A Journey to Forever

Jr. Jazz

2011-02-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

Dave is also coaching Baylee's Jr. Jazz team again this year. She LOVES this sport!!! Her favorite thing to do is steal the ball, dribble all the way down, and shoot a lay up. If we didn't have snow on the ground she would be out shooting baskets every day!! She has improved so much since last year and definitely loves the game.

Ice Fishing

2011-02-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

Baylee loves any activity that she gets to do with her dad...including ICE FISHING!! I ask her every day where she came from??? She is such a funny girl. She hooks the fish and reels them in all by herself. She is such a blessing in our family, and she is definitely Dave's little buddy!!

Addie's 1st Birthday

2011-02-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

Our adorable little PRINCESS had her 1st Birthday!! For her big day we went to the Clearfield High basketball game...sounds like fun, huh!!
Her 1 year old stats are: 23 lbs 2 oz and 30.9 inches tall.
I'm not sure how much of her cake she actually got in her mouth. She was enjoying being able to make a mess and squish it in her fingers the most!!

Christmas 2010

2011-02-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

Addison 11 months

2010-12-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

I know every month I say the same thing...but I really can't believe she's already 11 months old. She has been working on walking for the last month, just taking one or two steps. But now...as you can see...she can stand up all by herself and take more than a couple steps. She gets so excited when she tries to walk that sometimes her feet can't keep up.

She now has 7 teeth and is such a happy girl...even despite all the teeth that have come in. Evey where she goes she is giggling, smiling and waving at people...even strangers.

She is such a joy, and lights up our home. Everyone is always fighting over who gets to get her out of her crib when she wakes up!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH and can't imagine life without you!

Halloween activities

2010-10-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Standing in line for the pumpkin walk

Pictures at the pumpkin patch...

This year for Halloween I made the girls some Halloween skirts. Addie, for some reason, didn't want to hold still to have her picture taken with the girls so this was quite the event. Luckily, I was able to get a few pictures with all of them looking in the same direction at the same time!! I sure do love these girls!!!

Addie 9 months

2010-10-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

Our little baby is already 9 months old. She weighs 20 lbs and is 29 inches tall. Which basically means she is tall and skiny. She is happy all the time and our best eater by a mile. She is crawling all over the place and starting to pull herself up on furniture and walking a few steps before letting go and falling down. She sleeps about 12 - 13 hours at night and LOVES to be outside!! She has a way of always making you smile with her adorable grin, giggle and grunts. She still just has her 2 bottom teeth, but the top ones are on their way. Her sisters love her so much, and are incredibly helpful and playful with her. She brings a loving spirit into our home and we are extremely grateful to have her in our family.

Elder Mortensen in Cody Wyoming

2010-10-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Since we were in Yellowstone we got special permission from Jonathan's mission president and were able to go take him and a few of the other missionaries to lunch. We had such a great time seeing Jonathan as well as some of the members that have been taking such great care of him. He really is a GREAT missionary!!! His companion couldn't stop talking about what a great teacher Jon has been for him. Brother and Sister Potts just adore him, and you can tell he is very respectful and appreciative of all that they do for him and the other missionaries. Sister Wilde was the last stop and she was able to convince Jonathan and Elder Davis to sing us a little song...and it was awesome to hear these 2 faithful missionaries and the incredible spirits that they have, sing this primary song for us. It was the perfect end to our day!!! It was so nice to be able to see Elder Mortensen and see the changes in him...although he'll always be "the same old Jon". He is working so hard, and I'm VERY proud that he's my brother!!! We love you Elder Mortensen!!!!

Addie 8 months

2010-09-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Addie is such a sweet girl...and happy all the time. We couldn't ask for anything more than that.
Now that she's crawling it makes for some interesting photo shoots! This was the best that I could do since she thought it was pretty funny to try to crawl over to me and try to touch the camera.

Addie Crawls

2010-09-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

And just lately she's been saying "dada" everywhere she goes. The good news is that I caught it on video...the bad news is that it's sideways.

First Day of School

2010-09-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Baylee started 2nd grade at Antelope Elementary and Avery started her second year at Ms. Kate's Preschool.

Addie 3 months

2010-05-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Zoo with Grammy and Papa

2010-05-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Easter 2010

2010-05-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Addison's Blessing Day

2010-03-09T08:49:00.001-08:00

Addison was blessed on Sunday, March 7th. It was a great day and we are lucky to have family and friends that could come and be with her on this special day.

Almost 4 weeks old!

2010-02-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Addison is almost 4 weeks old!! She is eating and sleeping GREAT. She's still a little camera shy so we take hundreds of pictures to try to get the confused look off her face!! We love this little ANGEL!!!

Addison Kate Sanders

2010-01-31T09:38:00.001-08:00

2 weeks old

Almost 1 week old

Addison Kate was born on January 14, 2010 at 12:04 pm.

She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 21 inches long.

She is such a good baby and her sisters LOVE her to death. We are so lucky to have her!!!

Christmas Dance Performance

2009-12-18T20:01:00.001-08:00

Tonight Baylee and Avery had their first dance performance. They did such a good job...I am so proud of them!! Avery has been looking forward to it ALL DAY and couldn't stop talking about it.

Baylee, Annalise, Kallee, Avery and Gentry after the performance.

Daisy, Isabella and Baylee waiting to go on stage

Baylee danced to Jingle Bell Rock

Avery danced to the Magic Tutu song

Avery is third from the left...although they kind of all get mixed up throughout the dance and it's not very easy to see.

