The Bergeson Times

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Our only rule when picking out your pumpkin is that you have to be able to pick it up. The kids actually enjoy this because they get to see how big of a pumpkin they can pick up. Each year, the pumpkins get a little bigger.

This year we went to a pumpkin patch where they charged $13 for as many pumpkins as one person could hold. We scored with 6 pumpkins, one for each of us, thanks to my man Adam and his strong muscles. Not a bad deal.

Trip to the Outerbanks of NC

2011-10-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Over conference weekend, the kids and I took a trip to the Outerbanks of North Carolina. Gary and Carol flew in to drive with us, and we met up with Casey and Jon and their families for a week on the beach. It was fun to see everyone and spend time with family. It was especially good to have the kids spend time with their cousins and get to know them. It didn't take long for them to warm right up to each other either.

The weather wasn't the greatest...VERY windy and quite chilly. But we made the best of it. The kids still enjoyed playing at the beach in the sand, and the cold weather didn't seem to stop the boys from getting in the water. The first day at the beach we were walking along near the water and a wave came in just hard enough to knock Halle over (mostly because she wasn't expecting it). It scared her quite a bit and she kept her distance from the water the rest of the week. Clate spent a lot of time playing football with the ocean. He would throw the football into the ocean and the waves would bring it back to him, or somewhere along the beach and he would run after it. The kids also enjoyed flying kites on the beach. When they weren't at the beach, they were in the hot tub at the house or watching a movie or playing in their rooms.

While there, we decided to drive down to Kitty Hawk to visit the museum there. It was pretty cool to see a replica of the first airplane. Even the kids enjoyed it. Clate had fun posing with all of the statues and copying what they were doing. He's a funny kid sometimes.

We then made our way to Jockey's Ridge, sand dunes in the middle of the island. We didn't plan to get out and walk around much. We mostly just wanted to see the view. But when we got out and felt the sand on our feet...we had to hike to the top. It was a beautiful site to see, and the sand was SO soft. It felt so good to walk on. I was glad we took the time to walk around, and the kids had a blast. Even Thomas had fun playing in the sand, and he didn't put any in his mouth. AMAZING.

It was a great trip. So good to see everyone and hang out. We only wish dad could have been there.

Kids at Kitty Hawk

Jockey's Ridge

Thomas loving the sand at Jockey's Ridge.

At the beach.

Building sand castles.

Thomas in his playland at the beach.

Clate with his sandcrab friend. He played with him all day.

Cousins! Payton, Brooke, Thomas, Clate, Chloe, Halle, Jack and Mya

Halle and Chloe doing their best to keep the kite in the air. The wind made it an easy task.

She did turn 4!

2011-10-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Back in September, Chloe turned 4.

This girl makes me smile EVERY day! She is goofy, happy, nutty, sweet, cuddly, smart, and all around fun. She is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. My life would not be so good without her. She loves to color (literally would color all day if I let her), loves to ride her bike (and can haul on it), loves to help me bake, loves to play with her baby dolls and strawberry shortcake, loves her dance class, and LOVES to laugh! I love the way she talks. Says her favorite vegetable is "cone" (corn), and she is "foe" (four) now. She does NOT like dogs, big or small. She loves her preschool (at home with me) and says she has the best preschool teacher ever (her words, not mine). She's a great little student too. She sits and will 10 pages or more of her workbook at a time. Still hasn't decided if she is a righty or a lefty, cuts, colors and writes with both equally as well.

Chloe is as spunky as her hair is curly. We love you Chloe...just the way you are!

On her bike. She loves riding.

We had Parker and Lavender over to make bracelets and decorate cupcakes. It was last-minute, but they had fun. She has been lucky to meet these cute girls here and make friends with them. Parker is a neighbor and Lavender is from church.

You can see Chloe's excitement on her face (love the tongue out).

Lavender gave her these cute baby dolls. So sweet.

And finally a birthday celebration with the family. We had already eaten a lot of cake that week, so we kept her cake small. But it was perfect and she loved it.

All boy

2011-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

Thomas saw the soccer ball on the other side of the room and then went for it. I had never seen him move so fast with such determination. I loved it.

He is such a happy kid. So easy going. Getting so big.

A new look

2011-09-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing that glasses are in style these days. Halle's new ophthalmologist, Dr. McGregor, put her in glasses, mostly for protective purposes for the right eye. There is some prescription in the left lens that should improve her vision to the equivalent of about 20/100. In addition to the new glasses, she also gets to wear an eye patch on her right eye for at least 50% of each day. The hope is to get her left eye to improve to about 20/70. Wish us luck.

Halle was so excited to get glasses. She asked all week if we could go shopping for them. We finally were able to go today. We went to a lot of stores, and these were her very favorite (and mine too). She's very happy with them. Doesn't she look so cute?!?

Clate is 7

2011-09-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Clate.

Clate is 7. The only consistent birthday requests were the Lego City police station and a robe. Its not too difficult to please this guy. He also wanted a golf cake. It wasn't my best work of art, but he was happy with it. For his birthday celebration, we watched a movie, opened presents, and ate cake and ice cream. Adam also let him stay up to watch the first half of the BYU vs. Utah game on Saturday night. It didn't start until 9:15 p.m., so it really was a treat for him to get to stay up, especially with church at 9 a.m. the next morning.

I asked Halle and Chloe what they love about Clate. Halle said, "He's nice." And Chloe said, "He's a super nice brother." I have to agree; he is a pretty nice brother, most of the time. He does have his moments when his only purpose in life is to make the girls squeal. He's pretty good at it too. That is the role of a brother though.

Clate at 7:
Favorite food: Ramen noodles
Favorite sport: "Soccer, basketball, baseball, football..., oh yeah, and golf." Basically, all sports are his favorite.
Favorite movie: Cars 2
Favorite subject in school: Math (He takes after his mom.)
What he wants to be when he grows up: A bone doctor.
Favorite color: Blue
He has lost 3 teeth.

We sure love this guy and wouldn't trade him for the world.

PASS

2011-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today is a HAPPY day! We found out that Adam passed his board exam!!! This was a REALLY big deal...in case you were wondering. If anyone would like to send him a congratulations email, his address is: agbergeson@gmail.com I'm sure he would LOVE the attention!

Way to go babe!

Finally.

2011-09-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

T is FINALLY (at 8 months old) sleeping through the night, 7:30 PM to 7:30 AM (about). It's been going on now for two weeks or so and I feel like a new woman! I love it. When I wake up in the morning, I actually feel rested. I forgot how that felt! I almost don't know what to do with myself all day. I sure hope he keeps this up...it sure is about time!

He's on the move...aaaahhhhh.

2011-09-03T05:16:00.001-07:00

T is figuring out how to get around and I'm not sure if I'm ready for it. He has started getting into the fireplace (which I've had to baby gate now), under beds, into folded laundry...you name it. He can get everywhere he is not supposed to be. I'm sure it won't be long before he's motoring around faster than I can keep up. Uggh.

Can't forget the big 5!

2011-09-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Golfing for Halle's birthday.

The budding golfer.

Swing!

With 2 more birthdays coming up, I can't forget to blog about Halle's big day. Back in July, Halle turned 5. We celebrated a few days early while still in Idaho. She got golf clubs for her birthday, so, of course, she wanted to go golfing for her birthday. We found this really great 6 hole, par 3 course in Idaho Falls that was perfect for our little crew. Grammie and Pa joined us as well.

We went out to Red Robin for lunch afterwards. A great ending to a great day.

On her birthday, we were halfway across the country at the Boyer's house in Coralville, IA, headed to Ohio for a year. Holly was sweet and made cupcakes for her so she could celebrate her real birth"day". She felt special.

Halle at 5:

Favorite color: Still pink

Favorite meal: Spaghetti

Favorite movie: Tangled

Favorite book: Elephant and Piggie

Favorite place to eat: Red Robbin

What she wants to be when she grows up: A mom.

Favorite activity: Listen to music and dance.

Best friend: Chloe (and Clate sometimes)

Halle is one of the best helpers when it comes to taking care of Thomas. She is my little runner for diapers, wipes, toys, etc. She loves to hold him, try to make him laugh (he doesn't usually, but she tries hard), feed him...you name it. She is T's second little mommy. She loves to dress up and dance, especially to silly songs. She is learning to play the piano and loves it, is always asking for another lesson. She has to pick out her own outfits, and usually says "no" to anything I suggest. She likes to be in charge. She is still a daddy's girl. And such a joy to have around. We love our Hal!

Mr. Frog

2011-09-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

Frog in garage. Poor little guy, so far from home.

This little guy found his way into our garage the other day. The kids were so excited and wanted badly to keep him. I left the garage door open for him while I mowed the lawn to see if he would make his way back out, but instead he hid himself in a corner. Clate grabbed an old shoe box and I used my broom to sweep him into the box. I'm sure we completely terrified him. I felt bad for him.We kept him in the box until Adam got home from work so we could show him our new friend. Then the kids let him go in the neighbors bushes. Hope he found his way home.

