Santa is Here!

This year for Christmas, Martin and I decided to redo the living room. We were in serious need of new couches, we hated our carpet, and I wanted the walls to look clean. For the past 2 to 3 weeks we have been working and we finally got the couches today. Here are the pictures for you to see.

Once everything was out of the room, there were certain things Martin refused to bring back in. The over sized entertainment center was one of them. (It took up way to much space in our tiny living room and weighed a ton.) We found the solution at Ikea. Once we have more money we will mount the TV on the wall.

We are the Champions!

Martin thought it would be fun to go hike the "Y" together as a family. He has been hiking it at least once a month to stay in shape for Mountain Rescue. The girls were so excited. Alex told anyone who would listen that she was going to hike the "Y". With the weather clear by Wednesday we decided we better get to it or the weather would turn bad again. I knew it was going to be hard but I thought that I would be okay. Well it was much harder than I remembered but I pushed through and we made it to the top. I would show you my picture to prove it but I am super embarrassed of how red my face is. I am the taking this picture so I was definitely there. We did it! Now Ashlynn really wants to hike to the "G".

Halloween 2009

This year for Halloween Ashlynn was a pirate and Alex wanted to be a vampire. We went to Katie and Dave's for dinner and then trick-or-treating afterwards. The girls were really tired when we got home but I had to wash out Alex's red hair before she could go to sleep. I still have a pink ring around my tub.

Cascade Springs

A couple of weeks ago, while the weather was still nice we decided to take a drive in the canyon and enjoy the last of the good weather. We drove up the Alpine Loop to Cascade Springs. I had never been but it is really nice. It was just fun being with the family in the last of the warm air. The only problem we had was that as soon as we got there Alex was shooing a wasp away from her face so it stung her hand. She felt like it didn't hurt so much if she just held her hand against her chest.

Martin turns 32!

Happy Birthday, to the best husband around. I am so happy you are alive and have decided to make me apart of you life. I love you and hope you have a great birthday.

Welcome to the World Camille Clawson!

Pictures from Alex's 7th Birthday!

Pictures from Ashlynn's 5th Birthday!

First Day of School 2009

Here are Alex and Ashlynn on the first day of school. (Alex is starting second grade and Ashlynn is starting kindergarten.) I can not believe they are both in school.

Alex is 7!

Alex turned 7 today. I am afraid to blink because I know when I open my eyes she will be 18 and going away to college. This year Alex wanted a Nintendo DS for her birthday. I had to combine all $ from grandparents and us in order to get it. Such an expensive gift for such a little girl. Martin had to work today so I decided that we would celebrate her birthday yesterday, let me tell you we celebrated. She wanted to go mini golfing so we went to Liberty land in Lehi. At first we were just going to go golf but apparently it was a better deal to get the unlimited pass. So we went and played laser tag, golf, go carts, bumper boats, and on some inflatable stuff. Alex also went rock climbing...which is something she loves to do. After our hard playing in the hot hot hot sun she wanted to go to dinner at Chili's. Apparently she wanted to have their macaroni and cheese aka Kraft. We got there and ordered and Alex decided she needed to quickly drink 2 glasses of chocolate milk in order to quench her thirst. That just made her sick to her stomach so we promptly got everything to go and left. Jenny and Katie came over for Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream pie that night and then Olivia stayed for a sleep over. All in all I think she has had a fantastic birthday.

I am so glad Alex is apart of our family. She is so smart and responsible. She loves to help around the house and loves to care for people. We love her and hope she has another great year.

Grass

About a month ago Martin and I finally finished the new sprinkler system and laying the sod. I was going to post the results after a couple of dry spots got greener. And then I was going to wait until he cut it for the first time. Delay after delay so I finally just did it. The labor was incredibly back breaking and I am so thankful for a husband that doubles as the incredible Hulk. No matter how hard I tried to keep up and do my share, he really did all the work. I am so happy to have a nice front lawn so I can no longer be embarrassed by what the house looks like. Now the back is a whole other story...

My Baby's 5!

