Emma Ella and Kate

Girls Trip to Cali

2011-10-11T05:34:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, my sister, sister-in-law, and mom went to LA to visit Hailey. We had such an amazing time. All we did was eat, laugh, shop...and eat some more and shop some more. Some of the highlights were watching Sam play soccer (cutest thing ever), sleeping in, shopping at Camario, Additional 25% of at Anthropologie, Sprinkle cupcakes, and watching FlashDance:)

Potty Trained

2011-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have to share my news today...no I'm not pregnant:) Kate woke up yesterday and decided she was done with diapers. Without going maybe once or twice before, she has been completely potty trained for 2 days. I've decided that kids just have a mind of their own, and when they are ready, they are ready. YEA! No more diapers!

Halloween is almost rained out

2010-10-31T10:06:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun Halloween. We had so many parties this year! By the time Halloween came I was all Halloween-ed out. My girls were still so excited to trick or treat. After we carved pumpkins and it was time to go, it started to pour and pour. Chris got the beach umbrella out and they headed out into the rain. They only lasted about 45 minutes. We ended up watching scooby doo instead.I couldn't get Kate to smile. She screamed to get her Zoe costume on...but when she heard treats were involved she was all ready to go. Although it was pouring rain, she could have gone forever getting treats. She only got 3 treats, yet she thought she'd died and gone to heaven.
The girls begged and begged for Chris to dress up. He didn't for our party, so they were pretty disappointed. Then out of the blue he walked out in this costume. Pretty sad it really isn't a costume. Its really what he wears to down hill bike. The girls didn't care, although Ella wasa really hoping for Mario Brothers.
Emma was a pirate. For some reason she really likes the dark side of dressing up. Ella was a pink unicorn. We went through a lot to get this costume. It is the thickest costume you've ever seen. She definitely didn't get cold.
We did our annual carving pumpkins. I was sick so I watched. Emma's I think won for the most creative. Hers has a pony tail.
We had a lot of fun picking out our pumpkins. I decided to get the smallest one I could find...this means less work:)

Mystery Dinner

2010-10-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows, Halloween is my most favorite time of year. This year I wanted to do something different for our Halloween Party. I decided to host Mystery dinner for the kids. We had such a blast. It was such a great memory that I will always remember.You can barely see Meg back there. She wore her wedding dress....yes, it still fits, although she had to change half way through the party.
This was the hit of the whole night. My dad dressed up as Frankenstein. It was hularious. He even wore ski boots. He ended up hosting the dinner. It was perfect...something the kids will never forget.
For some reason the kids love the mummy game. Jack and I tied.

The kids loved the dinner. They were a little hestitant not knowing what all the food was. No one would touch the vomit.
Nanny was also was a hostess. She really played up the part. She should have gone into acting.
I never knew Frankenstein had a cell phone.
Does Kate look happy or what! She finally got to wear her Zoe costume. She actually wore it most of the night. SHe was absolutely terrified of my dad.

Sammy T has come and gone

2010-09-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sammy T the clown finally arrived today at Ella's 5th birthday. It has been a greatly anticipated day to say the least. We've been counting backwards for 45 days. There's nothing quite like birthdays when it comes to Ella's birthdays. We through her a circus party. The highlight of the day was when Ella heard that Sammy T arrived. She was in the back yard and you've never seen a little girl run so fast. Once she saw him she was a little taken back...
Ella was the star of the show

Ella got her first "real" bike as Chris would put it. She will finally be able to keep up with her dad.
Ella has been dying to turn 5 show she could get her first real American girl doll. Her nanny gave her the table and chairs to match. Tonight they are watching the movie Kit after her doll.
On THursday we took Ella and Emma to see Lion King. It was such a special night. Stella and Lara were there who also have birthdays today.

WHAT A BIRTHDAY! Good thing they only come once a year or else I'd be broke and ran into the ground:) IT was all worth it.

New York

2010-09-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

I just got back from New York. It was the dream "girls trip" vacation. I went with my mother in law, Kristy, and my 2 sister-in laws, Lara Kaitlin. We really had the time of our livesSince all we did was shop, we did try to fit in one day of sight seeing. It was by far our most exhausting day. We saw the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State building, the temple, Juliard, and Central Park. Our very least favorite was the empire state building. Granted it was 10:00 at night when we went, we felt like we were in line for a ride at Disney Land, only to get the front of line and find out there is no ride! We did have a lot of laughs!
This was by far my favorite night...seeing Wicked. We had the best tickets. It was the most amazing play. We also saw "In the HEights" which was fun as well.
This was our most favorite store to shop:) We each got something at Tiffany's....the cheapest item in the store. Probably the one and only time will see a little blue box.
There is nothing like Times Square. It was like seeing Las Vegas for the first time.

