our little SWEET AND SASSY lady...

So the past couple of days I have been alittle bit sad about how fast our little baby girl is growing up. Everyday she looks older and bigger to me. She is 1 going on 16. She definitly has got her own agenda. She loves baby dolls and pushing around her shopping cart. Her most favorite thing in the whole world is shoes...I have no idea where she got that!!!! all day long she is bringing me shoes, then she will turn her back to me as a clue for me to pick her up so that I can properly put on her shoes for her. Yesterday she brought me some of bradens spongebob square pants underwear so that she could try them on. It was a fabulous sight to see. If you can picture it, she had a chocolate pudding mustache, some slippers that were way too small for her and some sponge bob underwear on over her diaper. I think after yesterdays outfit she will for sure be in fashion design. She loves to let me do her hair and She loves to have her toe nails painted. She is the sweetest little girl and so easy to love and take care of. You never hear a peep out of her until her brother is trying to steal a toy....she is definitly not a push over...thats why I call her the sweet and sassy little lady. These pictures are a few of her as she has grown the past year and a half....enjoy!!!

HOORAY FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!!

I love this time of year....the summer is on its way out, the leaves will start turning soon and most of all, college football has begun. The greatest memories I have from growing up were watching BYU football. My dad is a huge cougar fan and made us girls huge fans too....we really had no choice cause we only had one t.v. so we were forced to watch, but I must say at least I now have an appreciation for some good old college football. Josh is probably more excited then I am. We will be cheering on our favorite teams...ASU and BYU. Hopefully they can get to a bowl game this season!!!!

Just thought this was cute...

Braden mowing the lawn with josh... Josh mowing the lawn when he was super cute and little

Just was looking at some pictures and stumbled across this one of josh mowing the lawn when he was little, then I remembered we have the exact same one of braden...so I thought it was blog worthy...:)

These pictures alone will reduce teenage pregnancy.....

AAAAhhhhh yes, the joys of motherhood. Need I say anymore? You know I have often heard people say "be careful what you wish for"...did I ever listen? NO. The other day I was whining and complaining through many texts messages to my poor busy husband that I was in fact "BORED". As I was sitting having a, in my mind, very appropriate pitty party, I realized that I didn't know what my two very curious little children were up to. I also realized that they were very quiet. When I found them I almost passed out. After seeing the mess and seeing the fun they were having sliding around in yoke, Braden decided it would be even more fun to throw an egg at his "bored" mommy. All I have to say is thank goodness for lysol wipes.

Mackenzie is FINALLY walking!!!!

My much needed get away....

I know this doesn't look like a pony...Braden was just doing some "mutten busten" Isn't the jam so pretty?

These are my first four loafs of bread....one of them I made into a cinnamon roll loaf


I am a bit late posting this but still wanted to anyways. For the fourth of July, and our anniversary, Josh and I took the kids up to beautiful utah to visit with both aunt Amys. We had a great time. Josh, the kids and I were introduced to Amy's new boyfriend Eric. He is a great guy and fun to be around. I also was lucky enough to go to lunch with amy on her birthday. It was alot of fun. Mackenzie and I really enjoyed our lunch with the birthday girl. The next night I went up to Amy's birthday party in South Jordan. Meghan threw the party for her...it was a great party with alot of her closest friends there. It was alot of fun seeing Meghan up there too. Since I was staying with my sister amy in pleasant grove, she offered to watch the kids while I went to the party. I love my kids, but it is nice to be alone sometimes. :) Another couple highlights of my trip were going to Thanksgiving point to the animal farm. It was a super hot day but we had alot of fun. The kids got to ride the ponies there. Braden had a blast!!! I also was taught by my BROTHER IN LAW David how to make jam. I have always wanted to learn and this was a great opportunity for me. We made strawberry jam. It was so much fun and so much easier than I had thought it would be. I will always laugh whenever I make jam because I will remember that my "macho" brother-in-law taught me how. Thanks dave!! Once I got home to durango, I started teaching myself how to make homemade bread. It is a lot of fun. I have lately become extremely cheap and obsessed with trying to stretch a dollar. I think that if I can do something, or make something myself I will do it. It only costs me $.84 to make one loaf of bread. I know thats not saving much and some may think its not worth the trouble, but its a great way to get out aggression :) also, it makes me feel like I accomplished something. This summer has also been "the summer of chocolate covered strawberries". I am absolutely obsessed with making them...there are so easy and absolutely delicious. Josh doens't complain one bit....he likes them more than I do. If I keep basing all of my new hobbies around bread and chocolate I will be over 500 pounds soon....I better take up running or something.

a nation without heros is nothing.....