As if the camera work on the first dance wasn't bad enough, Avery was trying to climb on my lap during Baylee's dance...so it's really a mess!

Baylee starts out on the far right in her dance.

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

I actually started early this year to get the girls Christmas pictures taken. My hope is to get our Christmas card out before Christmas instead of after New Year's!!!

All I want for Christmas...

2009-12-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

Baylee has finally lost her 2 front teeth!! She has been wiggling them for weeks now and they decided to fall out within days of each other. She's been keeping the tooth fairy pretty busy!!!

The new ROOM!!

2009-12-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

From the hallway

Looking in the door to the right

Looking in the door to the left

The closet

It's official...the room is complete!! Baylee and Avery have already "moved in" to their new room. More pictures to come when the decorating is finished!!!

Disney on Ice

2009-11-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

All of the princesses with their princes

Cinderella

Mickey and Minnie

Cinderella

Dave and the girls at intermission

Ariel, Belle and Sleeping Beauty

Belle

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Jasmine

Dave had the great idea to take the girls to see Disney on Ice, the Princess Collection. Avery is in LOVE with Ariel so she was SO excited to go. We had a great time so I thought I would share some of their favorite pictures!!

October activities

2009-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Dave and the girls

Dorothy and the "good" witch

I'm a little late on posting pictures from October. Here they are...all combined into one post! We went to the pumpkin patch like we do every year and the girls pick out their own pumpkins. The only rule this year was that they didn't have to be the biggest ones they could find because guess who gets to clean them all out when it comes time to carve them!!?? Then we, of course, carved them for Family Home Evening.

Dave even decided to dress up for Halloween this year. The girls were extremely scared at first...big shock, I know. But once they got used to it they thought it was pretty cool!!

Halloween Dress Up

2009-10-27T16:38:00.001-07:00

My mom pulled out some old costumes and the kids thought they were awesome!! They all started dressing up and posing for pictures. Again...I only got the clowns...Dad got the rest.

Owen's Birthday Bash

2009-10-27T16:31:00.001-07:00

Emily also planned Owen's birthday party so that the girls could be there. This was another highlight of the trip for them. They looked forward to it the entire time we were there.

I didn't attempt to get any great pictures of the birthday party since my dad was there and I knew he would get much better pictures anyway. Unfortunately...I can't get them to work!

The Texas State Fair

2009-10-27T16:23:00.001-07:00

One of our FAVORITE things to do when we go to Texas is to go to the State Fair. I didn't get any pictures of all the awesome food we ate, but here are some pictures of the kids loving the rides!! We had a blast. It's sad when you plan your vacation around when the Texas State Fair is going on!!

New Football Stadium

2009-10-27T16:14:00.001-07:00

The next important stop for Dave was the tour of the new Cowboy's stadium in Arlington. Needless to say...it was AMAZING!! We were commenting that this was the only stadium where we hoped that the kids wouldn't touch the wrong thing. It felt like a hotel on MANY floors of the stadium.

This is where the players come out at the 50 yard line.

The ceiling of the miller lite club.

Avery posing in front of the lockers.

Baylee and Owen at Tony Romo's locker.

Avery sitting in the press box...I think! Watching as they set up for the U2 concert.

Sea World Part 2

2009-10-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

I was able to get a few more pictures of Sea World to upload.

The Alamo

2009-10-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

We also took the girls to the downtown market in San Antonio and rode the trolly to the Alamo and then walked over to the riverwalk. After Sea World this was a little on the "dull" side for them! They were actually looking forward to the boat ride at the riverwalk but unfortunately when we got there they had closed due to "bad weather".

These are the only pictures I have from the Alamo so I figured I better post them all.

Sea World

2009-10-19T14:38:00.001-07:00

For days now, I have been trying to get my Sea World pictures to upload and have been unsuccessful. So...I decided that I better just post what I have or else it might never get done. We had such a great time on this trip. It's hard to just pick a few favorites, and even harder when the favorites won't work.
So, here's part one of the trip to Texas!!!

Dancing Princesses

2009-09-27T09:09:00.001-07:00

Baylee and Avery both started taking Dance lessons this year. Avery couldn't wait to put on her cute dance outfit and have her picture taken. I told them to look like pretty dancing princesses, and this was the pose I got from both of them...so I guess that's what dancing princesses look like!!

Riding without training wheels!!

2009-09-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

Avery decided that she was big enough to ride a 2 wheeler with no training wheels. I didn't believe her, so I took them off her small bike to give her a shot...and she really can do it. She's been practicing for a few days now, and can make it all the way up and down the street by herself. She's such a big girl!!!

Cute Girls!!!

2009-09-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

I took a few pictures of the girls today before church and they turned out pretty cute so I thought I'd share them...

Our Labor Day project

2009-09-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

At about 5:00 pm on Friday night Dave and I decided that we wanted to tile the floor in the master bath. We got all the carpet and pad pulled out and the baseboards off on Friday night. Saturday morning Dave went and had to buy all of our supplies. We got the backer board down and all of the tile layed on Saturday. Then on Monday, Labor Day, we filled in the grout and got the baseboards back on, caulked and painted. It was a lot bigger job than we thought it would be, but I'm SOOO glad we did it!!

Here's the finised product...