Another fun thing about Ohio, instead of have stray cats, they have stray bunnies. They're everywhere. We must have some living close to our house (not sure where exactly), but we see them every night out on our lawn. I usually see 1 or 2 while I mow as well, hopping across the yard into the trees.

She's a BIG kid now!

2011-09-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little girl is growing up. I keep telling her to stop, but she insists that she wants to grow up and be big and strong like me. I guess I have to let her grow up.

Here she is. All ready to head off to school on her first day of kindergarten. She, too, was so excited and had a great first day of school.

She wasn't even nervous about the bus ride. Okay, maybe she was a little nervous, but she didn't let it show. There are 2 other girls and 1 boy that will catch the bus with her for PM kindergarten, then she rides the bus home with Clate and all the other kids. They have assigned seats. Clate and Halle asked to sit together on the bus. That just warms my heart.

Back to SCHOOL

2011-09-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

There he goes. Off to school on the first day of FIRST grade. When he came home, I asked him how his day was. He said, "It was AWESOME!" He loved the bus ride, his teacher, and his new friends.

There are at least 10-15 other kids at our bus stop. It should be a fun year for the kids.

Waiting for the bus.

Ready for the first day. Doesn't he look handsome!

Red Butte

2011-07-03T19:30:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite places to go on a summer morning is to Red Butte Gardens at the Univ. of Utah. It's always so beautiful up there with the flowers and trees, etc. But the kids LOVE the kids area. It's super fun and a great way to cool off. I've got some really great ideas for things I would like to have in my yard some day. We're going to miss Salt Lake.

Thomas enjoying the grass. Surprisingly, it doesn't really bother him. He's quite content lying in the grass.

Loving the lizards.

After growing up in Georgia with the red clay, this site always makes me cringe, and I think, "WHY would they put red clay in a kids sand box at a public place." Then I remember that it is NOT red clay. It is red dirt, and it does not stain them or their clothes. Amazing. They love it.

Cooling off.

And drying off.

Gone fishing...

2011-07-03T19:15:00.001-07:00

Idaho had a "kids fish free" day, so grammie and pa took the 3 big kids fishing. They were so excited too! In addition to providing the poles and bait, they also gutted and cleaned the fish for the kids! Halle and Chloe both caught a fish. Clate did not; though he was extremely diligent in trying. He kept throwing his line out saying, "One more time. Just one more time." He wanted to catch one so bad. Maybe next time.

Halle with her fish. She wouldn't get any closer to it.

It took Chloe getting home before she would even look at her fish.

Can you guess what we had for dinner that night? Fish.

Earning some moo-lah!

2011-07-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

Helping Pa build a new fence.

Then staining the fence too.

The kids have been busy earning money at grammie and pa's house. They've helped build and stain a fence, weed flower beds, and plant a garden. They've earned so much money, I'm considering employment with grammie and pa! hahaha

I've been so impressed with Clate's work ethic. Once he gets started, he doesn't stop until the project is done. One day he was out with Pa and grammie for almost 10 hours. Pa had taken down about 2 sections of the fence, and by the end of the day Clate had taken down another 4 or 5 sections...almost by himself. He just kept hammering and hammering and hammering. I thought for sure his little arms were going to fall off, or at least be sore the next day. But come morning, he was ready bright and early to help Pa finish the job. They finished another section the following weekend too...and he was right by Pa's side the whole time. He's a good little worker.

The girls did as much as they could too. In fact, the only incident we had was when Chloe was hammering a board and Clate was on the other side of the fence hammering the same board and the board came down on top of Chloe's head.

growing up too fast...

2011-07-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

This little guy just keeps growing up...and its happening too fast for me. I was so busy for the first couple of months of his life, I feel like I've only really enjoyed him for the last month or so. It's good though, and the kids still adore him. He's starting to sit up, eat food and laugh.

With his sisters...

and his bro.

my silly chloe

2011-06-27T21:27:00.001-07:00

When Chloe went out to get in the hot tub, Pa asked me why I let her wear swim suits that were so low cut and g-string. Of course I was caught off guard because I would never allow such a thing. I went out to see what he was talking about and I saw Chloe...with her suit on backwards. She had no idea what I was laughing about. So silly!

It's a snail

2011-06-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

Chloe was so excited that she had eaten her bread into the shape of a snail. Such talent! So cute.

No more PMS!!!

2011-06-27T20:54:00.001-07:00

In addition to selling our house and moving this summer, I also upgraded my ride to a newer minivan, which means I got rid of my PMS license plates. I can't tell you how much I hated driving around in a minivan with a licence plate that said PMS. When I got the plates I actually asked if I could get a different one, and the lady responded, "Just be glad it doesn't say 365 PMS or 247 PMS." That didn't make me feel any better, but I didn't really have a choice at the moment. So I've had my PMS plates for 3+ years and couldn't be happier that they are gone FOREVER!!! I did love our Dodge though. It was good to us.

who are these girls???

2011-05-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

A while back my girls asked me to straighten their hair again. This time we even did Chloe's. However, it didn't take long until both of them were asking for curly hair again. They look so different with straight hair, almost unrecognizable.

where does it come from???

2011-03-20T21:25:00.001-07:00

People ALWAYS ask where Chloe gets her curly hair from. Well...the one in the middle is her dad when he was about her same age. Any questions???

Our not-so-little little guy

2011-03-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

This little guy is not so little anymore. He is one big chunk of love! Already up to 15+ pounds at less than 3 months old. Very different from any of his siblings, that's for sure. It must come with the brown hair. He loves his pacifier. Has no problem sleeping through noise, amazingly. And best of all, his smile and coos warm my heart.

brothers

2011-01-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

clate absolutely LOVES his little brother and wants to take care of him all the time. he hates to hear him cry and gets all worked up when i let him cry for even a few minutes. he loves to hold him and talk to him and sing to him. he talks about playing soccer and baseball with him when he gets bigger, and teaching him to ski. he's a wonderful big brother, and thomas is very lucky to have him.

i should have done this before...

2011-01-28T21:05:00.000-08:00

My little guy at 2 weeks old. Oh, if I could only freeze time!

how cute is this??? i LOVE this little guy!

i wouldn't change a thing about these 4 kids. they have my heart!

I've never had professional pictures taken of any of my kids as infants, but since Thomas MAY be our last, I thought I should go for it. And boy am I regretting not having it done for the others. I try to take cute, fun pictures, but come on...I don't really know what I'm doing. Anyway, I'm in love with these kids, and these pictures show them off very well.

Other exciting news...we are headed to Ohio in July for 1 year, and THEN we will become permanent residents of Utah County. I can't believe the time has come! Adam is joining the IHC orthopaedic group in Provo. There were 2 places that I had always said we would never consider settling down in, Idaho Falls (bad weather) and Provo/Utah County (no good reason). How ironic is it that the only 2 places that we have really pursued job opportunities have been Idaho Falls and Provo...and we're are ending up in Provo, right back where it all started. Crazy, but good, and we are very excited about it. Just another lesson in never say never!!!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

Instead of bringing me flowers to the hospital after giving birth to our 4th child, Adam brought me the flu. I think I would have preferred flowers. Anyway, I've been meaning to blog all week, but have not felt like doing much of anything, so here is a belated Merry Christmas to all!

First of all, here is THOMAS GARRAN BERGESON! we were excited to come home from the hospital with a name for our little guy.

Needless to say, Clate is quite the proud big brother. And the girls love him too.We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas day, especially having our new guy around. The kids woke up Christmas morning to find that Santa had brought them all the 2 things they had asked (begged) for. Clate received more Legos and Pillow Pet; Halle received a Jessie doll (from Toy Story 3) and a Pillow Pet; and Chloe received Bullseye (from Toy Story 3) AND a Pillow Pet. They couldn't have been happier! All I have heard about for the past 6 months are these darn Pillow Pets. Clate had memorized the phone number and web address; Halle could tell you how they are pets with a purpose and machine washable (though she has no idea what that means), and they could all sing the song! So I was just as happy as they were that Santa brought them each one...maybe I won't have to hear about them all the time anymore!

And finally, our little (now not so little) family! MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

The best Christmas gift EVER!

2010-12-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

The kids just could not get enough of looking at and touching their new little brother! It was so sweet to see. And they were so soft with him.

Little brother arrived yesterday, December 22, 2010 at 1:39 p.m., weighing in at 7 lbs 6.5 ounces and 20 inches long...just as planned! All went well and mom and baby are doing great!

My sweet "Mary"

2010-12-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

My neighbor always celebrates Las Posadas, which is a reenactment of Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of shelter. We end up at their house, where we are welcomed in, not only for the story as told in the Bible, but also for a yummy dinner. This year Halle was asked to be Mary. I think she made quite the cute Mary. We put a stuffed animal in her shirt to give her the pregnant belly. She thought it was funny to look like mom, with a baby in her belly. But when asked by our neighbor if there was a baby in her belly, she responded, "No, it's a purple hippo." The kids always have fun with this activity, and hopefully they are taking away some of the real meaning of Christmas along with it.

