Funnies

Allie overheard me talking with Quinn on the phone the other day about his mom needing to come up to have her bridge fixed...she couldn't quite grasp the concept of a bridge in someone's mouth and after a lengthy explanation, I assumed she understood. Later that day when we were driving in the car, she leaned over to Layton and
said " Layton, guess what? Grandma ate a bridge!"

Sneak Preview

I finally got around to having Kate's two year old pictures taken and I'm so glad I did! My amazing friend, Katie, lives just around the corner and has a studio in her house( see more of Katie's awesome pictures by clicking on Katie Portraits on my sidebar)...she has such an amazing talent and captures the most precious moments. Here is a sneak preview of our sweet Kate....



Since I neglected to post this on her actual birthday, here are a few things I love about Kate..
* She is so happy when she wakes up in the morning and greets me with an excited squeal when I walk in the room.
* She loves her sisters and brother and often follows them around trying her best to be one of the "big kids".
* When she says "no" with a smile, it means yes. When she says "no" with a frown, it means no.
* She loves baby dolls, strollers, bottles, blankies, all things babies.
* When I'm getting dressed in the morning, she often walks in and tugs on my pantleg, and says " Tyute(cute), Mommy!"
* She adores her daddy...often preferring him, but most often stuck with me! Good thing I come in a close second!
We love you Kate

Super Mega Summer Post part deux

Summer's over already? Yup, it's officially the start of the new school year. And boy did we go out with a bang! Here's a tribute to the last month of our summer....

The kids loved taking swimming lessons at Heise Hot Springs, but their favorite was swimming with their dad after lessons were over.

The Mikesell Family Reunion was the first weekend in August. After a picnic in the park and a family softball game, we went to the Riot Zone in Rigby and had a blast on the climbing wall, the bumper boats, and the go-carts.





The second weekend in August was filled with another reunion...we met up with the Burtons for a fun-filled day at Lagoon! Believe it or not, my kids had never been there so it was a total blast for them. The kids played like they had never been apart! It was so fun to see them together again.


















Brenda up to her old tricks! Whatcha seein' in there Bren?






We also ran into a few other friends from Louisville completely by chance... Mike and Stephanie Cook and Alan and Jennie Davies were there as well! What a fun surprise! It was great to catch up with everyone.





The next morning, Quinn and I woke up at 3:30 AM and traveled to Provo to meet Brian and Brenda where we ran the Provo half marathon. It was our first and the Burton's second. Brenda's sister Amber and her husband also ran with us...I mean, ahead of us! I'm proud to admit that I brought up the rear! It was a fun race and even though we were stinky at the end, (some of us VERY stinky!) it was great to be together. Thanks Burtons!


Now fast forward a few days to reunion #3... The Herbst Family at Bear Lake.
The following are pictures from an awesome trip with my family.


Kate was thoroughly entertained with the sand..and her sunglasses! Allie was my waterbaby that day!
My cute mom and dad on the four-wheeler!
Poor Austin at the mercy of girl cousins!
Layton playing with the surprise sand digger that Grandma and Grandpa brought for each of the families! Thanks mom and dad!
Cute Colby riding his own 4-wheeler!




Our family at the Minnitonka Caves just outside of Bear Lake.



Now, here we are. It's the first day of school, the bus has just arrived home, it's time to breathe that sigh of relief...then jump right into piano, dance, gymnastics...and the list goes on.....Is there any rest for the weary?

Tagged!!

Thanks Becca!

Ten Years Ago:
1. I was 19 and had been married for six months.
2. I worked as a Dental Assistant for Dr. Transtrum.
3. We had just purchased our first home that was only about 800 square feet and $400 a month! (wow)
4. I was second counselor in the Primary Presidency in our ward.
5. We were in the thick of firesides with Bro. Glenn Rawson sometimes doing two or three a week.

