Troy and I were getting ready to go to a Christmas Royal Lepage Party. Keston and Lesha were wanting to get in the picture as well!! Keston is so cute with Lesha!! He is usually quite the little gentleman towards her! Troy and I had fun at the party!

This year we for Christmas we decided to do a couple of different service projects. One of them was helping at the Lethbridge Food Bank. We took our whole family and Troy had a couple of his Young Men there too helping sort and stock the shelves full of the food that had been donated. Mason was quite the helper! He was sticking to the task and being a real help! Keston was a little shy with the circumstances. He would help me now and then when we were by ourselves away from the crowd a little bit. He was a big help too! Lesha was of course right in the middle of the action as well!! She was helping put bags in the garbage and sorting some cans that we would help her with. She was having lots of fun!
Troy had arranged everything with a employee named Mandy from the Food Bank. She was so grateful for the help! It was a really good experience for my family and for the Young Men as well!

A day at Riverstone Park

I am not even sure how I got this slideshow on here, but it finally worked. Anyway, this was just a fun day at a park that we drive to. We really like this park!! These pictures were taken in September 2008.

View Album

Get your own

Just so you know....

I am having difficulties trying to arrange my blog so that it is not so chaotic!! I keep playing with ways, but cannot get it the way I want!! Be patient...it will workout someday!!

Mallory's bridal shower

Micah, Mallory, and I at the shower! Micah was just about due to have baby Jack!! What a trooper!

I put together a bridal shower for Mallory with the help of Micah and Beth!! Thanks girls!! It was a lot of fun and I got to use the pink tissue paper balls again that I previously used for Lesha's first birthday! Mallory had lots of her friends show up and we all had a good time eating goodies and listening to Mallory tell us her detailed story of how she and Kam met and then got engaged!! I sent everyone home with a Purdy's chocolate in a little pink flower box! It was so much fun!

Lesha's dress was so cute! She hated it at first because of the different feel of it, but she got used to it...thank goodness!!

mason and keston in front of temple. they are so cute in their matching outfits!!

Mallory & Kam's wedding

This summer was practically completly dedicated to helping plan with Mallory and Kam's wedding. They only had a two month engagement, and Mallory was gone three weeks of that time!! It was fun and hectic planning this big event!! I was able to meet Kam last June, which was nice. He is a great guy, so I was of course happy to find out that she would be marrying him!! The wedding day went great! My mom wasn't there to help the day before the big day since she was in the hospital helping Micah who was in labour!! Baby Jack was born within 13 hours of the temple ceremony!!
The decorations and everything was really beautiful!! It made me want to have another wedding reception for Troy and I all over again! She had white with silver accents as her colors. Mallory made her own bouquet!! It was a good thing too since her flowers would have been demolished in the wind on her wedding day! It was really windy as you will see in some of the pictures....
Anyway, I am glad that Mallory could marry such a wonderful guy in the temple!! She married into a wonderful family too!! They are all so great!! I am so happy for you Mal!!

Our Backyard Flood!!!

All of a sudden a thunder storm hit Lethbridge and came pouring down!! Our backyard which is on a slope flooded quite quickly!! I think the maximum amount of water got to be about three feet high!! I have never seen our yard like that!! The water started coming through our basement doors. I guess the seal wasn't that great so it was just pouring in!! Troy and I tried to shovel the water away from the doors, but it was just too difficult to keep up to the water levels! We then went inside and had a system going with our shop vac and towels. We would fill up the shop vac in a few minutes and then Troy would run it to the bathroom and empty it in the tub while I would plug the leak with towels until he got back to use the shop vac again. Mason was even helping hold towels!! He was also helping keep Keston and Lesha occupied.
Happy Canada Day!!!

