they don't care what it looks like they just love being out there...

Whats over the fence???
I made the mistake of picking one up to see the other side, now they both, always, wanna see.

Frog Prince

Cute short story... Elayna has a new found love for frogs and Saturday she caught one while we were doing yard work...I couldnt believe she actually caught it! (she obviously did not get that from me!)

Anyway...She loved her frog. She wanted to keep it and feed it crickets (her actual words) and build a home for it in the throw-away glad container it currently lived...notice all the PAST tense...yes the inevitable happened. After we took the "Pet" with us to Wal-Mart and Braum's for groceries where he rode in the shopping cart at Elayna' s side the poor thing took his last ride home...

I was in the kitchen putting groceries away when a slightly sad Elayna said, "Mom I think you were right. (love that!) I think I need to let my frog go... cuz I think he's dead!"

Sure enough we killed the frog. After Chad came home from church meetings we had a funeral for "Froggie." Elayna named it after he died & when I asked her if she was sad and her reply was, "Yes, I am a little but happy that he'll live again after we bury him."

It was too funny! and sadly our camera had a glitch & the pictures & videos we took got erased... But after we burried Froggie Corbyn waved to the ground & said "Die, Die!" (Bye, Bye)...priceless!

Our Silly, Cute, wonderful Corbyn

Name & Meaning: Corbyn Dean...unlike our first born we had no idea what to name a boy...so at the hospital it was either Corbyn Micheal or Austin Dean...and somehow he came out mixed up...all I can say is...drugs...maybe...His name has no family origin but thats okay we love the name and it fits him perfectly

Age: 21 months old

Nicknames:I call him : Bub, Bubster, Handsome, Corby, Corb. Chad calls him: Corbo, Elayna calls him Bubba or Corbyn, when he was a baby she called him "cute little guy"

Favorite Activites: Vacuuming, Sweeping, following mom around, going outside, playing on the slide,

Favorite Foods: anything really, crackers, cheese, fruit of any kind, broccoli, juice, chicken nuggets, eggs, he's a good eater, really.

Least Favorite Foods: just depends on his mood...

Favorite Music: primary songs, whatever sister likes to listen to, he likes fast music and likes to bob his head to the beat.

Favorite Toy: He loves the play kitchen, his cars & the garage, little people that make noise, balls, play vacuum is his fav. though.

Favorite Book: He doesn't really have a favorite. He will listen to books and look at books but he doesn't have a preference what book it is.

Favorite Item of Clothing: shoes!Its the only item of clothing he actually likes putting on. He knows that if we put them on it means we're going outside

What Makes Him Happy: playing outside, cuddling in the mornings or around nap time. snack time..:)

What Makes Him Sad: when sister takes away a toy.

Favorite Phrases or words:
"whachouut"
"Mmmaaaa"
"me see"
"so cited."
"Hi & Die." (Die = Bye) we only know that cuz its coupled with a hand wave.

Corbyn is like a little ball of sunshine. He has a very toothy cheesy grin that fills you with smiles no matter what your mood is. He is all boy and we love that!

We love you, Corby.

The Amazing, Lovable, Beautiful Layna...

A friend did this for her kiddos and I loved the idea and decided to do it for my little ones. Here's little tidbits about my Layna.

Name & Meaning: Elayna Patrice Caldwell. She is named after her the two greatest grandma's in the world. Chad's Mom's name is Elaine and My mom's name is Patricia. We wanted to do some version of a family name with a unique twist so it could be her own.

Age: 4 years, 5 months

Nicknames:I call her : Layna, Layne, Missy Moo, or Miss Priss, Sweet Pea, or simply 'E',...Chad calls her Layna mostly, and Corbyn calls her sis & Lala...which is really cute!

Favorite Activites: Playing 'MOM", coloring with markers, watching movies, Singing & dancing, Pretending, reading books with mom & dad, cooking, making messes, spilling drinks, and arguing with parents has become a recent favorite activity...its because she thinks she knows how to do things better & I really think she enjoys telling us so! And, of course, playing with friends & babysitters.

Favorite Foods: laughing cow cheese with crackers (any cheese really) chicken nuggets,pizza, milk, apples, strawberries, tacos, eggs, cold carrots, & cookie (dough)

Least Favorite Foods: green veggies, watermelon, & there more I cant think of...

Favorite Music: Disney Princess songs especially Little Mermaid & Pocahontas, primary songs, Dixie Chicks, and lately, Love Story by Taylor Swift and I do not Hook Up by Kelly Clarkson, she loves to sing and its cute to hear what they sing instead of the actual words...

Favorite Toy: Baby dolls, board games, play tea set, play kitchen

Favorite Book: Pinkalicious, Purpleicius, Fancy Nancy books, Knuffle Bunny 1 & 2, Goodnight Moon, any Olivia books, more...much more...

Favorite Item of Clothing: Gotta be The Dress, she wears them all the time but she loves pjs too! if she's not in a dress she wants to be in pjs. If she takes a nap she changes into pjs so that she's comfty and when she wakes she usually changes clothes again...back into a dress...a different dress... endless changing and endless laundry...

What Makes Her Happy: playing outside or watching a movie with her mom, bubba or blanket...or any combination of the three.

What Makes Her Sad: when Corbyn takes her "stuff" and when she skids her knees.

Favorite Phrases or words:
"I like your shoes."
"It's leopard print! We should give it to Grandma- Its her fav."
"Move yourself!"
"Moommm, Corbyn's stinky."
"Mom, you look Beeaauutiul." (I only get it when I wear something out of the ordinary but its really sweet when she says it)

Elayna does this "silent laugh" thats really funny. She doesnt say anything she just closes her eyes tight, throws her head back and pretend shes laughing really hard!

We love you, Layna.

Graduation Day...Haaaalleluyah!

Yea! The day has come & gone! I was more than ready to get that ceremony over with & on to Kyoto's for lunch... I was excited for the sushi & just relaxing...but as most know being a stay-at-home mom is not relaxing!!!

After my last final I have been kind of down...you would think I would be elated but not the case...I think school was such a part of my life that I feel like part of me is gone or something. I worry about the future more than ever & now that I am officially an adult, I don't have school to fall back on, as a crutch or something.

The past year I have become lax in my parenting, like our daily schedules and organizing art projects & such, so the last three days have been complicated and unorganized. The kids have me all to themselves & they are starting to catch on. yikes!

On a lighter note! :) I am thrilled to have a fun & care-free summer to re-evaluate our lives and re-establish daily family routines! The school chapter is closed, hopefully, and the next chapter is just beginning, makes you wanna sing "The rest is still unwritten..." luv that song!!!