Ashlynn had her 5th birthday today. I can not believe my youngest is that old and will be starting kindergarten soon. I hope she had a good birthday. When I would ask what she wanted she would constantly change her mind or talk about the three cakes she wanted.(She is such a funny girl) I love her so much and am so glad she is apart of my family.

My brother also had his birthday today. I wasn't able to be there but I hear he had fun! I love you Matt!

Kids!!!!

Last Sunday, we did not go to church because Ashlynn had a cold and I wanted her to get over it asap. I always feel bad about missing church because my calling is more Sunday oriented. During the week she recovered while Martin and Alex both started getting sick. Martin became congested and just didn't feel real well all week. Alex started out getting congested and then it all went down hill. Wednesday night she threw up all over herself, her bed, her sister's bed...(Bunk beds have their downfalls, one being when the person throwing up is on the top bunk it is much more messy.) The girls moved into the living room for sleeping while Martin and I tried to clean and disinfect their room. Alex acted sick at first but never threw up again. Today, I thought she must be better because she was eating again, had not thrown up and did not have a fever. With no noticeable signs of sickness I proceeded to get everyone to church. Before church she said her tummy hurt but I assumed it was other problems. We got to church 15 minutes early like always. I went out to get a tithing slip and when I got back one of my counselors was calling me over to our seats. There was Alex with throw up all over herself, the pew, the floor... Why did she just sit there? Why had she not gone to the bathroom? We started to clean her up so we could leave as discreetly as possible when she projectile vomited again. After trying to clean up the area as well as I and Bridgett could, I left and took her. She went into the tub and her clothes into the washing machine. All signs of her throw up are now gone and she is again acting like nothing ever happened. With the amount of torture parents have to put up with it is no wonder parents turn around in later years and embarrass their teenage children...it's just a thought.

California Day 5, 6, and 7

Sunday we went to church with Dad and Lynn. After church all of Martin's family came over to Dad's house for a birthday BBQ in his honor. When everyone was leaving I felt my vision go wavey. Apparently there had been an earthquake in Los Angeles. We found out later that it had registered as a 4.7.

On Monday, we went to Disneyland. The girls were so excited. First up on the agenda were Mickey ears. They both picked out the princess ears and got their names stitched on the back. After that we hit the rides. Trying to do as many of the rides as we possibly could Martin and I would strategize were to go next while waiting in line. After riding the Matterhorn Alex wanted to know if every ride was a roller coaster. She loved it. After Fantasyland and Toon Town we had lunch. Next we hit Tomorrowland. We got in the 25 minute line for Space Mountain. When we were only 5 people away from getting on Ashlynn tells me she does not want to go. I have to ask her to seriously think about it because she can not change her mind after the fact. (I was not waiting in that line again.) Ashlynn and I did not go but Martin and Alex did. He said that when they got off she said "That was Awesome!". I guess she really likes roller coasters now. It was getting close to the closing time for California Adventure so we decided to go over and see if there was anything we really needed to ride on. When we got over there I realized that my cell phone was no longer in my pocket. After that everything went down hill. We were tired and I was cranky. The girls were falling asleep on Martin while I checked a couple of the rides for my phone. We decided to call it a day. I now understand why people feel the need to go to Disneyland for 3 to 5 days...we could never afford it but it would help spread things out a little.

On Tuesday we packed up and headed home. It is so good to get away but at the end of a trip it is so good to come home.

Happy Anniversary!

I know that most people have been celebrating Memorial day today but not Martin and me. Today is our 9 year anniversary. I know that most of you probably think that is still in the newlywed stages, I mean we are still in the single digits, but to us thinking of nine years seems like it should be a reallllly long time. We didn't do anything really special because we just got back for California not that long ago. This morning we worked a little in the yard (it is such a mess) then in the afternoon we went to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. I think the girls really liked it. We went to Chili's for dinner after the movie. It wasn't really a great date since we had the girls with us. Yesterday I asked Martin if he loved me as much as the day we got married. He said that it was a different love. (haha, he always knows the correct answer) I also asked him if he would ever go back...he said he wouldn't trade our girls for anything. I love that man! I am married to a terrific husband and an even better father. I can not wait to see what the future has in store for us.
PS Happy Birthday Nikolas! I hope you had a great one!