Lara and I just about died when we saw the Swatch store. It brought back our childhood. We each got a Swatch watch.
We didn't get to go see David Letterman. We were too late.
The Subway was our main source of transportations. Lara was our subway guide. We only got lost once.
We all went off our diets and we ate and ate and ate. This was my all time favorite thing we ate. It was a frozen Hot chocolate from Serendipity.

We also saw the US Open. We got see Venus Williams and Nadal. IT was such a cool experience. We had a hard time keeping Kaits eyes off Nadal!

If my in laws are reading this I want them to know how thankful I am that they invited me on this trip. I really had the time of my life. It will be a memory I'll never forget. I can't wait for our next girls trip!

Fun Lake pictures

2010-08-26T19:21:00.001-07:00

Kristy and Tristan came to Lake powell with us. Kristy's food was the hit! We loved having them with us. It brought back a lot of good memories.
This is probably my most favorite picture. Seeing my dad on the banana. I think he secretly loves the lake, especially the banana. I haven't seen him have that much fun in a long time.
We loved having Sam and Hailey at Lake Powell. Sam found his new love...chips. Forget the tomatoes and avacados!
Kater bugs got to ride the tube. She cried to get off.

This was our favorite past time.
Kaits was such a great help. We loved having her around
Emma and Claire could have gone forever on the knee board. They thought they were pretty cool using no hands.

Does that not just look so uncomfortable! Kate was such a great sport.
I had to put this picture in. This just sums Kate up in one picture!

First day of school

2010-08-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Emma just started 2nd Grade. This year has been such an easier transition. Unfortunately my camera went dead when I went to drop off Ella to preschool. That's the story of my life.

Summer Fun

2010-07-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

We had a party for Sam at the park. Kate had a cupcake and it was the messiest cupcake I've ever seen. It was like chocolate glue or better yet, chocolate poop!
Ella's dance costume (which came a little small).
This year Ella started to acutally like soccer. She still liked to pose as she ran.
Ella has conquered the two wheel bike after many tears. A trip to Michaels finally helped her to get enough courage to do it.

Our Trip to Hawaii

2010-05-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to be invited by Chris' sister, Lara to go to Hawaii with them. I was on board from the minute she asked us to go. Chris and I always wanted to go back to Hawaii....alone. We were reluctant to take our girls, but it was the best decision we ever made. (I need to make it clear that we did not take Kate. I panicked the night before, but it turned out great.). We had the most incredible time. The girls had the time of their life swimming, swimming, and swimming. The place we stayed was incredible. It had a its own lagoon where you can snorkel without waves. It was absolutely beautiful. I've decided that if I could, I would live in Hawaii and visit Utah to see the snow. There's no where in the world I'd rather be.

The girls and the cousins were constantly looking for a chance to get their pictures taken.

There was nothing like the Hawaiian sunsets

The girls loved making sand castles
We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Chris wanted to "see the island". Our quick tour turned into a 3 hour drive. Atleast it was gorgeous scenery.
Cousins. The girls had so much fun with the boys.
This was my most favorite part of the trip...the shaved ice. They were to die for. Ella got to pick out a shirt from Hawaii and we walked out with this hat:)

Chris' new office

2010-03-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

Chris, my brother, and my dad finally opened their second office. What a process it was. They worked so incredibly hard over the last 2 years to have this happen. It turned out so nice. We had our open house and we had a great turn out. I want to thank every person that came to it to support these guys. We were truly humbled to see so many of our friends and family came. We are truly blessed to live where we do, and to have the family that we do.

Kate's Search for Sugar

2010-03-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

As many know, we've been having a difficult time getting Kate to eat healthy, let alone eat at all. I've never in my life seen a baby be able to detect sugar like she does. Its as if she has a detector in side of her that goes of the second sugar is in the room, even if its in the cupboards. If she even hears a package of cookies being open, she comes running. She doesn't even need to see what it is. I must make it clear that this ability she has is only with real sugar, and not natural sugar. We will place a wide variety of fruit in front of her, red strawberries, green kiwis, blueberries...and she won't touch it if her life depended on it. We even put mashed potatoes next to a cake, trying to sneak "frosting" mashed potatoes, and she will spit it out as fast as she can like she is ready to die. I did trick her today. I gave her a box of yogurt covered raisins. You should have seen her prance around like she was the coolest kid, as if I had given her a box of white candy.