Rexburg, Idaho trip '08

My parents, Grayden, and I took a trip down to watch Mallory perform at a dancing show called, "Extravadance". I had never taken the trip down to Idaho to watch Mallory dance. She has been on the BYU-I dance team for three years now. It was about time that I go don't you think? Brenan and Beth travelled from Provo to come see her too. It was a lot of fun to see them too!! We went out to eat lots and did a little bit of shopping (there really isn't much there in Rexburg). We went to Deseret Book and Downeast Outfitters. Mom and I went to a little house decor store that was fun too, but that was all we really had time for anyway. We were only there from Friday, June 13th until Sunday, the 15th, which was Father's Day and Micah's 27th Birthday. We celebrated Micah's birthday on the Monday after we got back.
Oh! And the whole reason I was able to go was because Troy, my sweet husband, took care of our three kids for me! He had a little bit of help from his parents and sister, but he did a lot himself. I am so glad I could go without my kids!! Of course I missed them, but it was just a different kind of relaxing trip I couldn't have had if they were with me..... Mothers you understand don't you?!!
Well, Mallory did an amazing job at her performances! We went to both of them while we were there. I guess I am a little biased, but I really think she is the best on the team!! There are definitely other fantastic dancers, but Mallory has a gift where she is able to really connect with the audience. She is exact and purposeful in her movement and is such a dramatic and graceful dancer. Wow she is one talented girl!! It was so fun to be there live to see her perform! Love you Mal!!
We also got to meet Mallory's boyfriend, Kam, who is a great guy. We had a lot of fun over the few days we were there!! Thanks Mom and Dad for taking me with you!!

The Wiggles Concert

Right before Lesha's first birthday in April I took the boys to a Wiggles concert. Mason and Keston both loved it!! They had so much fun!! They were singing and doing the actions with the Wiggles! Mason even gave the red guy a "high five"!! We were on the front row on the side. It was pretty fun!!

Lesha's 1st Birthday!!

Lesha is one year old!! I can't believe it!! This past year has gone by so quickly!! It was definitely fun doing a little girl's birthday party!! I had Shelby help me with some of the decorations the day before. Thanks for the help as always Shelby!! We made seven tissue paper balls that turned out so adorable!! I made cupcakes and stained my fingers from the spray food coloring I used...ooops!! I made little rice krispie treats in the shape of flowers on sticks. They looked cute! We had dinner before with the family: Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt, Carmen, Grandma and Grandpa Klain, Dallin, Grayden, Micah, and Aric. I made beef on a bun and crab pasta salad.
We sang "Happy Birthday" to Lesha about fifty times yesterday!! She loved it though!! When it was time to eat a cupcake, she just played with it and would not eat any of it!! I guess it was just more fun to squish it between her fingers than to eat it!! She was laughing and rubbing it in her hair and on her tummy, since that was what Troy was motioning for her to do!! Good thing she was eating it naked!! Lesha had fun sharing her rice krispie treat with Uncle Grayden too!!
She opened up some presents...well, I actually did that part, but she liked to play with the toys she got when they were in front of her face. Grandma and Grandpa Klain gave her a soft lamb and a polka dot ball, Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt gave her a book, Auntie Carmen gave her a dress and sweater (size 2), and Auntie Micah and Uncle Aric gave her a cute wreath for her room. Micah new I loved that wreath and was so kind to give it to Lesha!! Mom and Dad gave her a new bracelet and a new pair of shoes to wear since she is walking all over the place!!
The Calgary Flames were playing in game seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that night, so we had people over for that too later!
It was fun to get together with family to celebrate my sweet little Lesha!! Happy Birthday Lesha!!

Us etc....