Clate, by the way, was a shepherd, and Chloe was asked to be an angel but refused.

Since we last posted...

2010-12-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been almost 2 months since my last post. I thought these two months were going to take forever to pass, but instead they are speeding right by me. Since we last posted, we have enjoyed some nice fall weather and a big winter snow storm...and now back to nice, but colder fall/winter weather.

We've started our countdowns....all of them. The kids are counting down the days till Christmas (of course), and I am counting down the days until this baby gets here. 10 more to go, in case anyone was wondering. Still taking name ideas!

Happy Fall!

2010-10-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

September 21

2010-10-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

On September 21, Chloe turned 3! After Clate's 2 cake birthday cake, I wasn't really in the mood to have more cake, so I had to get a little creative for Chloe's bday. I decided to do a rice crispy bday cake. It was a great idea in that it was super easy to make and a little unique, but it was difficult to eat with the frosting on it...frosting got everywhere. Chloe was excited for her Hello Kitty cake though, and that's all that really matters.

We got Chloe a balance bike for her bday, which was something that she had been excited about. But about a week before her birthday, I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. All she would say was a Hello Kitty umbrella, something I had not bought for her. I asked her a few times during the week to see if she would say anything else (like a bike), but she was consistent...all she wanted was the umbrella. So, the night before her birthday, I had to find a Hello Kitty umbrella, which luckily, was not too difficult to find. As excited she was about the few other things that she received, she was definitely most excited about that little umbrella. I just love this girl.

We ended her bday celebration with "The Chicken Dance" and a little 'I Like To Move It, Move It" dance party; her two favorite songs to dance to.

At 3:

Sings ALL day long. Some of her most sung songs are "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus," "I Love To See The Temple," any other primary song, and any of the Silly Songs they listen to in the car.
Tells me, "I love you so much, so much, so much, so much, so much, so much...."
Still can't blow her nose, only sniffs.
Loves to color and cut paper into really small pieces.
Favorite cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Rides a scooter like a pro.
Calls the baby in my belly Jacer Racer, even though we're not sure what his name will be.
Is potty trained!
She is one smart little cookie and so funny to be around.
Overall, she is one happy girl.

September 16

2010-10-17T20:22:00.001-07:00

My little cowboy! Even on a 90 degree day, you'll find him wearing the whole outfit!

The coolest soccer ball cake EVER!

His new golf bag; one that can be carried on his back AND has a stand, two things he really wanted in a golf bag.

I'm such a bad blogger...I just can't keep up with the things going on in my life. Anyway...

Back on September 16, Clate turned 6! Whoa! I can't believe I have a 6-year-old. It was an exciting day for him; he was VERY excited to 6, not 5 anymore. I took treats to his classroom for his birthday. He wanted me to make chocolate mint chip cookies and serve them with ice cream, so that's what we did. It seemed to be a big hit with his classmates. It was fun to be there because before anyone could have the birthday treat, they each got to say something nice about Clate. After only a little more than a week in his class, almost everyone had something nice to say about him, and some had a lot to say. I think it made him feel special!

Grandma and grandpa Cowdell AND Grammie and Pa were in town for his birthday; that was treat! So we had dinner with cake and ice cream for everyone. Jack was also in town (headed home to PA) and Mike and Andrea were able to come. Clate scored BIG with presents this year; new Legos from grandma and grandpa Cowdell, cowboy gear (boots, vest and hat) from Grammie and Pa, and a new golf bag and putter from mom and dad (mostly dad). I made him a soccer ball cake, which he was also surprised by.

At six:

He is starting to read.
Loves playing soccer and has scored all but 1 of the goals scored by his team this year.
Loves to draw and/or color.
Wears his cowboy gear almost every day.
Blows me kisses every night; one for me to use immediately, and at least 2 handfuls for me to use when I go to bed.
Always says, "Good night, I love you." when I put him to bed.
Is really good at putting Legos together, even some of the more difficult sets that he has.
Loves to make his sisters squeal.
Always asks for chores to do around the house to earn money.
Will do almost anything for money.

I'm still in love with this kid and wouldn't change a thing about him!

Preschool, not kindergarten...

2010-09-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

After all my talk of our plans to hold Halle back in school a year so that she will be the oldest in her class, and then I write as though we put her in a year ahead of schedule...It must have been a late night! Halle's first day was to preschool, not kindergarten. I've edited my posted, so it reads correctly now! Thanks for reading my blog though. I often question whether or not anyone even checks my blog.

Clate's first day...

2010-09-22T20:38:00.001-07:00

September 1 was Clate's first day of kindergarten. He, too, was excited and has loved every day of it. He has already made some good little friends, some of whom are on his soccer team as well. He is very proud that he has kept his name in the "green" every day (no bad behavior), and he has a goal to keep it there the whole year! I'll be proud if he does that too!

halle's first day...

2010-09-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

August 30 was Halle's first day of preschool. She was so excited and she has loved every day. In fact, she doesn't like that I have to drop Clate off first for school; she always asks for me to take her first, but I can't as Clate's school starts at 8:30, her's at 9:00. She also gets mad on Tuesday mornings when Clate gets to go to school and she doesn't; she'd go every day if she could.

warm river my booty

2010-09-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Halle dressed and ready to go. I love her sense of style.

Clate helping Pa pack the trailer.

Clate and Pa floating down the river.

The girls playing in the ice water.

Enjoying the s'mores.

The week before school started, grammie and pa treated us to one last summer vacation, one we had been wanting to do all summer long but hadn't...a campout. They took us to Warm River, somewhere near Ashton, Idaho. It was a fun little campground with the Warm River running through it--funny name for a river that felt like ice water; there was nothing warm about it. But the kids enjoyed it anyway, floating down the river with Pa and playing in a little shallow area. My favorite part of camping...the campfire and roasting marshmallows, after a tasty tinfoil dinner and hot dogs, of course. We ended the night with a flashlight-lit walk up the river where Pa told some stories to the kids, making them laugh and wanting more the whole way back. And believe it or not, the kids all fell asleep quickly and slept peacefully all night long. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for myself. There really is no comfortable position on a hard ground for a pregnant belly. Fun, nevertheless. It was a quick trip, but definitely worth it!

adam is NOT absent

2010-08-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Adam worries that our history, as recorded on this blog, would lead someone (his posterity or others) to believe that he was/is an absent dad because very few of the posts include him. When in reality, he is NOT an absent dad...he just happens to work alot. But when he is home, he always makes an effort to do fun things with the kids and make the most of his time with them. He is quite an excellent dad if you ask me. So, I will try from now on to record more of the things that he does with the kids, because they are not few.

One of Adam's favorite things to do with the kids is hiking. We've tried some long hikes with them, as well as a lot of little hikes. I think we've all leared to enjoy the shorter easier hikes a little more, then the kids can walk themselves (mostly) and we don't have to carry them. Here we are a few weeks ago hiking up to Lake Mary. It was a short, but kind of steep hike. Clate did it all by himself. Halle only needed a lift towards the top. And Chloe...well, we're still working on her. Dad got to carry her quite a bit. The more hiking we do, the more the kids enjoy it, especially when they can do it by themselves. And dad never passes up the opportunity to teach the kids the important skill of rock skipping. It was such a beautiful day and a really fun hike.

8 years on 08/08

2010-08-12T21:46:00.001-07:00

Adam and I celebrated our 8th anniversary last week. We scored with free babysitting from the young women in our ward and a good friend who put the kids to bed, and we enjoyed an evening of Randy Travis with the Utah Symphony Orchestra at the Deer Valley Resort. It was a little chilly, but a beautiful night, so peaceful, and the music couldn't have been better! It made me miss all of the concerts I used to go to back in the day. And this was definitely the way to see a concert! It was a really great evening. And it has been an even better 8 years. Wouldn't change a thing.

Chugga chugga poooo pooooo!

2010-08-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Chloe is on the potty train! And it's about time! I am determined to have a few months without diapers...so about a week and a half ago I decided we were going to get this girl trained. And she's doing awesome! Between the Starbursts, the suckers, the popsicles and a sticker chart...this girl has stayed motivated and finally prefers big girl panties to diapers! YEA, we're almost there!

what will HIS name be???

2010-08-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right...we're having a BOY! and we couldn't be happier, especially the kids. For weeks the kids have been talking about baby names, only BOY baby names. I kept warning them that it could be a girl; we don't really get to choose. Then Halle asked me who chooses. I told her that Heavenly Father chooses. Her response, very matter-of-factly, "Well, Heavenly Father spoke to my heart and said that it was a boy." OK then...and I guess she was right after all. Even Chloe was sure she would be having another brother. And Clate, well, it just had to be a boy.