SO.....Kate is on her first diet. She isn't allowed to have sugar.. (The girls think it is so funny to sneak her a dum dum).

A New Year

2010-01-09T12:51:00.001-08:00

Another new year. I know most people hate January, especially here in Utah, but I love it. I love to get rid of the Christmas decor and all of the clutter and get back to a normal routine. Chris and I had a wonderful Christmas. We've been so blessed this year, I can't complain. My grandma passed away before Christmas, which was really bitter sweet. We will miss her dearly. On a lighter note, I have to admit that I scored big this Christmas. On both sides Chris and I were given a group gift; one being a Bosch mixer and the other a toaster oven. Chris really lucked out to get such awesome presents! We spent Christmas night at our cabin. What a great memory...all because of the endless hours my dad spent hauling everything up there. Its something my kids will never forget. On Christmas eve Chris pulled the kids on a sled behind a four wheeler in our backyard. The kids loved it. The biggest news this year is that Chris and I stayed up until midnight on New years eve...something that rarely happens...and yes we stayed up till midnight playing games, some of our favorite past times. We are really proud of ourselves. Here are some pictures from our holiday. We went to Richfield to cut down a Christmas tree. What an adventure!

One highlight was taking Chris' grandma's to dinner.

The three babies, Sam, Kate, and Cooper, all born within 3 months of each other. We all felt so blessed to have Sam with us, after fighting his battle with Leukemia.

We took all the girls to see the Nutcracker.

Ella almost made it to the end. She fell asleep the last 10 minutes.

The girls got frilly p.j.s They aren't the cutest things, but the girls love them.

Family Pictures

2009-12-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is true. After 10 years of marriage Chris and I finally got our family pictures taken. It is a miracle. There's nothing we both hate more (sorry about my language). So here's the result!

Halloween

2009-10-31T17:14:00.001-07:00

My girls just left to go trick or treating. I wanted their grandmas and grandpas to see pictures of them so here they are. Emma is a vampire, Ella is tinkerbell and Kate is a lady bug.

This is at the pumpkin patch.

Kate loved to carve pumpkins with us. She tried to cut the pumpkins with a pretend knife and throw crayons into the pumpkins.

Right before it was time to go trick or treating Kate decided to grab "something" out of her diaper and spread it all over her body and crib. What a treat for mom!

Sam the fighter

2009-10-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

I had to post this picture of Sam. I can't believe how far this little guy has come! I can't also believe what this boy has gone through to survive. He is such a fighter. When I feel like I am having a bad day I look at him and realize my problems are pretty small.

Soccer, Harp, and Birthdays

2009-10-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest, there has not been anything real exciting to blog about in our family. Lately, no news is good news. Our entire family, except for myself and Ella has strep throat this weekend. That is as exciting as it gets. Somehow we always seem to catch what is going around. I am just waiting for my throat to start hurting.

Ella turned four. She could not understand why she couldn't have a friend's birthday party this year. She did get to go to kangaroo zoo, Cheesecake Factory with Stella and Lara, and have a family party. She had a Mermaid cake. She's already planned her next birthday.

Emma had her Book 1 Harp Recital on Sep. 13th. She did such a great job. She practiced so hard to be able to play her songs in front of her family. We were so proud of her. The hardest part was picking the dress. We went to three different stores, and every dress had something wrong with it. My mom started to laugh because I used to be the same way when it came to clothes. That night I called my mom and apologized for every single time I gave her a hard time about clothes. I guess what goes around comes around!

Soccer has ended. I can't believe how busy soccer can make your life. We tried once again to get Ella into soccer. Her favorite part was to run really fast with her arms while smiling at the crowd. We did get one or two kicks out of her this season. It makes me smile, while testing Chris' patience. Emma has found her passion. She loves soccer. She had to play against 3rd graders, which was a challenge. She arose to the challenge. She stuck with them the whole season. For some reason Emma is totally different on the soccer field than at home. She can get smacked in the face with the ball and it doesn't phase her. I wish it could be like this at home:)

Chris' new office finally got started after 9 months of a nightmare. It will be so nice to have it done.