California Day 3 and 4: The Wedding

(I stole this picture off of Jenny and David Webb's Blog because we did not take a single picture of the wedding.)

Friday was spent in San Bernadino doing whatever we could to help Linda prepare for Krista's wedding. I spent the morning chopping celery, honeydew, and pineapple. Because there was so much to cut up I did end up cutting my finger slightly but believe me it could have been much worse. Martin and the boys spent the day outside painting and stringing Christmas lights all throughout the backyard for the reception. We did what we could but it was relatively small compared to the huge amount of preparation Linda had been doing for months. I am amazed at all the small details that I would have totally forgotten about if I had been putting the wedding together.

Saturday Krista and Ertle were married. They were sealed in the Los Angeles temple by the same sealer that sealed Linda and Matt. The bride was beautiful and the spirit was strong. I really enjoyed being in the sealing room, everyone dressed in white with all of Martin's family. The reception was beautiful and thankfully not too hot. By the end of the night, the backyard had a magical feel to it with candles glowing, music playing and thousands of Christmas lights strung across the yard. We had planned on helping take down whatever was needed but it was apparently already assigned to people Matt and Linda knew. I have never seen something that took so long to put together, taken apart so very quickly. We got home really late and had to carry the sleeping girls in to bed. Thank goodness we got to sleep in some the next day.

California Day 1 and 2: Driving and Newport Beach

So this past week we were in California. (I am sure Debbie and Helmut have noticed my absence with no blogging on LiveStrong) We left Utah on May 13. The 10 hour drive was better than it could have been since our new car has a DVD player in it. The girls watched movies while Martin and I listened to The Host by Stephenie Meyer on CD. Martin drove most of the way but I did put in a little driving time. I drove from St. George to Primm, Nevada. I mostly drove because I had to. Around Las Vegas, Martin had to call in to the judge for a drivers license hearing.

On Thursday we decided to go to the beach. The girls were so anxious to get there but Martin had certain things he wanted to do first. We had to wash the car, go to the bank for quarters(in order to pay for parking at the beach) and since we were in the area we went to see the house he grew up in. The house looks completely different. You can tell that he feels no more ownership to it since it does not resemble the house he remembers. We finally got to the beach. We decided not to go swimming because the water was a little cold. The girls and Martin went "wading" instead. Somehow, the girls both fell over and got their clothes completely soaked. I saw Ashlynn go down and it was completely funny. The wave knocked her over and she just could not get back up on her own. She looked like a crab on its back.

Most of their time was spent collecting seashells. They were not really picky about shape, color or even if the shell was whole. Some of them came home with us but a lot of them Ashlynn used for white windows for her castle.

Since they did not have enough sand everywhere on their really wet clothes...Martin had to bury them in the sand. I think it must be tradition to bury someone when you are at the beach. Ashlynn seemed a little nervous but Alex was ready to please her dad.


After the beach we had lunch and then went swimming in the hotel heated pool and hot tub. We did a pretty good job covering our bodies with sunscreen except for both Martin's and my feet. His were bright red, while mine just had stripes from my fingers...Oh, well.

Spring Break?

Here is Alex's snowman that she made this afternoon. Yes, it is April 16th and we got dumped on last night. It was crazy. (Side note: No, I did not let Ashlynn play outside in her PJ's)

No Excuse

So I haven't blogged in a very long time. I really have no excuses. I am sure I could come up with a few but no one really wants to hear me whine. Not a whole lot has been different lately. Currently my life is constantly looking to the future. We are really excited to be going down to St. George at the beginning of May for Alexis's baptism. And then after that we will be going to California for Krista's wedding in the middle of May. I am constantly thinking, talking and dreaming about our small vacations because I am very excited to escape my boring, predictable life.

Easter has come and gone. Not a whole lot of picture taking took place because of different things that happened....complain, whine. I will down load what I got and see if any are worth posting later.

The thing I really wanted to blog about is related to Krista's wedding. So ever since Linda called to tell us that it was official, I have been preparing. I had to loss some weight before the wedding. The last two weddings I was in that had my picture taken I looked horrible. At my father-in-law's I was eight months pregnant. And then at my sister, Katie's I had had Ashlynn only three days before. I was determined to look good. I started working out every day. But it was only until lately that I really started watching what I ate and my caloric intake for each day. I weigh myself only once a week, on Sundays. Yesterday I had finally lost 10 pounds from where I had started. I am so excited. I just hope now that it stays off for another month.