Avery's 3rd Birthday

2009-08-07T08:47:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been 4 days and I haven't posted anything about Avery's birthday!!! It's probably because it feels like her birthday has lasted a week. Everyday she wakes up and asks what we are going to do for her birthday today. We have spent LOTS of time in the water...since she's our little fish!!
Her birthday party will be on Saturday but we couldn't wait to give her some of her presents. She was so cute when she finally got to open them. Anything wrapped up in pretty paper is extremeby exciting to her...as you can tell from her expressions.

She finally got her big girl bike so that she can keep up with the rest of the neighborhood kids. She had a little 12 inch bike but it just didn't go fast enough to keep up with her.

She is such a cute little girl. We are lucky to have her!! She brightens our day and ALWAYS puts a smile on our face. She certainly gives us a run for our money but we wouldn't have it any other way. She's growing up so fast and thinks that she can do everything the big kids do. She's getting excited to be a big sister but it makes me sad that she won't be the baby anymore.

We love you Ave and hope you have the best birthday week ever!!!

The best 2 year old skier...ever!

2009-07-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Ever since Baylee learned to ski, Avery has been asking for her turn. Today we decided to let her get in the water and "try them on". She sat in the water and floated all by herself...and we thought that was a HUGE accomplishment.

Later in the day she decided that she wanted to be pulled by the rope. We had to move the boat a little bit to take some of the slack out of the rope and the cute little thing just stood up and was actually skiing. Dave kept going and she had the time of her life. She couldn't stop smiling and was SOOOO proud of herself.

As you can tell from the screaming in the video we were SOOO suprised. She had no fear of the water, falling, or being left behind. We are so proud of her!!!

Baylee also did a great job today. It was a fight to get her out of the skis by the end of the day. I love this picture where she's actually asking to go faster!

Over all it was a GREAT day at the lake!!!

First day of 1st grade

2009-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Since we're on year round school here, Baylee has already started 1st grade. She has been really excited and didn't even realize that she only had a 2 and a half week summer break!!

Here are some pictures from the first day of school...

Our Missionary!!!

2009-07-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye at the MTC.

At Jon's farewell party the night before he left.

I thought I would post some of our last pictures of Jon with the family before he left on his mission. We are so proud of him, but it made me really grateful that I don't have a son of my own to take to the MTC and leave for 2 whole years. It was an emotional experience...but that's usually expected in the Mortensen family. Jon did a great job despite all the nerves. I know he'll be a great missionary but we definitely miss him already!!

Baylee can WATER SKI

2009-07-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Let me just start for apologizing for the terrible camera work. I didn't realize that you couldn't turn video like you can turn pictures.

The highlight of our summer so far is Baylee learning to water ski. She is doing a great job...it's been so much fun to watch her. She usually starts out screaming (because the water is so stinking cold) but the minute the boat starts moving she stops. Then...once she gets up she tells Dave to slow down. I don't think the boat could possibly go any slower, but she insists on trying every time.

Avery is pretty determined to do whatever Baylee does so she's anxious for her turn to wear the skis in the water. Maybe when the water gets a little warmer!!

Another Private Blog

2009-07-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, with all this identity theft that we've been dealing with lately the detective has advised me to make sure my blog is protected. I guess the only way to do that is to make it private. So...here goes!
For all of you who would like to be added, please leave your email address or send it to me at leisha.sanders@yahoo.com. I'd like to have this done by the end of the month. Sorry for the hassle!!

The Air Show

2009-06-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what I've been doing lately, but it certainly hasn't involved updating my blog. I have been slacking BIG TIME in the picture taking department. The last pictures that I took were from the Air Show at Hill Air Force Base. We, along with the other 100,000+ people, went up to the air force base to watch the different planes fly. They had tons of things to look at, and planes to look in and walk through. Luckily it wasn't too hot cause we forgot to bring a stroller, and had to carry Avery most of the day. We met Jonathan up there and he hung out with us for most of the day too...so the girls loved that!

Here are a few of the pictures...

Avery was done taking pictures and ready to go home!!

There was no way I was going to be able to get any good pictures of the Thunderbirds actually flying, so the best I could do was take one while they were on the ground.

Avery's first stitches

2009-05-30T10:09:00.001-07:00

Last night Baylee comes running in the house saying that Avery just cut her head open and it's bleeding everywhere. I take off outside to find Avery, harldly walking straight, with blood dripping everywhere. I picked her up and layed her on the grass and immediatly could tell that she needed stitches. The cut was so deep! We finally got the bleeding stopped and went to the emergency room. Now...all of you who know Avery very well know that she has a huge fear of strangers and doctors and another huge fear of being held down. The mixture of the two didn't make for an easy night by any means. When they finally were able to see her they told us that they had called in the plastic surgeon to work on her, since it was pretty deep and on her face. I was happy about that until they said that they would like to sedate her. My heart sunk because I knew that meant she would have to get an IV placed. As Baylee and Dave left the room, the nurse wrapped her up in a sheet (which is when the screaming started) and I had to hold her down while they poked her not once, but twice!! She was such a trooper. Once the IV was in, it was all down hill from there. They put her to sleep and the stitching only took a couple of minutes. It was a pretty traumatic experience, but I don't know if it was worse for Avery or Baylee. Baylee is so sensitive and was so worried about what they would do to Avery. She was in tears most of the night too. Karen was nice enough to come and pick Baylee up so that she didn't have to suffer through any more!!

Here are some pictures after we got home...