Ella started harp lessons. It has been so much fun, but a challenge for mom to practice with 2 girls. It takes all of my patience to do this. Ella is all about the treats and prizes. A little bribery never hurts!

Kate is now standing and taking 1 step. She still prefers to crawl. She LOVES animals, especially dogs. She calls them boo woo's. I am amazed how many times she can watch Baby Einstein animals and not get sick of it. She went on her first boating trip and amazingly did okay with the suffocating life jacket.

School Has Started!

2009-08-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

This week Emma started 1st Grade and Ella started her 2nd of 3 years of pre-school. It has been an emotional week for us all (except for Ella, who was just "dying" to go to pre-school). It has been hard for mom to have Emma gone all day. I miss having her around. Emma is still trying to get used to school lunch and being at school all day. She loves her teachers and having 2 recesses. I've learned that life never stays the same!

Ella and her boyfriend, Boston. They got married the other day.

Emma and her friend showed up in the same outfit.

No Time to Blog

2009-08-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

It is crazy how fast time goes by without thinking about blogging. Hailey keeps reminding me that it has been a long time since I've updated my blog. This has been the strangest, hardest, most exhausting summer. Summer is my most favorite time of year, but for some reason I just want it to end and for a new season to come. Chris and I have been just fine, but others around us have had the most trying summers. From Sam being diagnosed with leukemia, my sister Meg having several collapsed lungs and surger, my brother David having surgery on his kidneys, my other brother moving to California, it has flipped our lives upside down. My mom kept saying, nothing else could possibly happen this summer, and then it does! I think we have jinxed ourselves. The thing I've learned from this summer is first, it is family that helps us get through anything; it is the way Heavenly Father reaches out and strengthens us. I've also learned that it is the small and simple things that makes life sweet, and might be the only sweet things to enjoy. I have had a few "sweet moments" the last month that have kept me going. Here they are:

Nothing makes me happier than kids dressing up. These kids always put a smaile on my face.

My dad being with Kate. He is magic with kids.

Another sweet day was one we got to leave the city and drive up Farmington Canyon with our little family. We had such a great time eating subways, making a fire, roasting marshmellows, and just talking. It was one of our favorite memories this summer.
Chris tried to teach Emma how to build a fire.

Emma and Ella are best buddies. Some day they will realize just how lucky they are to have each other.
Pickles are such a blessing. Kate was so fussy this day because of her teeth. The pickle did the trick to sooth her. I've never been so grateful for a pickle!

We went to the county fair. The only thing Ella wanted to do is ride this really fun baby train. You would of thought she had died and gone to heaven!

It was fun to be able to have their cousin, Ethan come with us to the fair. My girls had to dress up like cowgirls. They spent all day finding a cowgirl outfit, even if it meant wearing cowboy boot 2 sizes too small.

Some of our sweetest days are when Emma and I get to go be with Sam. Sam loves Emma. She just sits and plays with him for hours. I think he kind of has a crush on her. It makes Emma feel good.

We went with all our favorite friends for a sleepover at the cabin. They got to make hats, play outside, watch shoes, and of course, not sleep.

Team Sampson

2009-07-14T14:38:00.001-07:00

This has been THE summer of all summers. It has been one of the most trying summers in my family's life.

It all started as we found out the terrible, most awful news about our nephew and cousin, Sampson. As he reached his 1 year birthday he was diagnosed with Leukemia. We were all in shock, and devestated to say the least. Somehow he fought his way into this earth, coming 10 weeks early. I remember the summer days last year wondering if he was going to pull through, and of course he did! The months that followed we all fell in love with little Sammers. From his snort to his endless energy, he stole our hearts completely. As the news came, we new he had a new fight to fight, and he would do it, once again, with that sweet, brave spirit that he has always had. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride the last 4 weeks, and our faith has been tried, as well as lessons have been learned. First of all, Sam has the most resilient and amazing spirit. As I saw him in the hospital hooked up to 11 cords (yes 11) and with a fever of over 103, he would look up with his half smile, the kind of smile that said that everything would be okay. No matter what was hooked up to him he would struggle to keep playing and have fun, no matter what the circumstances are. I truly felt the presence of angels surrounding him, and undoubtedly I felt the presence of heaven so near him. It was such an unusual experience to be in; to be in such a place of suffering and pain, yet to feel heaven so close. The second lesson I've learned, comes from Sam's dad, "It is what it is." What incredible words these are. Nick and Hailey are such amazing examples to me. How easy it would have been for them to say, Why me, I can't believe this is happening to me. Instead they have looked to the future, not to the past; excepted the experience that has been given them, and have decided to fight. I will always look to those words as such words of wisdom. The last lesson learned so far... The only place to turn, is up. Heavenly Father and Christ are the only answers. The reoccuring thought keeps coming to me, God is all powerful and all knowing. He has all the power in the univers to help us. And Christ has suffered this experience as well as all experiences so he can succor us. I have felt like it is so important to try to keep a soft heart through all of this, even though it is not easy, then the Savior can bear our burdens. (I didn't want this to turn into a church talk, but my feelings are so on the surface.)