So, what will HIS name be? This has been the topic of conversation for weeks, and options are all over the board. Some of my "favorites" that have come up: Clate came up with Bull Grunter Bergeson. (We recently went to a rodeo and he loved the bull riding.) This morning Halle suggested Marvin the Tap-dancing Horse (yes, you read that right) or Marvin the Baby Brother. (Is she suggesting we skip a middle name and give a title instead?) As much as I enjoy their input, it's a good thing that they won't have the final say in what HIS name will be!

halle is 4!

2010-07-25T21:29:00.001-07:00

Celebration for Halle's birthday started early in the week with a party with friends. I wasn't planning on doing big parties this year, but since we won't be here next year (so sad to think of), I wanted them to have parties this year with all of their friends...so that's what we are doing. And of course, Halle's friend list is not short. I think we ended up with 10 friends and a few siblings at the party and I think we all had fun. They made tambourines, danced the hokey pokey, played musical chairs, popped balloons, had a bday parade with their tambourines, opened gifts, and ate cupcakes. What more could a 4-year-old ask for!?!

The party ended today with a little party at home with family on her special day! And it was her birthday ALL day long...mind you, not just part of the day. She made sure to let everyone at church know that. Mike and Andrea came over and we opened gifts and ate cake and ice cream. Speaking of the cake...I have seen these princess doll cakes around and thought it would be fun to do. And it was fun, but cutting into the cake only an hour or so after finishing the decorating wasn't so much fun. Oh well...I guess that's why I made the cake, right??? to eat it! The Belle cake was a surprise for Halle, and I think it took her a minute to realize it was her cake too. I was happy with how it turned out.

I will be back with more of Halle at 4, but in short...she is one happy, fun 4-year-old!

Happy Birthday love bug!

dinner at mike and andrea's

2010-06-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

uncle mike watching Signing Time with the girls...they LOVED it.

by the lake at Memory Grove. the water was ice cold.

chloe so excited about the leaf she picked.

LOVE this picture!

the girls each had a turn sitting in the "basket".

tuckered out at the end of the day.

mike and andrea invited us over to see their new place and then they fed us dinner. so nice. unfortunately, clate was with grammie and pa, and adam was on-call and didn't get to their house until 8:30ish, so it was mostly just the girls and I, but we were happy to be there. after dinner we walked over to Memory Grove. i think the girls were hoping for a playground at the park, but then realized they had uncle Mike with them and that was just as fun, if not more fun. luckily he was a good sport and entertained them quite well. it had been a few days since the girls had seen their dad, so having a male figure around was extra exciting for them...and he even looks like dad, kindof. the girls were good sports too and stayed up extra late so mom and dad could visit for awhile. they curled up on the couch and watched Bolt and were as happy as could be...though very tired. it was a fun afternoon.

play, not work

2010-06-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

walking around temple square.

happy 40th anniversary, mom and dad!

halle and chloe playing in the ship's bunkbeds at the church history museum.

halle and chloe holding tight to the iron rod as they pass the great and spacious building heading for the tree of life...i hope they always do that!

as many times as my parents come to our house, we don't often do FUN things together. Usually, they come to help with some project around the house, ie. re-finishing the basement, re-roofing the house, etc. But this time, they came just to play (though grandpa did find a few things to fix around the house in his spare time)...and we loved it. one day we visited the church history museum and walked around temple square. another day we took them to Red Butte Gardens, a place my kids love to run around and play and adults can enjoy the views. we also met chad and his family for dinner one night, which was nice too since that doesn't happen very often either. it was fun going places and doing things with grandma and grandpa and not worrying about projects around the house.

little dancers

2010-06-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

Chloe dancing to the song "Almost There" from "The Princess and The Frog".

Chloe performing her ballet routine as a firefly. They even had little lights in their tutus.

Halle and her friend, Kate, dressed as flamingos for the tap number.

Halle preparing for her ballet routine, dancing to "Evangeline Star", as Halle calls it.

They had a freestyle dance as the finale with all of the dancers.

The girls had their dance recital last week and they couldn't have been more excited for the big day. The theme was "The Princess and the Frog" and the costumes were fantastic. My girls are such good little performers. I'm always so proud of how well they do. In fact, three people came up to me after the show and said that Chloe had "stollen the show". I'm not really sure what she did...she was the only one that I was watching, but apparently others thought she was pretty darn cute too. And I just can't get enough of Halle's face when she's on stage; her smile is so big!

Grammie was able to come down for the recital and the girls were so happy to have her there. We got to go out to Red Robbin afterward for burgers and shakes. Such a fun day!

trampoline fun!

2010-05-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

my kids LOVE to jump on trampolines! i'm sure most kids do, but mine just can't get enough of it. they have one family of friends with a trampoline and girls' dance teacher has one, so they always have take advantage when we are there. they would jump for hours if i would stay long enough. adam is convinced that we would end up with broken bones...even though both he and i grew up with trampolines and our families never had broken bones from the trampoline. kids break their arms falling off of bikes or any of a million other things...a trampoline doesn't guarantee broken bones. besides, i think they are essentials for the girls to learn and practice gymnastics. anyway, i would love for the kids to have one, and they would love, love, LOVE to have one...maybe one day. in the meantime, we're grateful for friends who do have them!

preschool graduation

2010-05-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

clate graduated from preschool this week! we're so proud! :) he went to Ms. Wendy's Preschool Pals for 2 years and really loved it. some of his best friends were from his class. while he is excited to go to kindergarten next year, he will miss Ms. Wendy and Ms. Ali. i guess this means my little guy is growing up! but I guess that's what they are supposed to do, right?

clate with Ms. Wendy.

clate with Ms. Ali.

only the treetops...

2010-05-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

both halle and chloe are going through a phase where they don't eat ANYTHING! except peanut butter and honey sandwiches and fish crackers. i usually try to fill them up during the day, but at dinner, i try to encourage them to eat whatever i make. the other night i served chicken alfredo and brocoli. they would have nothing to do with any of it...except the ranch dressing. chloe kept asking for more ranch dressing, and not really paying attention to her, i kept giving her more. then i realized that all she was eating was the ranch dressing. she would dip her brocoli in the dressing and then lick off the dressing, not eating any of the brocoli. finally, her she had to eat the brocoli too, or no more ranch dressing. so she did...but she ate only the treetops of the brocoli. and when she was done with one tree, she asked for more "bocoli". i don't know i thought this was so funny, but i did...and i had to get a picture of it.

all i have to say is thank goodness for vitamins!

RANDOM PICS OF LATE...

2010-05-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

clate and i made these "eyes" one afternoon while the girls napped. he can be quite creative; he comes up with all kinds of things to build (tape together, etc.) and paint.

here's halle with pencilled on eyebrows. she always seems to get a hold of my mom's eyebrow pencil and then tries to put it on herself. she's always so proud of herself, too. LOVE it!

clate and isaiah at Discovery Gateway building a castle. impressive, i think.

and chloe playing construction worker along side clate and isaiah. i think she was calling her friend, Olivia, on the phone.

the most crowded place on earth

2010-04-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

it is often said that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. well, it may be...but, during spring break, it is the most crowded place on earth! we planned a Disney vacation for our kids at the very last minute, and even with the crowds, we had a really great time!

waiting for our first ride...Peter Pan!

then on to Dumbo, which quickly became the favorite ride...

especially for the girls!

we made it see Mickey in his house...i've never seen the kids' eyes so big.

then to Pluto's dog house...so cool!

that evening, we took a break and went swimming at the hotel, as well as some short naps...then headed back to the park for some more fun!

here are the kids during the firework show! it's a good thing, too, 'cause none of them like fireworks....but i had to see them at least once.

i love the symmetry of this picture!

day 2: started with more of Disneyland. the kids always love a carousel ride...and we rode it at least 3 or 4 times.

then we headed to California Adventure for some of the trip highlights! what gets better than Lightening McQueen and Mater?! Clate was in heaven! the girls were pretty excited too.

we also enjoyed Playhouse Disney live on stage. adam laughed at me because he thought i was enjoying more than the kids...and maybe i was. it was so fun! we also watched some of the best parades i've ever seen!

here are my 3 beggers waiting for some treats while waiting in line for the Jungle Cruise.

day 3: waiting in line for Dumbo once again.

we spent most of this day on rides for mom and dad, but we made sure to fit in some rides for the kids too. halle did ask me later, "why did we only do fast passes today?" i think she would have preferred more rides for them. they were good sports.

this is what clate thought of Grizzly River; however, now he says it was AWESOME!!!

ending the trip with the purchase of souvenirs...not these hats, but they had fun trying them on.

if asked their favorite thing at disneyland, clate would say "the tire ride" referring to Grizzly River, halle would say the carousel, and chloe would say Dumbo.

as expected, the kids have been asking to go back since the day we got home! maybe in 2 years!