Last night after we got home from the hospital

It's hard to tell in the pictures, but she is bruised up into her hair line as well as above her left eye.

She's been really tough so far and has even been letting me clean it.

Avery's new bike!

2009-05-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

One of our neighbors just gave Avery this cute little bike. She has been dying to have a real bike of her own, but we were hoping to wait until her birthday. Luck for her, our neighbors were getting rid of this bike but decided to give it to her instead. She looks so big riding a bike and is already wanting a bigger one!

Soccer Pictures...Finally!

2009-05-21T09:03:00.001-07:00

Now that soccer is over I actually have some pictures to post. At her last game her coach bought each of the girls a soccer ball that they could color and sign. They LOVED it!! She had a fun time this year was actually aggressive. She scored about 3 goals every game and had a blast with the girls on her team.

Cute pictures of the kids

2009-05-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pictures of the kids at the Kangaroo Zoo. They can't ever get enough of that place. But this time we went with Steph and the boys and all Avery could talk about was holding baby Walker. So...he finally woke up and then the Kangaroo Zoo wasn't all that fun anymore.

T Ball has started

2009-05-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Baylee has started Soccer and T Ball again. I've obviously been slacking on the soccer pictures, but here are some from the last T Ball game.

My newest craft

2009-05-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Heather and her friend, I have just learned how to make these watch bands. This is my first one and I am so anxious to make some more!!

Early Mother's Day Present

2009-05-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

So...my wonderful husband decided to give me a Mother's Day present early this year. He bought me a new couch and chair for the family room!! I am so excited!!! We have waited a long time to make the purchase because we were convinced that the kids would just destroy it. It looks like it's leather, but it's actually microfiber so it should clean up really easy, not to mention durable.

I just love it...thanks Dave!

Favorite Easter Pictures

2009-04-13T20:02:00.001-07:00

Here are some of our favorite pictures from Easter this year. One day we might get an entire family picture taken!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

On Easter we had Stephanie and Ryan's families up for dinner. Jonathan was also here this year, along with Fran's parents so we had a full house. After dinner we, of course, had another easter egg hunt! You can't have too many of those.

Here are some pictures through out the day...in no particular order!

Most of the cousins...we miss you Owen!

Finding the eggs...

Here are some pictures before we left for church

Easter morning...

Yes, Avery has her eyes closed AGAIN!

Our first pet

2009-04-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

That's right...I said it! Ever since Avery "won" her precious goldfish at the carnival today, Baylee hasn't been able to stop talking about it. I actually thought that it wasn't going to survive all the shaking around, but it did make it home with us. Dave, of course, took her right to the pet store and bought her a fish bowl, rocks, a pretty little bush, and another goldfish friend so they could each have one! As you all know, I have been protesting pets for quite some time now. Although it is only a goldfish it still qualifies as a pet...and for that, my girls are thrilled!!

Dying Easter Eggs

2009-04-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

I forgot to take pictures of the actual dying process, so here are some pictures of the girls decorating every inch of their eggs with stickers.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-11T19:10:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the easter egg hunt/carnival at Wheeler Farms. This is becoming a little tradition with my brother and sister. The kids had a great time...and got lots of fun treats!

Of course Avery was afraid of the Easter Bunny so she wouldn't look at the camera...she had to keep an eye on him.

Dave helped the kids climb a tree, but unfortuantely I was helping to hold all 4 of them on and didn't get a picture that included Wyatt.

You can't go to Wheeler Farms without feeding the ducks

Avery even got her face painted. If you can't tell...it's a flower!

The highlight of the day was that Avery won a real goldfish at one of the carnival booths!!

Easter Activities

2009-04-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

The easter activities have begun...

We had a fun day at Marisa's house with friends/cousins making cookies and painting easter eggs. The kids have so much fun when they get together, and luckily we left Marisa's house in one piece! Thanks again for the fun day!!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day this year was so much fun!! We decided to get some of the "cousins" together and have a St. Patrick's Day party. We started off with a scavenger hunt that led us from our house, to the golf course, to Aunt Michele's, to the park, to Kira's and finally to Grandma Great's. This is where they found their "treasures" and then we had a green lunch complete with shamrock shaped grilled cheese, green jello jigglers, green pears and green punch. Who could ask for a better day!!! The kids had a blast and have lots of fun memories. Thanks to everyone who helped coordinate all the activities!!!

Baylee's Birthday Party

2009-03-23T08:17:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is so late, but we wanted to say "thank you" to all the friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and "greats" that sent Baylee birthday wishes. She had a great birthday...and is still talking about it. We took some of the neighborhood kids, along with the cousins, to Chuck E. Cheese's. They had a blast, but unfortunately I forgot my camera so I didn't get any good pictures.

Hopefully you can tell by her expression in the pictures that she loved all her presents. THANK YOU!!!

Happy Birthday Boo!!

2009-03-12T07:54:00.001-07:00

What can I say about little miss Baylee...I love her so much! Today she turns 6 years old and I don't know where the time has gone. She is growing up so fast, I wish I could slow it all down. Baylee is mom's little helper, Avery's protector (and second mother), and Daddy's little girl. Dave and Baylee have a special bond, no matter what he does...she thinks he is amazing.

She is such a special girl, so sweet and extremely sensitive...I don't know where she gets that from. She has the biggest heart and would do anything for you. She considers everyone her friend and is a joy to be around. I remember right after she was born wondering why I was so lucky to have this sweet litte baby girl in my life!! She teaches me every day how to be a better mother and friend, and will always be thankful for this.