Today's to do list:
1. Run
2. Register my kids for school.
3. Clean my bathrooms.
4. Get a massage. (I know, can't wait)
5. Pick beans out of our garden. (yummy)

Places I have lived:
1. Blackfoot, ID
2. Mountain Home,ID
3. Rexburg, ID
4. Louisville, KY
5. Rigby, ID

If I were a millionare:
1. I would NOT spoil my children.
2. I would buy land.
3. I would buy a hybrid car that gets super good gas mileage.
4. Pay off loans (UGH)
5. Travel

Snacks I enjoy:
1. yogurt
2. anything with peanut butter
3. Mint chocolate chip ice cream
4. snow cones (we have a really good snow cone shack here that gets them PERFECT.)
5. chips and salsa (preferably homemade)

Pheww! Sorry that took so long Becca! I tag Jenni, Jami, and Deanna and anyone else who wants to answer a few random questions...

Salad Anyone?

Here is my nightly pleasure lately...












and here's where it came from...(minus the tomatoes and crutons...the tomatoes aren't quite ready and crutons don't grow in a garden)













Quinn and I decided to try our hand at gardening this year and I have learned a few things about myself in the process..
**I really don't mind getting my hands dirty
**If there's work to be done outside, the inside stuff waits
**I love picking weeds along side my kids and hearing Layton shout "Mom, look at the root on this one!"
**I love putting a little seed into the ground and watching it grow into something I can eat!
**I have no idea how to can, but I'm going to learn really quickly!

This is definatley something that will become a lasting tradition in our family and something I didn't know I would love as much as I do. Who knows..maybe one day I'll buy myself a pair of overalls and a goofy hat...(if that happens, someone please stop me!) But until then, bring on the salad!

It's about time!! (Julie this one's for you!)

Guess who fell off the turnip truck? No, I really have no excuse for being such a lazy blogger except we've had a really busy 5 months! Here's the rundown...


For our 10th anniversary, Quinn and I took off to New York City for 4 days and had such a great time together! We were able to see Wicked, Phantom, and enjoy the view of Time Square from our 50th floor corner hotel room. It was way cold, but all the more reason to snuggle right? :)

Quinn turned 32 in March and spent the whole day on his snow machine...yes, it is a man's world! :)

Morgan was in the thick of dance competitions until the end of April and loved every minute.


Allie turned 4 in April! She had her first "friend party" and we had 8 little princesses running around our house. It was the princess party of her dreams!

Kate finally decided she could walk at a whopping 22 months old! Way to got Kate! It's nice to finally have 4(somewhat)independant kids!

I finished my first sprint triathlon at the end of May! It was awesome and I think it just may become a tradition! How fun to have my kids running beside me to the finish line!

We have been camping a few times, definately not enough...but whether it is on the mountain trails or making hot laps around our backyard, Layton is LOVING his motorbike!

Our baby turned 2 at the end of June and we can hardly believe it. She is such a doll and we all adore her. If I could freeze-frame her right now, I would do it in a heartbeat.

The day after Kate's birthday I headed out for a week of Girls Camp for our ward. I was the ward camp director and let me tell you I need to write a long overdue thankyou note to each of my young women leaders for all their hard work when I was young! Wow! But this group of girls and leaders couldn't have been better. We had an awesome week. Now I'm down to one calling in the ward (for the moment), and loving life.

Sorry for the trip down memory lane...I just figured I had better catch up on a little blogging. Now that things have slowed considerably, I will try to be better, but I'm not making any promises! For now all I want to do is sit back, enjoy a popcicle with my kids, and breath a big sigh of relief! Whewwwwwww!

10 years and counting!

This day I married my friend.....








Now, 10 years later I would marry him all over again, and here are a few reasons why....









* He truly is my best friend
* He can make me laugh even when I'm steaming mad(which usually makes it worse!)
* He inspires me to be the very best me.
* He's not afraid of a pile of laundry!
* He doesn't mind a good "chick flick" every now and then!
* Not only is he a wonderful father, he is a really good daddy.
* He is very ambitious and a hard worker.
* He has great legs!
* He's not afraid to ask for directions.(or for help when he gets stuck...I've
actually pulled him out 3 times in the past month! LOVE THE SNOW!!) :o)
* He is the man of my dreams and there is no one else in the world I would
rather take this awesome journey with!

I am so grateful for this wonderful man and I look forward to many more great years to come!