keepin' mom on track

2010-04-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

my little chloe had a bit of a diaper rash today and during sacrament meeting it burned when she peed and she started screaming and saying her "bum" hurt. i didn't have any desitin with me, so i decided to take her home. adam stayed at church with the other two. i figured that i would change her and put her down for a nap, and then start on dinner. as soon as i started to put her down for a nap she said, "i go back to church." i told her that we were going to stay home and take a nap instead. she insisted, "i go back to church." i asked her if she wanted me to rock her; she said yes. after a minute of rocking, again she said, "i go back to church." again i tried to convince her to take a nap. then, with a big smile on her face, she said, "mom, bum all better. i go back to church." i couldn't keep battling with my little girl who just wanted to go back to church. i told her that if we went back she would have to sit very reverently. again with a smile, "i will! i sit reverent." so we headed back to church for the last 20 minutes of sacrament meeting. what would i do without this little girl in my life. i love her so much!

happy easter...a week late

2010-04-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

i did it! i decided to make the girls' easter dresses...and i think they turned out darn cute! too bad they didn't get to wear them on easter. since easter sunday fell on general conference, they didn't actually get to wear their easter dresses until the following week. easter snuck up on the easter bunny this year and he didn't quite do his job, but we had a good morning with grammie and pa and enjoyed listening to general conference...AND got on our way to our Disneyland vacation.

we did have an easter egg hunt on saturday...the kids made sure i didn't forget that.

and this is just a cute picture of the girls...it makes me smile when i see them happy together.

exclusively mine

2010-03-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

you know what i like most about homemade clothing? usually, the piece is the only one like it in the whole world. it's more exclusive than any "exclusive" line of clothing. it's exclusively MINE! i remember back in the day, at least as i remember it, when wearing homemade clothing was not cool, and yet it seems to me that it's a pretty popular thing these days. not that i'm trying to be cool or popular, but i really enjoy making things for my girls. things don't always turn out quite as planned or quite as cute as i hoped, but sometimes i am successful. and then, i wonder why i don't make all of their clothes. (acutally, i know why i don't...i'm not nearly talented enough.)

anyway, a trend these days is to make a dress out of a pillowcase. sounds easy, right? it is easy! and they are SO cute! instead of shopping for a pillowcase that i liked, i decided to find fabric that i liked and make (almost) a pillowcase and then make the dress. which i did...and this is how it turned out.

this was so easy, i might just make both girls new easter dresses....we'll see!

what else happened in february???

2010-03-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

first things first...february before march. so what else happened in february???

i turned 33! life is good and i am happy. i got to make my own cake; chocolate with chocolate frosting...mmmm! and then got to enjoy it with my favorite people (including adam, not shown).

Chocolate cake makes everyone smile!

then, we enjoyed a pink breakfast for valentine's day...always a fun treat! pink waffles, pink eggs, and pink milk!

chloe decided that cutting paper was her new favorite activity.

clate's drawings and coloring are becoming more and more interesting. here is our house and family...i love it!

apparently, he learned about rainbows at preschool, and he drew just a few of them for me...everyday.

and finally, halle got her first real haircut. she was so excited about it and it turned out really cute! many thanks to grandma-dell, who came to help mom with the scary task.

she has more bounce to the curls again!

can you spy something green?

2010-03-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

march came and the kids were ready for st. patrick's day. clate thought he was supposed to wear green everyday so he wouldn't get pinched; it was quite a challenge to get him to wear anything else. he was also excited to help decorate the house. when i was too slow and getting the job done, he decided to do it himself. one day while i was cleaning, i started to pick up all of the toys in the living room. clate immediately told me to put them back...they weren't toys, they were decorations. he had gotten many of his green toys and displayed them on the shelves in the living room. he was so proud of his work, i had to let them stay!

can you spy the green? (sorry, not the best picture.)

love was in the air

2010-03-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

before i forget all of the fun things my kids have been doing lately, i better write about down...and that's what my blog is for, right?

last month, for valentine's day, all of my kids got into making valentines. about every day for the 2 weeks before vday and for at least a week or two after, my kids made valentines for anyone and everyone. clate learned how to draw hearts at preschool and i taught him how to cut out hearts, and he became a heart-making machine. halle and chloe would have clate draw them a page full of hearts and they would color them OR they would put sticker hearts all over a page. they couldn't get enough of it! i, of course, couldn't keep every valentine they made, but i tried to hang up some of their favorites.

Here's the collection that ended up on our bedroom wall.

This is a picture of me...just beautiful.

He made this at school and could hardly wait for us to open it.

the boot

2010-01-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Adam got me a pair of black boots, which I LOVE and wear any chance I get. For my birthday (in 2 weeks), I bought me a pair of brown boots, which I already enjoy wearing any chance I get. I love my boots!

Today, Chloe got her first boot, but she doesn't seem to like it quite as much as I like my boots...I'm not sure why!?! She looks so cute wearing it, don't you think?

The kids were jumping on the couch last night when Chloe fell and seemed to have twisted her foot. She started crying and then refused to put any weight on it. We decided to wait and see how she acted in the morning. She slept fine, but as soon as she woke up, she tried to get out of bed and collapsed on the floor, crying. She continue to refuse to walk on her foot. Luckily, Adam has some connections and got an appointment with one of the pediatric orthopods that he works with. I took Chloe in expecting that they would say all was well, she probably just twisted it funny...but instead, the doc says she cracked her shin bone. WHAT??? I was shocked. Anyway, he felt a full cast was a little much, so he decided to put her in a boot for 3 weeks. Chloe was not at all happy with the boot at first, but quickly warmed up to it. By the end of the day, I think she was more proud of it than anything. I took it off for bedtime, and again she refused to put her foot on the floor. This may be a long 3 weeks...we'll see!

my girls

2010-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

I'm posting a little backwards, but I have some pics I just have to post...they make me smile.

Love her blue eyes and her curls!

Not sure where she got this hat, but she loved it!

Halle had her first dance recital in December. I think her facial expression shows how excited she was to be on stage. She was quite the performer.

Once again, Halle wanted straight hair...and once again, I think she looked 3 years older. We arrived a little late to church this day and as Halle was walking into Primary she tripped in front of the entire Primary. She immediately stood up, and without missing a beat, showed everyone her straight hair.

ski utah...

2010-01-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

Finally enough snow in the mountains and a day off for Adam to take the kids skiing. Adam took Clate up for an afternoon last week, but Halle has been waiting since last year to ski. We started with the rope tow for the first hour or so, then we took the chairlift up the mountain. I think I was more nervous than either of the kids....but they did awesome! Clate made it down all by himself, only falling once. Halle, of course, had to be slowed by Adam or she would have gone straight down without stopping...or at least until she hit a tree. But she loved it! After one run down, though, Halle was ready for some hot chocolate and a cookie, so we went in the lodge and waited while Adam and Clate got a second run in. It was such a fun day...I look forward to many more ski days with our little family!

Here's Clate headed down the mountain.

There goes Halle...Two happy skiers!

is that a real diagnosis?

2009-11-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

the other morning at breakfast, halle asked me NOT to eat all of the frosted mini-wheats and to save some for her. i assured her that i wouldn't eat all of them; there were too many for me to eat all of them. then she said ver seriously, "yeah, you would probably get a frosted mini-wheat ache."

i think halle wins the prize for the best bed-head.

fall fun

2009-11-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

clate has been enjoying preschool this year. he is with many friends from last year and has made some new friends too. this was at his halloween program. they were too cute.
halle has been enjoying her dance class. she's quite the performer. her teacher started having her be the first one of the group to practice each dance because she always knew halle would do it. now halle insists on being the first one. her dance class is on friday and she starts planning for it on sunday night.

chloe has enjoyed many things this fall...but mostly the leaves. she, more than either of the other two, loves to walk through leaves and play in them.

now the leaves have all fallen from the trees and are bagged up and we are ready for winter...well, not really, but its coming anyway.

SNOW???

2009-11-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it snowed last week...I was so not ready for it! I need fall before winter! Luckily, it didn't stay too long...but it was around long enough for the kids to build a snowman. This is Chloe's first year really playing in the snow...and she's loving it! The snowman lasted a good 4 or 5 days...they were so proud.

Halloween!!!

2009-11-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

The kids have been looking forward to Halloween for weeks now...and were so excited to wear their costumes all day long! I bought their costumes over a month ago and they have asked to wear them almost every day since. Clate was Bumble Bee, the transformer...and he wore his mask (unlike years past). Halle was a white kitty cat...a little different from the black cat she was last year. Chloe was a butterfly...or a "budda" as she would say...and a darn cute one, for sure.