Through this whole experience my family has come together for one reason, and that is to love, support, and try to sustain Hailey, Nick and Sam. Meg formed our newest team, team Sampson. And that is truly what we are.

Meg and I found a UCLA store near the UCLA Hospital. We got all the cousins team hats and shirts. (The store owner loved us:)

The resilient Sam, still determined as ever to play. I knew those baby legs had a purpose!

My dad has been incredible. The day Sam started chemo and was so sick, he kept Sam asleep all day and pulled him through his fever. He definitely has the magic touch.

This is an unusual picture of Sam, holding still. I loved every minute of holding him.

Sam loved to play with his food (not especially eat it). This night we learned that he definitely hates jello!

We love you Sampson!

More Fourth of July

2009-07-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

I had to get a picture of Parker since he had fun snapping pictures of me on the boat:) I feel bad that at this moment Ella is getting Parker sick. I also had to get a picture of the the "bomb" that they created.

Special Invitation

2009-07-10T10:51:00.001-07:00

I wanted to specially invite my most favorite sister-in-law (on my side of the family), Merilee to join my blog. I would be honored if she will accept my invitation. I am sorry that it has taken me so long. I love you, Merilee!

Fourth of July

2009-07-09T19:34:00.001-07:00

This year marked our Family's 10th Fourth of July in Richfield. There is no where in the world like Richfield on the Fourth of July. We were especially excited to go to Richfield because we hadn't seen grandma and grandpa in awhile. They just finished the remodeling of their house, and it looks gorgeous. We started with an annual trip to the lake. Chris and I were itching to go water skiing. It had been way too long. We wanted to prove to ourselves that we are still young (which is getting harder and harder to do). It was hard to follow Parker, Michael, and Kaitlin, but we managed. This was the first time ever I was able to get up on a wake board (pretty sad). The girls had a blast tubing. Ella wouldn't get off the tube. The next day we started with Emma's 1 mile run. She did awesome, even with a side ache that "hurt so bad". We are proud of her for even trying. She crossed the finish line with her cousin, David. Chris and I tried to do the 5K. I still don't understand how I can run 3 to 4 times a week and Chris runs 3 to 4 times a year and he kills me. I don't get it. I was determined to stay with him. We finished in our record time, which I'd rather not publish:) We rushed to the parade, which was once again filled with lots and lots of candy and advertisements. The kids still love it. We did our annual Christensen shoe shopping (thanks to Tristan). Lara and I are always faced with the problem of finding our size. It pays to have small feet. Our fireworks were pretty grand (no thanks to my whippy fireworks). The brothers, I mean little boys, tried to blow things up again, not to much avail. We tried our snakes again, which Ella loved. I still can't get over how huge the fireworks are in Richfield. you can sit on your front porch and see a real firework show on every street. Unfortuneately we all got the flu the next day, which we are still trying to get over. Ella still thinks that the fireworks made her sick. Some of our greatest memories as a family happen in the small town of Richfield!

2009-07-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

I had to post this picture of Ella. I had to see her usual smile today because I have not seen it in five days. She has been "house ridden" for4 days now because of the flu. Her eyes have looked so sick this week. I have missed the mischevious, "I want to have fun" eyes that we see each day. She can't understand why she can't sneak out and go play with Mason or why she can't giggle in Kate's face. I have come to realize how much her smile means to me, and how her love of life keeps me going, not matter how I feel. I hope that tomorrow will bring back more "Ella smiles". (Tonight Ella prayed for everyone she could think of that is sick, but somehow she forgot to bless that she would get better. Kids are the best!)