We love you Baylee...Happy Birthday!!!

The eastern caribbean...

2009-03-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun on our cruise...words cannot explain. I felt like we were taking pictures the whole time, but when we got home it seems like we didn't get enough. We actually didn't get any pictures of the ship itself...which was incredible. They had a huge movie screen out by one of the pools so during the day you could lay by the pool and watch a movie at the same time. Then, at night they played a movie ("movies under the stars") which was one of our favorite things to do.

One thing that I learned about going on a cruise by yourself is that you don't have anyone to take pictures of you together. As you can see...I was the photographer most of the time.

The weather was perfect, with the exception of a few windy days at sea, but overall we couldn't ask for anything better.

Dave on the ship before we left Ft. Lauderdale

Dave in Coyaba gardens in Jamaica

more pictures in the gardens...

bad picture, but someone offered to take one of the two of us so we couldn't pass it up.

Dave took off his shoes and walked out into the waterfall. What you can't see is that right over the edge it drops down about 100 feet!!

Pictures at Dunn's River Falls

This river runs right out to the ocean...it's beautiful!

This picture was taken moments before the huge down pour that lasted about 30 minutes and soaked us from head to toe.

Dave on the boat ride out to Stingray City in Grand Cayman. This was the most memorable part of the trip. We actually took a 45 minute boat ride out to a place called Stingray City where hundreds of stingrays let you swim, touch, hold, and feed them. Hopefully, we have some pretty awesome pictures on the water camera that has yet to be developed. We had such a blast and were amazed at these 6 foot stingrays that were so gentle and kind. They are wild stingrays but have been around humans for years now and are very friendly.

Both of us on the boat

These pictures are from the boat after we got back in. You can see the shadows in the water but can't really tell how enormous they were.

Then we went to Cozumel and did some snorkeling but apparently forgot to take pictures. I know...lame!

Dave in the Bahamas. The Princess Cruise line owns their own island in the Bahamas called Princess Cays. It was the most relaxing day laying on the beach, playing sand volleyball and swimming in the ocean. The water was amazing!!! At this point we missed the girls TONS, but didn't want to come home...we just wanted them to come to us.

This is one of our favorite pictures from the trip!!

Hopefully you can tell that we had the time of our life. We are so thankful that Ron and Linda could come out and watch the girls so that we could enjoy this time away.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T15:36:00.001-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Of course, the girls got valentine's day shirts so I had to get a few pictures of them. It's so hard to say no when Baylee looks at me and says "we look so cute...you should take our picture!"

Dave had to work Saturday morning, as usual, but when he came home he had some beautiful flowers for me. I decided to post some pictures since this is VERY rare that Dave buys flowers.

After the morning activities, and shoveling the driveway twice, we headed down to Ryan and Nina's for Ellie's birthday party. I didn't get many pictures but here are some good ones.

Baylee reading to the kids...

Opening presents

Valentine Treats

2009-02-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

As promised...here are the Valentine's (crafts) that Baylee and Avery made for their friends and cousins this year. After they completed the bead heart we tied it onto the sugar cookies that they had decorated. They had a lot of fun picking out a pattern that they thought their friends and cousins would like the very best. These girls are so much fun, and I am loving staying home with them!!!

Cookies...Again

2009-02-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Kira working on her "rainbow cookie" and Baylee was so amazed!

Avery doing what she does best...eating the icing.

Cute Girls!!

My girls love to decorate sugar cookies...for any occasion! These are Avery's favorite cookies to eat, but Baylee doesn't really care for them. The both love to decorate and make a huge mess with the frosting and decorations.

Today we had Kira, Kayleigh, Cayden, River, Marisa, Cressida and Jackson over for the big activity. It's so much fun for the kids to get together...we're lucky to live so close. Here are a few pictures of the little ones at work!

Valentine's Fun

2009-02-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

We are so anxious for winter to be over. The girls are going stir crazy so I decided that I better gets some crafts for them to work on during the day to keep them entertained. Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, they have been working hard on making their Valentine presents. These are some pictures of the ceramic hearts that they painted. They actually did a great job and it was so much easier to clean up than I expected. I made them wear old clothes just in case they got dirty so don't pay attention to the outfits and messy hair...they're still cute! Lots more craft pictures to come...Stay Tuned!

A few random pictures

2009-01-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random pictures from the past few weeks.

We went to Chuck E Cheese, but Avery wasn't brave enough to stand next to him to get a picture.

Avery has been asking me lately to blow dry and iron her hair. It turned out cute, but it's just so much more work than throwing some gel in it.

Bryn Bateman Headbands

2008-12-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

So...my cousin, Bryn, makes these adorable little headbands for adults and kids that also function as ear warmers. I, of course, had to get some and we love them!!! The girls were so excited to wear them, and I think Avery even fell asleep last night wearing hers. And then the first thing she asked for this morning was her "hebab".

Cute Girls!!

2008-12-28T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few cute pictures of the girls in some of their new Christmas clothes! Avery is loving the "pretty skirts" these days. Once I put them on I can't get them off...she is so funny.

Christmas

2008-12-28T19:18:00.001-08:00

Avery had some pretty crazy hair on Christmas morning but didn't want to slow down long enough to get it fixed!