The kids had a great time trick or treating and loaded up on way too much candy...it should last a long time!

september twenty-first

2009-09-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

my baby is 2! i've never had all of my kids over the age of 2 before...this will be new for me. i don't think she really got it that it was her birthday until we had her presents in front of her and sang happy birthday to her. i guess she probably still didn't realize it was her birthday, but she got really excited and tore into her presents. of course, the $4 stackable cups were the biggest hit. she also got a baby doll with a binky and a sit-n-spin.

we also had a party for her and Clate on saturday with adam's family. grammie and pa came down, casey and jack came over, and andrea and michael came too. it was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun together.

chloe got this backpack from grammie and pa. soon after she opened it she put it on. she's worn it everywhere for the past 3 days.

she even wears it during nighttime prayers. luckily, she hangs it up on the coat rack before going to bed.

this is how chloe smiles now for pictures. i love it.

chloe at 2

about 2 weeks ago she finally started babbling things that resemble real words. i think she finally has down "mama" and "dada". other than that, i would say her first word was probably balloon, said like "balum" or "baloo". today, she started pointing at every car and saying, "ca". she's definitely making progress in the speaking area. she also knows some animal sounds; i think those count as words too. oh yeah, she says "ease" for please.

she loves balloons, baby dolls, purses, cell phones, going down slides, playing in the sandbox, playing in her kitchen, playing in or with water, stacking blocks, AND her binky...in fact, sometimes one is just not enough!

she especially likes to "help" mom cook. if i'm in the kitchen, she usually has to be right there with me, watching everything i do.
she can ride a 3-wheeled scooter
she thinks she can do anything that clate and halle do, including drinking out of a regular cup. she melts down when i try to give her a cup with a lid, so i often let her have a regular cup...and she does fine if she stays sitting at the table, but when she gets down from the table, the drink usually ends up spilled all over the floor.
she is a great sleeper; still takes a 2-3 hour nap everyday.
she has the sweetest personality. i can't wait until she really starts to communicate because i think she is going to be quite funny. she has great facial expressions and the light in her eyes is amazing. she is a very happy little girl.
she has even curlier hair than her sister...amazing.

i held her the other night in the middle of the night because she was having a hard time sleeping and i couldn't help but think, "she's not a baby any more." she was big in my arms, and heavy. i snuggled close and squeezed her tight as i sat with her for a few minutes. i just love that little girl. she has brought so much joy to me in her short 2 years here. i'm glad she's mine forever. happy birthday bo.

five

2009-09-16T20:49:00.001-07:00

five years ago i held my little clate in my arms for the first time and cried uncontrollably. for a week or more i would cry every time i looked at him...and then i would laugh at myself because i thought i was crazy. my heart was so full of joy (or maybe my hormones were a little out of wack) that i literally could not contain it! this little boy continues to bring me so much joy...and now he's 5!

i threw together a little birthday party for him this week. he only invited 3 friends; andrew, anna, and sarah. they played games, ate cupcakes, and opened presents. it was a good time.

clate and andrew working together in a 3-legged race; boys vs. girls

potato sack (reusable grocery bag) racing

racing while balancing eggs on spoons held in their mouths

they frosted their own cupcakes (clate's should have been red, not pink) and sang happy birthday to clate along with the Countdown Kids.

for his birthday, clate got a spiderman transformer, Woody and Buz Lightyear, a book, and two stuffed animals, a hamster and a mouse (he loves stuffed animals). from his friends he got a batman action figure toy, a set of 9 mini-Cars (from the movie), and a paint set. he is still waiting for grammie and pa to get here this weekend with their gifts. clate asked for mac n cheese for dinner tonight, so that's what he got. then we went to red robbin for a chocolate milkshake. he was one happy camper.

clate at five:

plays soccer
loves to watch and play football with dad
says "what the..." all the time
refuses to wear long sleeve shirts except to church
thinks he runs lightening fast
has a major sweet tooth
loves to help me around the house especially if earning money is an option
asks me every night what the next day is and what our plans are and doesn't forget in the mornig
loves to swing high (big change from last year)
loves to drive his sisters mad by bugging them (he's such a big brother)
could use a nap most days but only actually takes one about twice a week
won't go to sleep unless i sing "i love to see the temple" and "i am a child of god" every night followed by a back scratch for 14 seconds
still a mama's boy.

last night i had a fun conversation with clate before he went to bed. i told him that i was sad because he would never be 4 again. he told me that i could pretend he was 4 anytime i wanted. i told him he could open up one present first thing in the morning. he told me to tell him which one to open, and that it should NOT be a book. i said, "maybe it will be a really cool book." he said, "maybe it will be a really cool TOY!" i asked him what he was going to do when he was five. he said he was going to be nice to his sisters....i'm going to hold him to that one. i was thanking him for being such a great four-year-old and for having such a fun year. he reached up and gave me a hug and said, "you're the best mom ever!"

cold water fun

2009-09-06T20:51:00.001-07:00

It wasn't even the hottest day of the year and this cold, cold hose water didn't seem to phase these kids. They filled up the pool, put the little slide in it, and went up and down, up and down...for a long time. The next day, they put the pool at the bottom of the big slide. They thought that was even better! They better live up these summer days...they are quickly coming to an end, sadly.

Here are the girls drying off and warming up in the sun after playing in the water. This face says it all...they had a great afternoon!

twinners

2009-09-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

These dresses were worn 7 years ago by my nieces, Elley and Sammie, at our wedding reception. They both got "handed down" to us recently, so I thought I'd let the girls wear them today. I don't usually dress them alike, mostly because I don't buy 2 of anything, but I thought this would be fun. The dresses are actually the same size, 2T; a little long for Chloe and a little short for Halle...but they had fun being twinners for a day. I can't believe Elley and Sammie were so little back then...they're so big now.

halle goes straight

2009-08-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

most would say halle's signature feature is her hair

her perfect blonde ringlets that we all wish we could have

she loves them too

most days

but today

she wanted to go straight

straight like mom and grandma dell

so we tried

hair blower and round brush

then a straight iron...

it won't go straight straight

it's just too curly

but it looks darn cute

twice the length now

only lasted until naptime

and the curls were back

Church Clate style

2009-08-19T12:04:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday morning, Clate was excited to get dressed and put on his tie for church. This alone was odd because we can't ever get him to wear a tie. So he went down and got himself dressed and this is what happened. After I took the picture, he wanted to see it, so I showed it to him...and his comment was, "That's one good-lookin' boy! Except the socks." I asked, "Why don't you like the socks?" He answered, "They don't match." I didn't tell him that they weren't the only things that didn't match. Luckily, he gave up the tie before we headed to church.

The girls, on the other hand, with their new wardrobe from cousins Elley and Kinley, looked exceptionally cute, at least I thought so. Thanks Elley and Kinley!

What the kids pick up on...

2009-08-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Last week as I was preparing dinner, Clate and Halle were playing; Clate was the dad, and Halle was the mom. They were pretending to be on the phone talking to each other...and this is how their conversation went:
Halle: "Hi, are you coming home?"
Clate: "Yep, I'll be there in a little while."
Halle: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Clate: "Watch for me out the window, okay?"
Halle: "I can't wait to see you. I love you!"
Clate: "I love you too. See you in a minute."

As this was going on, I thought, "Oh, how cute...they are mimicking my conversations with Adam." Part of me was proud that they seemed to pick up on the positive things they hear. Then the conversation continued.

Halle: "When you get home, we'll play, okay?"
Clate: "We can play for just a minute, but then I have to go in my office and work some more."

That's when I knew...they pick up on EVERYTHING! Not that Adam having to go back to work when he returns home is a bad thing...but just kind of funny that Clate picked up on even that.

I told Adam about this conversation when he got home and we all laughed!

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

2009-08-08T21:02:00.001-07:00

We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary today, and this was Adam's surprise for me!!! Isn't he sweet! He will actually drive it most days since I need the van to haul the kids around, but it really is my car...you know, nights and weekends. :) Okay, maybe not, but I did say it was okay to buy it...so maybe that was my surprise for Adam! Either way, we have a new car now and we're both happy. It's a 2010 Toyota Corolla Sport...cute, eh? We decided to take advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program and turn in the Jeep before it sucked our bank accounts dry with repairs...which were only a matter of time away...not to mention the fact that it was a gas guzzler. We'll save $100 a month just on gas! I'm not sure how Adam will make it up skiing now, but I'm sure he'll figure that out! I must say that part of me will miss the Jeep...it was my first SUV, and it really was a good car, but I definitely think this was a good move.

I also think it was a good move 7 years ago when I decided to marry Adam! It has been an adventurous ride, no doubt, but I wouldn't change a thing! I am a better woman because of him and I am grateful to him for that. He is a hard worker, a dedicated father, and a loving husband...and he is mine! Thanks babe for the last 7 years...I look forward to 7 million more!

Summer soccer is over!

2009-08-08T20:49:00.001-07:00

Today was Clate's last soccer game for the season, and this is the only action shot I have of it all...and as you can see, I'm on the field too. Yep, just call me coach. I was lucky enough to coach Clate's soccer team and I had a really good time. I had signed up to be an assistant coach, which I was assigned. However, they didn't assign a head coach to our team...so I was the assistant coach to no one (aka head coach). I was nervous at first, but after reading some soccer coaching web sites I got really excited. I had Adam go and buy me 14 soccer balls (he thought I was crazy) so I could have fun, effective practices with my little team. We were almost undefeated (I'm not sure who won today's game), not that anyone was counting! :) And not to brag, but Clate was one of the top scorers on the team. He did awesome! It was fun! I would do it again; in fact, I've already signed us both up for fall soccer. GO GREEN!