Troy is busy as always with real estate and loves it! He is definitely good at what he does and has a mind that never stops turning! There is always something "on the go" and I usually dont' keep up with it all!! He is also the Young Men's president in our ward. The youth love him obviously because he is such a "party" all of the time and a good example too! He is a big Calgary Flames hockey fan and loves to have "Flames parties" with lots of people! I hardly watch the games myself, but sometimes I will watch bits and pieces with him and the gang that are down in our basement! Most of the time, I can just figure out when the Flames have scored since I can hear them cheer way up on the top floor of my house!
Troy loves to go camping, ice fishing, quadding, shopping for new vehicles and electronics. Troy is a great dad and always makes time for our kids. He is so fun and everyone in the world, I think, loves him!
Now, about myself.... Ummmm.... Well, I am typing with a set of gel nails. I have bit my nails for years (disgusting I know) and have finally decided to really break the habit. I have been filling my nails for about a month and a half now. I love how they look, but they are expensive and time consuming. I am going to keep them for quite a while though so I completly break my embarassing habit.
I enjoy scrapbooking, which this blog is going to help me keep up with current events, so I can scrapbook them later. I wish I could do it more often, but it is difficult to find the time with three kids and a husband sometimes! I seem to always have something to catch up on before I can allow myself to sit down to scrapbook. I love to shop for the supplies though too!! In fact, that is almost as fun as the actual scrapbooking process! I have quite the collection of stuff and need to just use it now!
I like to quilt too. I made a pieced quilt for Keston and Lesha, and have a couple in the process of being done. I made some of those "rag time" quilts for Lesha which are quite a bit easier and quicker to make. I just found out that Micah, my sister, is having a baby boy, so hopefully I will be able to make a cute quilt for him from his auntie!! I am so excited for Micah to have a baby!! As is she!!
I love having a clean house and I have my amazing cousin, Shelby, coming twice a week to help me keep up with everything that needs to be done around my home!! I love her and don't know what I would do without her!! It is a win/win situation too! I need a helper and she needs a flexible job!! She is an excellent worker and my kids adore her!! Mason even mentioned her in his prayers the other night! Keston loves to show Shelby things he has done or loves it when she babysits him! Lesha will let her hold her even when I am in sight (this is an amazing thing!!)!! Shelby is such a thourough worker and even reads my mind and does things that I didn't even ask her to do! All I can say is she is going to make some man very happy one day!! Shelby is leaving at the end of the month to sell alarm systems for the summer. I am going to miss her like crazy, but she will be back in the fall so that is ok!

My kids

Mason is my oldest. He is five years old and is in preschool. He goes to Discovery Nursery School and loves it. His teacher is Mrs. Melina, who is great! She is so enthusiastic and happy all the time. She plays the guitar and sings with the kids on a daily basis. Great teachers really make me happy! Mason just finished gymnastics. He loved it and would always come out of his class sweating!! Next week Mason will be starting T-ball. He is really exc ited for that especially because Troy will be coaching! There was a need for more coaches because of the large amount of kids signed up to play. I think Troy will be good at it too!
Mason is my sweet little boy who loves to help me when I ask him to do things and even when I don't ask! He really is so thoughtful and cute!
Keston is three and a half years old and wants to be just like his older brother, Mason. Keston has grown...literally quite a lot lately! He wears size 4 clothes already and is almost as tall as Mason! His speech is getting better and better. After I took a course using the Target Word Program, he has dramatically improved!! Thank goodness! He still has some individual sounds he needs to work on, but our communication level is way better now!
Keston loves to play hockey, football, baseball, and wrestle with Mason on a daily basis!! He is quite the character and loves to make Troy and I laugh! Actually, he loves to help Lesha walk and gets her toys to play with a lot too. He is my sweet little boy who is growing way too fast!
Lesha is going to be 1 year old this month!! I can't believe it! She took her first steps at ten months and has been walking for about a few weeks now! It is so cute! She is quite independent too! She likes to walk with no help. She loves it when we clap for her! She has three teeth on the bottom and her hair has been growing a lot lately! She has adorable curls all over her head too!! I love it!
She still wakes up in the middle of the night, which is not very fun for me. She has never really taken a soother, like her brothers did, so she wants to drink a bottle when she wakes up. At least she goes straight back to sleep!
Lesha loves to feed herself! In fact, she won't let me spoon feed her anything anymore! I wish she would let me, but there is just no hope for that I am sure. She has learned to spit, which is a big mess, so we give her little pieces of everything she eats now.
Lesha's character is really starting to shine! She is growing up so fast! I love having my little girl! It is so fun for me!! She is also Daddy's little girl. Troy is so cute with her and Lesha loves him so much!! She loves her brother's too! No one can make her laugh like Mason and Keston can!! 100% belly laugh!!

Start Blogging!!

I have decided to finally start my own blog. I really didn't think I would want to, but it seems as though it will be quite convenient to type a quick entry rather than taking the time to write it down. Even though I will still probably do that! I am excited to start!