Walkie Talkies from Grammy and Papa

Finally...That stinking purse she has been wanting - along with the cell phone. Thanks again Grammy and Papa!

The 2 wheeled scooter from Grandma and Grandpa Sanders

The girls...and all their STUFF!!

Sorry for the delay in getting the Christmas pictures posted. We had a great Christmas!!! Santa was definitely good to us this year. We stayed home for Christmas which is kind of bitter sweet. It's nice not having to travel and figure out the present situation, but then it's really hard not being with your family either.

We did get to spend Christmas Eve with Steph, Fran and Wyatt. We went to eat and then watched the Christmas story on DVD. The kids then opened their pajamas from Grammy and Papa. Fran tried to get a few pictures of the kids but they (I mean Wyatt) were pretty wound up!!

Christmas morning was really exciting for the girls. They were both really into Christmas and the whole idea of Santa this year. They got some really fun toys that they are anxious to use if this snow will ever go away!

Later in the day we went down to Steph and Fran's house and then went over to Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's for dinner.

We definitely missed family that we didn't see on Christmas and want you to know how much we love you all.

Christmas Sunday

2008-12-21T14:01:00.001-08:00

We tried to get a few pictures of the girls before we hurried off to church today. Avery wasn't too cooperative. She was too worried about her "pretty skirt" to sit still for a few pictures. This was the best we could do.

Merry Christmas!!

The first snowfall

2008-12-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today we had our ward Christmas Party with Santa. When we came home we actually had snow on the ground. The girls were so anxious to play in it...they thought it was fun helping Dave shovel the driveway. He then helped them build a snowman.

Avery knocked the first head off so they had to build another one.

Then, for fun, Dave lit a lost firework (left over from the 4th of July) off the head of the snowman. The kids loved it!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-12-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Elina, Baylee and Avery

Wyatt, Elina, Baylee, Avery
Owen and Tyler

Since my parents and Emily and Owen were in town we decided to take a family trip down to temple square to look at the lights. The weather has been great this year so we were actually able to enjoy our time walking around. We go see the lights every year but it was nice to go early before all of the holiday events begin.

One tooth down

2008-11-10T16:01:00.001-08:00

Well, it has begun...Baylee has lost her first tooth. Her friends have been loosing teeth so she has been so anxious for her turn. She's been telling me for months that she thinks she has a loose tooth but I haven't taken her seriously until the other day. I actually looked in her mouth and she really did have a loose tooth!! Now...if you loose a tooth at school the kids get a "cool" tooth necklace. So, she has been waiting and wiggling the hardest while she is at school, but...no luck. Tonight she asked me to look at it cause she said that it felt like it was "barely hangin' on". I looked in her mouth and it was completely sideways so I wiggled it gently and then gave it a little tug and out it came. She didn't even notice until I showed her that it came out. She has been bouncing off the walls and wants to tell everyone about it so we took a few pictures to share!!

More Halloween Activities...

2008-11-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking and haven't posted anything about the rest of the halloween activities we had planned for the kids. We carved pumpkins, went to Steph's house to decorate cookies and make carmel apples. Avery spent the whole night licking the icing off of the same cookie...and loved it! Uncle Jon was there and the kids always love to see Johnny!! We tried our hardest to get a picture of Jon with all the kids. Then, of course, we went trick or treating at Lakeview as well as the neighborhood. Yeah...they have way too much candy. Avery did a great job this year. She is the kid that always wants to be carried everywhere she goes. BUT, when candy was being passed out she willingly walked up to the doors. Once her bucket got too heavy she decided to ride in the stroller...cause there was no way she was taking any of the candy out! Baylee is such a good sister and helped her along the way...even though she really wanted to run and leave her behind.

We had such a fun time this Halloween. Hopefully they'll all be this much fun!

At Steph's house...

Notice the huge lick right down the middle of the cookie!

Such a perfectionist...I don't know where she gets it from.

Ave still working on that darn cookie!

Carving pumpkins...

Ave didn't necessarily like the feel of the "guts"

Baylee couldn't get enough...

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

We also went to the ward's Trunk Or Treat. The girls already have TONS of Halloween candy. I can't believe we're going to take them out to collect more...

Baylee has been so excited for her Nurse costume. She picked it out of all the costumes online and hasn't stopped talking about it. The best part of the costume is the fact that she gets to carry around a clipboard...Go figure! She loves it though, and it's definitely not a costume that all the other kids are wearing.

Trick or Treating at the Zoo

2008-10-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Steph and I, at the last minute, took the kids to the Zoo to go trick or treating. It was definitely crowded, so we're glad we got there early. My girls weren't feeling too good...the good part was that Avery actually wanted to sit in her stroller. We had a fun time...crowds and all.

I've been Tagged...

2008-10-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

This was a hard one for me, because who really wants to confess all the strange things about yourself.

Here goes...
1. I am very picky about my meat. I especially don't like to eat meat off the bone. I will go to great lengths so that I don't have to look at it or touch it, including paying a much higher price at the grocery store.

2. I love the smell of gas. I am one that likes to get out of the car at the gas station so that I can smell it. I also like the smell of nail salons. Most people can't stand it, but I happen to like it.

3. I love to shop!!! I especially love to shop for bags. Sometimes Dave wants to kill me when he finds out how much I have spent at Sam Moons on BAGS!!! My mom and sisters are very supportive of this hobby though...