Help me...please!

2009-08-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

Can anyone tell me how to make the writing space on my blog wider, you know, so its not so narrow???

He's 2-wheelin' it!!

2009-08-08T13:01:00.001-07:00

Clate has had a 16-inch bike that will NOT ride without the training wheels, even though he can ride a balance bike just fine. When we got Halle a 12-inch bike for her birthday, before we put the training wheels on, we let Clate try riding it. I helped him once or twice down the driveway, and then he picked it up and rode off on his own...I couldn't believe it! I was so proud. In the next 2 days, I probably took the training wheels on and off about 10 times as Clate wanted a turn, then Halle wanted a turn. Needless to say, that wasn't working for me! So, the next day I went to Wal-Mart and for $40 I got Clate his own 12-inch bike...that he has ridden EVERY single day. He loves it and I love it!!!
Clate has even figured out how to stand up and ride!

Halle loves her bike too. Now, instead of wanting to watch TV every morning, they ask if they can go out to ride their bikes!!!

A much needed family vacation!

2009-08-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Adam's parents treated the ENTIRE family (our family, Jon's family, Casey's family, Michael and girlfriend) on a vacation to Island Park, W. Yellowstone, Old Faithful, and Jackson Hole. And when it was all over...EVERYONE had had a great time! We can't thank grammie and pa enough for such a great trip.

The trip started with a float down Henry's Fork in Island Park. We opted for rafts, which I think turned out to be super fun for everyone. It may have taken longer than canoes would have, but we all got to stay together in 2 rafts and spend that time together. The kids loved it too!

The second day we made our way through W. Yellowstone to Old Faithful! We roughed it in cabins that night that turned out to be pretty nice, for roughin' it anyway. We got there just in time to see The Beehive go off (which only happens once a day and is even more impressive, I thought, than Old Faithful) followed by Old Faithful 15 minutes later. I don't know who was more fascinated by them, the adults or the kids...my guess is the adults. Later that night we walked along the boardwalks to see all the other geysers...the kids enjoyed seeing the bubbling holes and all the colors.

Day 3: On our way to Jackson Hole we stopped at Colter Bay in the Grand Teton National Park...one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It's not a sandy beach, but its a beach...and we all had a great time. Halle and Chloe enjoyed throwing rocks in the water. Clate most enjoyed catching minnows with pa. Adam and I (along with Casey, Aubrey and Ashley) practiced our open-water swimming and swam out to a buoy. I think I'll have to practice a bit more before I attempt another triathlon. It was fun still.
We also stopped at Jenny's Lake and jumped onboard a little boat that took us to the other side of the lake where we hiked up to Hidden Falls.

Chloe crashed for the hike...she was so tired. All the kids did really well considering the lack of scheduled naps.

That's all of us.

On the way out of Jackson Hole, we stopped at Snow King Resort to hit the Alpine slides. Once again, a big hit with the kids and the adults. Last time I went on an Alpine slide I road the breaks way too much. This time I had Chloe with me and we went full speed! We raced against dad and Halle. As you can see in the picture...mom and Chloe won! She quite enjoyed it...if only she could say it with words.
And finally, to end the vacation...we celebrated Halle (3) and Jack's (2) birthdays.

SOOOO, HUGE thanks to grammie and pa for planning and making a really great vacation! Let's do it again soon!!! :)

Abby visits!

2009-08-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

Abby with her favorite aunt...in case anyone is wondering.

Abby came to visit us this summer all the way from Georgia. I tried to convince her that Utah is better than Georgia, but she seemed to have too much Georgia pride! While she was here we went to the zoo, Murray City swimming pool/water park, temple square, and up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Unfortunately, we didn't take our camera with us anywhere, except up Big Cottonwood Canyon...so this is all we have to show for her visit! I hope she had a good time; we sure did!

Independence Day!

2009-08-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on blogging, I know, but I'm attempting to catch up...at least a little bit.

We had a fun 4th of July this year. We didn't do anything too fancy, but we did have Casey, Aubrey and Jack over for a BBQ and to watch the fireworks. We have a great view of the fireworks at Sugarhouse Park from our front yard...so we like to take advantage of the convenience. Besides, Clate still prefers to watch the fireworks from inside the house. He doesn't like the loud noises. I was quite proud of him, though, 'cause he was brave enough to hold a sparkler, something he had never done before. Maybe next year he'll sit outside with us. Halle, on the other hand, watched the fireworks with us outside, but would not hold a sparkler. Chloe just slept through it all!

We're proud to be Americans!!!

Dog Lake

2009-08-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Last month we took the kids up Mill Creek Canyon to go on a hike. I had checked into some hikes that sounded like they would be easy enough for the kids, at least Clate and Halle, since we only have 1 child backpack. The hike to Dog Lake said that it was 3.6 miles roundtrip with 1000 ft climb (not sure how steep that makes it), and easy. It sounded maybe on the long side for little short legs, but as long as it was easy terrain, I figured we could take our time and the kids would be okay. As it turned out, the path was well-groomed, but it sure was steep! Much steeper than I would have chosen for the kids had I known. Clate almost hiked the whole way by himself, but he did require some cheerleading and encouragement, and a short piggyback ride toward the top. Luckily I had brought along my baby sling...at least it was something to help carry one of the girls. We ended up having to carry Halle about half the way up, and Chloe the whole way. At the top, the lake wasn't very clear at all, but the scenery was beautiful. The kids enjoyed playing at the water a bit before we headed back down. It turned out to be a pretty fun afternoon!

Three!!!

2009-08-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

Halle turned 3 on July 25...about a week and a half ago. She shares her birthday with her cousin, Jack, who turned 2 this year. We were at the end of a family vacation to W. Yellowstone when we started the week long celebration, so she was lucky enough to have all of her cousins on the Bergeson side there to sing her Happy Birthday. Lucky girl. For her birthday she got the movie Tinkerbell, a Tinkerbell plate, bowl, fork and spoon set, the movie Horton Hears a Who (the old version), diapers for her baby dolls, and a diaper bag with some other baby accessories...all from grammie and pa. Jack (aka Casey and Aubrey) gave her a Barbie lawn chair...so cute! Mom and dad got her a pink Hello Kitty watch (the only thing she has asked for for the past 2 months), some baby doll outfits and accessories, a piggy bank, and finally a Disney princess bike with training wheels! Grandma and grandpa Cowdell got her a pack-n-play, stroller, highchair, baby swing and carseat for her baby dolls...this girl is ready to be a mom! She has more for her baby dolls than I had for my first child! :) Whew! I think that was most everything...until her birthday party with her friends, where she got more really cute gifts. She should be good for at least a year!
So at 3, Halle...

loves to play with her dolls, or play mommy to Clate and Chloe
loves to ride her new bike
loves to go swimming
is very independent
is potty trained!!! and has been for a few months
calls pooping "dropping a deuce" (thanks to dad)
loves to do "homework" with Clate
still gets comments about her hair at least 10 times a day, usually from strangers

This little girl is as sweet as can be, but also quite dramatic! Her hair fits her personality about perfectly! We wouldn't change a thing! We love her so much and don't know what we would do without her! Happy Birthday Hoo-bear! We LOVE you.

Temple Square in the Spring

2009-05-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Sunday afternoon activities is to go to Temple Square, and a couple of weeks ago was the perfect time to go. The flowers were in full bloom and it was absolutely beautiful, not to mention the perfect Utah spring weather. The only less-than-perfect thing about the day was my picture taking abilities. I look forward to the day I have a really nice camera and get to take some photography classes. I just hope my kids are still young when I get to do that. I LOVE taking pictures of them!!! It's my way of freezing time and keeping them young. They grow up way too fast!

I love in-action shots. I can't believe I got one this cute.

Any suggestions on BW photos?

The Salt Lake Half Marathon

2009-05-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

On April 18, I accomplished one of my New Year's resolutions and ran the Salt Lake Half Marathon with Adam! Adam was kind and ran with me the entire way. I could tell he would have liked to run faster, but he kept saying, "I'm right where I want to be." So, other than my painful blister that developed around mile 3 and the tenditis in my foot that started hurting about mile 5, it turned out to be more fun than I expected. Once I had done the 10 mile training run, I knew I would at least be able to finish the race if nothing more. Then with all of the people, running on the streets through the city, and perfect weather...it was a lot of fun. I'm not sure if it is something I plan to do again, but maybe.

Two Future Moms

2009-04-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

I think I have 2 future moms on my hands. It's amazing what they learn just from observing.

Halle also looks just like a little mom when she's feeding her babies a bottle or rocking and singing them to sleep. Too cute!

SAD FACES

2009-04-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know...who has the better "sad" face?