Turn Back Time

Well I am officially 30 now. I had birthday celebrations all week long, just the way I like it. My mom was here for my birthday which was really nice. We all hung out all day, not doing a whole lot. We went to lunch and shopping without buying to much. The weather was really nice on Wednesday so we all got a little sun sitting outside while we let the kids play and jump on the trampoline. We went out for dinner at Applebees and then came home for Martin-made Porcel Torte to top the night off. (It was very yummy.)

On Friday Katie and Dave watched the girls so Martin and I could go out for my birthday alone. We went and saw the movie Race to Witch Mountain and then went out to the Macaroni Grill for dinner. We had to bring home a piece of chocolate cake because Ashlynn almost had a melt down that morning when she was told the Porcel Torte was all gone. Martin and the girls gave me two new CD's since my new car has a CD player. (the jeep did not) I also bought the movie Twilight on Saturday morning. I am very spoiled and love to drag out my birthday but I don't think I will be able to get away with it for any more days so I am calling it to a close. I suppose all good things must come to an end.

Our New Baby!

So we have been talking about getting a new car for a very long time now. The subject usually gets heightened by any upcoming trips. Before we went to Colorado we had a very serious discussion about getting a new car but felt way to rushed. We started to feel as if our trip to California is just around the corner so of course we began once again talking about getting a new car. Martin wants to make sure we get to California safely...I am a little more naive and think we could just make it on faith alone. I know that is not very practical and so that is how we came to getting our new Nissan Armada. When everything was hypothetical we would always say we were going to get a Dodge Durango. It was one of the first things we test drove and immediately we knew that was not the car for us. With Martin putting his seat completely back so he fits, the girls could not put their feet down. They sat cross legged the entire time. The Armada has tons of room and Martin doesn't feel cramped whatsoever.

It is a full sized SUV so it has three rows of seats. Leather seats, which I always said I would not get because they are either too hot or too cold. For the too cold the solution is seat warmers. They make your buns nice and toasty.

I really don't know why I took this picture but this is what I see most often while I am in the car. It drives really smoothly and goes really fast. One thing I like is the dual air control because if Martin is just right that means I am freezing cold.

So the second day we went back we were test driving some other Armadas they had found for us. The first one did not have the DVD players in the head rests. I look back while we are driving and Alex is crying because she wants the car with the DVD player in it. Such a drama queen. She also started to cry when we left the Jeep at the dealership and continually said she was afraid we had left something in there. All in all I think we are all excited about our new car, even Alex.

Nothing New

Well, I knew this would happen. I have nothing to say so I have not blogged for almost a month. I feel like such a loser! Nothing has really changed here. I am constantly just taking care of my kids, doing stuff for primary, and with Valentines day coming up I get to do Alex's school party.

This year for Valentines day, Katie and I have switched baby sitting. Since Martin works that night, I will watch Andrew for Katie and Dave and than maybe later they will watch the girls for us.

Martin and I have never really celebrated Valentines day. The first few years we were together, we were down in California helping out at the flower shop. We would spend maybe half an hour together for lunch and that would be it all day until we would come back to the house and sit around from exhaustion. If you really want to feel the excitement of Valentines day, work in a flower shop. I loved being surrounded by red, white and pink. My nose was delighted all day with the smell of roses. I loved helping people find the perfect something for their perfect someone. Martin and I might not have been able to spend a ton of time together on a day meant for loved ones but it didn't matter. I knew he loved me by the way he would smile at me from the back while he was loading more flowers onto his truck. Sometimes I miss the simple life.

Happy Birthday Katie!

Well today is Katie's 25th birthday. She has had to share her birthday with other family members most of her life. Happy birthday to Helmut! Happy Birthday to Tim! Katie is not only my baby sister, she is one of my best friends. She is fun, creative and has a great listening ear. She is also a great mom. I hope that you have a great birthday, Katie.