4. I have a nervous cleaning habit. When I first quit my job I found myself cleaning my house every day because I needed to stay extremely busy. When people come over I will often find myself walking around picking up cups, garbage and putting things away. I am sure this comes across as rude but I definitely don't mean for it to be. It's hard for me to just relax when people come over because I don't want it to look messy.

5. My other bad habit is picking at things. I used to pick at the skin on my thumbs when I played sports, and now it just seems like I pick for no reason at all. AND...I love to peel dead skin after a sunburn. What can I say...I'm a picker!!!

6. I like everything organized in a particular way. I don't like people messing with my "system". Once I put something in a certain place I don't want it moved or messed with. Sometimes it can be very difficult living with me...

7. I have an obsession with finding new recipies...Just ask Karen. I love finding different things to cook cause I get bored with the same old things all the time. I spend a lot of time on the internet searching for them and then can't help but share the good news!!

Now that you know all the "weird" things about me I will tag:
Emily, Nina, Shannon, Kira, Marisa and Tessa.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-22T10:20:00.001-07:00

It was a busy day for the Sanders girls. Not only did we go to see the witches, we also went to the pumpkin patch. Baylee has been asking to go for weeks now, so we finally did it. It was pretty cold but they had a blast anyway. We went through the corn maze and then on a hay ride out into the farm where we got out and picked our own pumpkins. Baylee picked the biggest, heaviest pumpkins she could find!

Gardner Village

2008-10-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

We went down to Gardner Village yesterday to see all the witches on display. I thought Avery would be scared, but she actually liked finding the different witches. Baylee, of course, had no problems at all.

Then we went on the pony ride and to the petting zoo. We all know that Avery isn't too fond of any sort of animal, but she did great! She even picked a pony that she wanted to ride. She sat there for a minute, let me take her picture but then the pony moved it's head and the tears started rolling. They let me walk beside her so I could hold her hand and this seemed to make it alright. The petting zoo was a different story. She didn't want much to do with the animals, in fact, she ran away from them if they got too close. Baby steps...right. I did convince her to pet the pig though.

Overall...it was a great day!!! Thanks Kira!

Yellowstone

2008-10-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

We went up to Zach and Karen's cabin in Island Park for the weekend and decided to take some time to go into Yellowstone. We stopped to have lunch with the local herd of Elk. My kids are pretty much afraid when animals get too close so I was lucky to get a few pictures with them smiling. Here are some pictures from the trip...

New Shirts

2008-10-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Grammy sent the girls some new halloween shirts and they have been dying to wear them. I've been telling them that they can't wear them so that they will look nice for halloween. Then I realized that if I make them wait then they will only be able to wear them once...and I'm famous for that. So...I gave in. Here are the darling little things. Thanks Grammy and Papa!!! We love you!!!

Halloween Cookies

2008-10-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Avery decided it was more fun to just eat the icing.

The first cookies...

It's about time that I did something fun with the kids. It seems like we do the same things over and over again, so...since it's Halloween we decorated cookies today. Kameron came over and helped the girls out. They had a blast and Avery was giggling the entire time. I think she thought it was pretty funny that she could make a huge mess and didn't even get in trouble. It was alot of fun. We will definitely do it again.

Nothing new...

2008-10-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to report from the Sander's home. We haven't been doing too many exciting things lately, but I know it's been a long time since my last post. The only thing I have to share are a couple pictures from the Zoo a few weeks ago.

Another day at the lake

2008-09-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

The little kids playing in the sand.

Dave teaching Avery how to build her first sand castle.

Dave and Wyatt on the tube.

Dave on the tube

Dave on the wakeboard

Wyatt digging in the sand.

Avery digging in the sand.

We spent a day at the lake with the Sparks, Piercys and Steph and Wyatt. It was a cool, windy day so we didn't get to spend as much time in the water as we did in the sand. We had a fun day though and the kids were definitely tired when we left.

Life is good...

2008-09-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

I can't complain...Life is good!! I have officially become a "stay at home mom". This is something that we have hoped to be able to do for a long time and finally things fell into place. The business has been extremely blessed so Dave (not me) thought that it was time to take the leap of faith. If we didn't just set a date then it would be a lot harder, and we would find more reasons for me to continue working. So...needless to say, it was quick decision.

With Baylee starting school it has been especially nice to not have to worry about who is taking her and who it picking her up...and wondering if she was going to be picked up at all. At first she would ask me "who is picking me up today". Finally she asked "do you get to pick me up every day?" It is actually sinking in that I am not going back to work any time soon. She is so excited when she comes home from school and wants to tell me everything that happened in the few hours that she was there. If I was working I wouldn't realize how special this time is to talk about what she did and who she is meeting and becoming friends with. It's amazing to see how much her response changes when Dave asks her how school was. She still tells her was she learned but it isn't with the same excitement. I just feel extremely lucky to be able to spend this time with her.

Avery misses Baylee so much when she goes to school. She cries EVERY DAY!! I keep thinking that she will get used to it, but my luck it will be right around the time she goes off track. I love the few hours that I get to be with Avery all by myself. She is trying to hard to communicate with me and I am picking up on the words that she tries to say. Sometimes they don't sound like English but we're working on it...and that makes me feel a whole lot better. Avery actually likes to sit on my lap and look at everyone's blogs. She is learning names from the pictutes that are posted and loves to look at pictures of Baylee and from the lake. She is getting big so fast...she's got to slow down soon. She is starting to wear some of Baylee's old clothes that, I swear, Baylee just barely grew out of. Time flies!!!