Girl #1

Girl #2

Happy Easter 2009!

2009-04-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say Happy Easter to everyone. We woke up to beautiful Utah spring weather on this Easter morning...it was great! I got the girls all dressed up in their new Easter dresses...that I made, and they looked so darn cute! I felt very proud of myself. Clate wore his Easter sweater from last year. I guess that's what happens when you don't grow very fast, or if mom buys everything a size too big. Anyway, they all looked cute and we made it to church only a few minutes late.

Now that I'm in my 30s...I'm starting to understand what we are really celebrating on Easter. Not that I didn't "know" it before, but I'm understanding it more in my old age (finally). Anyway, I've felt very grateful lately for the plan of salvation, the atonement, and really every aspect of the gospel...and today, especially the resurrection of our Savior. I believe He lives, I really do. And because of that, we will live again after this life...and can live with our families if we so choose. Nothing in my life has brought me more joy than the joy I feel when I'm trying to follow Christ and His teachings and do the things that allow me to have the spirit with me. I read a quote a while back that I have made my personal mission statement. It says, "God's gift of joy is always worth the price."

Spring...are you back?

2009-04-11T21:23:00.001-07:00

Oh, the signs of spring. When my kids start checking out the bugs on the sidewalks and digging for worms and seeing popcorn all over the trees, I know spring is on its way...and we all love it. It makes everyone happier, I think. Chloe is getting into the bugs now too.

Viva El Faro!!!

2009-04-11T21:08:00.001-07:00

My General Conference weekend began on Friday morning with the beginning of our day-long mission reunion. Hna. Mask hosted a breakfast in the morning, an Hnas. luncheon in the afternoon, and then Pte. Mask gave a fireside that evening. I can't put into words how incredible it was to see all those missionaries again. We had been planning this reunion since last October conference and we had a really great turnout. I would have to say my favorite part was the hnas luncheon. There had to have been at least 25 or 30 of us there...and it was just wonderful to see so many of the greatest women I've ever met all in one room. Even my "mom" was there and I hadn't seen here since the first mission reunion after the Masks came home. Just thinking about it makes my heart beat faster! It was really great. I was so busy enjoying everyone, I didn't take time to take pics. I'll have to get some from Fissa and post some more! After every mission reunion, I feel so blessed to have served with the Masks in Barcelona. I learned so much from them. I feel like I'm on a mission high again...and I love it!!!

Return of Winter...

2009-04-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

We had been enjoying weeks of Spring-like weather and were looking forward to Adam's week of vacation so we could spend some time outdoors with the kiddos. As the week approached, however, we realized it wasn't going to be so nice...and instead of Spring, a return of winter. Adam couldn't handle the idea of staying around the house during a week of vacation, so he decided to take the family south to St. George for some biking and hiking.

The first day we stayed around the hotel and took the kids swimming; the especially liked the hot tub. Day two: We were lucky enough to get temperatures in the 60s, but the wind was blowing like crazy! We decided to bike up Snow Canyon anyway; Adam pulls the girls in one trailer and I pull Clate in the other. After about 45 minutes of feeling like we had parachutes tied to our backs as we tried to ride up the canyon, we decided to call it good, bike back down to the car and do some hiking instead. As much as the kids enjoy going on bike rides, I think they were happy about hiking.

We went to the petrified dunes for our hikes. Clate and Halle both found the rocks most facsinating.

Adam wanted to take the kids to the top of the mountain, but Clate didn't want to go, so Adam took Halle and I stayed back with Clate and Chloe.

Then, when Clate saw Halle and dad at the top, he thought that was pretty cool, so he decided that he wanted to go too. Dad came down with Halle and was nice enough to hike back up with Clate.

Day three: The next day we decided to go to Zion's National Park before heading back home. Come to find out, we could have spent a week at Zion's...there is so much to do there and it is absolutely beautiful!!! We chose to hike up to Emerald Ponds...an easy hike the kids could handle. Halle insisted on hiking all by herself; she didn't want any help, even climbing up big rocks.

On the way back, Chloe was ready to walk by herself as well...but she wanted to walk with her hands in her pockets. Halle tried to hold her hand at one point and Chloe got very mad! She just wanted to walk by herself.

If only they were always so loving...

green EVERYWHERE!...

2009-03-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I told Clate all about the little leprechaun man who would turn things green and pinch him if he wasn't wearing green. He was pretty excited to see what I was talking about. This morning, he woke up and ran upstairs in his underwear to ask me if today was the day that the leprechaun was coming. I said yes, and he said, "Oh, I better wear my green shirt then!" He ran downstairs and got dressed before he got pinched! As soon as the girls woke up I started making breakfast. Clate couldn't believe it that when I started to scramble the eggs, they turned green. His first response was, "Ewww, I'm not going to eat those!" When I convinced him that they would probably taste the same as regular eggs and that the leprechaun had just turned them green, he was excited! He asked me if it was a green chicken that laid those eggs. I told him I wasn't sure, but I had never seen a green chicken before. Both Clate and Halle were shocked when they saw me pooring white milk into their cups, but when it hit the cup it turned green too. They were both very excited to drink green milk. Breakfast was a lot of fun!

It was also Clate's turn to take treats to preschool! Luckily, the leprechaun brought some green cookies and milk for him to take, because I was just going to send him with pickles and green grapes! Apparently, the milk was a big hit at preschool too!

Happy St. Patty's day!

Cute or Not So Cute???

2009-03-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

Cute Chloe.

Not so cute Chloe.

Chloe had this little patch of hair on the back of her head...a mullet of all things. Business in the front, party in the back. Some would say, "Oh, it's so cute..." It wasn't cute. There was nothing cute about it. It drove me nuts for too long. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and I had to cut it off, but before starting with the scissors, I had to get these pics.

Does anyone think this was cute???

March already???

2009-03-09T20:10:00.001-07:00

I haven't felt like blogging this year...so I haven't, but I know I need to so I am going to try to do a little better...maybe once a month or so :)

ANYWAY...In January, we finished our remodel that we started in November...and we LOVE it! We about doubled our living space and got really soft carpet, so we're feeling pretty good! We also played in the snow alot!

In Feb, I turned 32!!! Yipee! My kids discovered their love for coloring! They've been coloring, obviously, for a while now, but lately they'll color ALL the time! Clate has even started coloring in the lines and using more colors than just red! I hope he can still be a Cougar fan considering his love of red...we'll see.

I decided to join facebook. I find it very interesting. I think it's exciting to find people from back in the day, even the back in the more recent days, but once I get an update of most people, I'm good for another 10 years or so. Is that bad? However, for some of the people I have found, I look forward to keeping up with them!

Welcome 2009!!!

2009-01-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sure excited about this year...not sure why, but I am. I feel good about how things are going in my life right now. I love the ages of my kids. I don't really have a baby anymore; Chloe is still little, but she tries hard to keep up with Clate and Halle. They are starting to play better together (though they still have their days) and they love their new rooms and their new play area (and so do I)!! Our schedule isn't too crazy yet; I know it will only get worse as they get older, so I enjoy the time I get to spend with them everyday. Everyone is healthy. And as soon as we get all moved back into our house, we will be able to live normal lives again! I just think it is going to be a good year!!! So I am excited!

What are my kids up to at the start of 2009?
Clate: Loves to pretend play; he likes to play the Home Depot guy and sell me anything he can; he still love "Cars" and Lightening McQueen; he is learning to color in the lines and not everything is all red; loves hide-n-seek; lays his clothes out every night before going to bed, including his hat and socks; very helpful with making his bed other "chores" I ask him to do.

Halle: Wants anything that Chloe has; wants to do anything that Clate is doing; loves to help mom with anything and everything; loves to ride her pink "cooter"; likes to be rocked followed by me tickling her back, belly and each arm for 10 seconds before going to bed; needs to get potty trained; is very independent; likes to choose her own outfits (I can't believe it has already started).

Chloe: Finally walking; still not talking (unless you consider "uh, uh, uh" said really loudly talking); wants anything that Halle has; wants to do anything that Clate and Halle are doing; loves to be held by mom; still gets a bottle of warm milk before bed (I never did this for my other kids); likes to be chased; loves bathtime.

My goals for 2009 (do I dare state them?):
1. Be more organized (now that's specific)
2. Stay within our budget
3. Run the Salt Lake half-marathon (I can't believe I just said that!)
4. Keep up with Sunday School lessons
5. Read 5 books this year (any suggestions?)

I'll leave it at that for now. Oh yeah...
6. Be a better blogger and scrapbooker (can't forget family history)

For everyone who reads this blog and didn't get a Christmas card from us (that would be anyone reading this) I hope you had happy holidays and a very Merry Christmas...and I wish you a Happy 2009!!!

An Endless Blog Name...

2008-10-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Okay now, I had to start a new blog with a new address, one that would be endless even after our family grows (assuming that it will continue to grow some day); I mean, really, we won't alway be just 5, right? At least I hope not.