It was a harder transition than I thought it would be...since I have always wanted to stay home. Lakeview was a GREAT place to work though. They were so accommodating to my needs and my families needs. I never had to feel bad about putting my family before my work. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a job. I made a lot of great friends there and know that I'll be keeping in touch.

Playing at the Park

2008-09-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures from our day at Discovery Park. The kids had a fun time running through the HUGE play area.

Our day at the Lake

2008-09-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

We also went to the lake to do a little tubing and wakeboarding when my Mom and Dad were here. I was actually able to get up on the wakeboard so it was a successful day for me!! The kids had fun just playing in the sand.

Avery's Gymnastics skills...

2008-09-02T18:02:00.001-07:00

Our Little Soccer Player

2008-09-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Does she look like a soccer player...or what!!!

Soccer

2008-09-02T17:56:00.001-07:00

As you can all tell...I am a fan of the collage. It makes blogging so much faster.

So, as you can see, Baylee has started her first year of soccer. My Mom, Dad, Emily and Jonathan were all able to be here for her very first game. It was pretty intense. They "practice" for the first 30 minutes and then play a "game" the last 30 minutes. There are only 4 girls on the team, which is good since they only play 3 on 3.
She did a great job for her first game and had a lot of fun!!

ABC song

2008-08-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was trying to figure out the video aspect of my camera this morning and decided to try it out on Avery. She has this little toy that plays the Alphabet song and she walks around singing with the toy to her ear. She got a little camera shy though, so this was the best I could get. She knows the general rythm of the song and if you listen carefully you might even make out some letters!!

New Boat...at least for us!

2008-08-16T10:58:00.001-07:00

I know...

2008-08-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

I was bored at work this morning so I decided to change my blog background. Now my header and background don't match...it's such a pain sometimes.

1st Day of Kindergarten

2008-08-11T15:28:00.001-07:00

Today was Baylee's first day of Kindergarten. They asked the parents to stay with the kids for the first day so that it wouldn't be as "scary" for them, and also to give the parents a chance to learn about what to expect in this first year of school. I have to admit...It was nice to be able to stay with her and watch how excited she was to feel like a big kid. Although this was the first day, she doesn't have class for the rest of the week so that the teachers can do "kindergarten testing" with each of the kids. She will start her first full week of class next week.

As we were walking back to the car she informed me that I can keep walking her in to school, but just until she learned where her class was and then she can do it by herself. Only one day down and already she is trying to get rid of me!!!

I am so proud of her. She is going to have a great time and will learn a ton. She is such a smart girl and so well behaved...we have nothing to worry about...right???

Moose Hollow Lodge

2008-08-11T15:08:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our most recent trip with Steph and Ryan's families. We went up to Moose Hollow Lodge for a couple of days and spent a little time at the pool, had a "water day" at the lake and had a "chuckwagon" dinner with games for everyone. There were too many pictures to post individually...but you get the point!

Avery's 2nd Birthday

2008-08-05T20:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Avery...

We had a little birthday party for Avery on Sunday. Grandma and Grandpa Johnson, Steph, Fran and Wyatt were able to come over for dinner and then the Sparks joined us for cake and ice cream.

Avery has started talking so much more in the last couple weeks and is starting to show quite the little personality. At her 2 year appointment we discovered that she has hit a growth spurt and jumped off the charts for her height. Her doctor says that she is about 5 inches taller than the growth curve she's been following. I am sure she'll slow down soon but she is much taller than Baylee was at 2.

As she is getting older she is starting to grasp the concept of "presents." She had the funniest reactions to her presents...it was fun to watch.

She is such a sweet heart...We love her so much!!!

More Mammoth Pictures

2008-07-27T19:40:00.001-07:00

Mammoth Trip

2008-07-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

We made it to Mammoth this year with Dave's family for the 24th of July. We all had a fun time...with the exception of the long drive. We swam, played tennis, hiked, shopped, rode the gondola and the boys, of course, golfed and went fishing. Baylee braved the fishing trip with Dave and had a blast. She even caught a "keeper fish" as she would say. There were too many pictures to upload so we'll see if I can get this collage to work.

4th of July and Wyatt's Birthday Party

2008-07-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Baylee posing while she jumps in the pool.

Wyatt got a baseball Tee for his birthday and the kids loved it.

Baylee has been practicing swimming and is doing a great job!!

Avery jumping off the diving board

Baylee was even brave enough to jump off!!

As promised...Here are the pictures that Baylee took at the party

4th of July Parade

2008-07-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

I guess it is now tradition that we go to the Clearfield City 4th of July Parade. The girls loved it when they would throw candy. Avery was a little slow getting the hang of it, but by the end she was a pro!!

Happy Birthday to Wyatt...

2008-07-11T14:00:00.001-07:00

We went to the water park for Wyatt's second birthday party. The kids had so much fun. Of course the two dare devils, Wyatt and Avery, had no problems with the "big slides". Baylee came around and decided that it was actually pretty fun. They also had a big blow up "slip and slide" that was a pretty big hit.

Avery "jumpin' off the board"

2008-07-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

Avery and Wyatt just can't get enough of the diving board. Here are some pictures from the 4th of July.

The Girls

2008-06-30T11:03:00.001-07:00

Fran took these pictures of Baylee and Avery a few months ago, but I just keep forgetting to post them.