Josh lately has been recording all of the band of brothers movies on t.v. and it has been driving me nuts because it takes up so much of my dvr space. I feel alittle bit stupid and ungrateful for complaining now. I got this story from my friend rushele and it really hit home. I think as americans we can sometimes forget how lucky we are to have the freedoms that enjoy...we also forget who won us those freedoms. When I lived in arizona I would often complain of senior citizens driving too slow in their golf carts in front of me....but I think if we realized that most of those men and women that sometimes frustrate us gave up so much for our freedom, we would react differently. Here is a good story, I don't know if its true or not, but it makes you think.
We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers. Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know> who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem .." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this. Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center . No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right.Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward> this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans. Rest in peace, Shifty. "A > nation without heroes is nothing."> (Roberto > Clemente)

Our story....

Tomorrow Josh and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary....I can't believe it. Time has flown by. Since we will be on the road to utah tomorrow, I thought I should post this today. For as long as I can remember, I have had a huge crush on Joshua Fenn. Since the day I laid my eyes on him in primary, I was in love. I remember in elementary school wanting to go over to the side of the play ground that he was on to just stare at him...and strut my stuff. I remember caring what I wore to school so that he would notice me. I remember in third grade I got these really cool L.A. gear shoes. I called them my michael Jackson shoes cause they were white and had alot of silver buckles on them....(R.I.P. michael) anyways. I remember being so excited to wear them to school cause I was sure he would notice me then. Time went on and Josh and his family moved up to the moutains. Our families got together a few times while they lived there. A bit later his family moved really far away to arizona and out of my life. I was sure I would never see him again. I would often hear about him and think, "man that josh fenn is so hot." A few more years went by. I went on a mission. Three months before I was finishing my mission, my mom suggested in an email that I write to Josh Fenn cause he was single....lets just say I jumped on that. I wrote him asking him if he remembered me at all. he promptly wrote back.....Josh and I continued to write back and forth for the last three months of my mission. We did our dating pretty much through letters. I still remember the day that Josh signed his letter "love, Josh". I got home from my mission on april 8, 2004. We were engaged to be married on May 1, 2004 and married on July 2, 2004. I love you big daddy. You mean the world to me. Look how far we have come in five years. I am grateful that you are my eternal companion....Happy anniversary Joshua Ryan Fenn.

Josh and Braden

Josh and Mackenzie

Braden actually volunteered......

Braden has always kicked and screamed while getting a hair cut. I even would take him to this cute little salon just for kids that had candy, a cool car to sit in and a movie to watch. He would fight it there too. I would get home and he looked like he had cut his own hair....and i had just spent about twenty bucks. So I decided to just do it myself. I would take Josh and I both to do a simple buzz cut. Josh would have to hold him still while he screamed and kicked and faught. Well the other day Braden was sitting on my lap and I was playing with his hair and I said, "Braden, I think its about time for another hair cut." Usually he would run for the hills when he heard those words. I don't know what happened but he got up and went outside and sat in the chair we have out there and said "mommy hair cut" We couldn't believe our ears...I ran and got the clippers. Josh started to cut his hair and he didn't make a PEEP!!!! Here are a few pictures of his hair cut and the fabulous reward afterwards.

Caught in the act!!!!

So I have proof that my child is, from what I hear, a perfectly normal little boy. I couldn't resist taking this picture the other night because it was just too funny and I am starting a collection of black mail photos for when he is older. Can you resist those precious buns?

Our trip to Silverton

This morning Josh and I decided that we need to be doing something every weekend during our way too short time here in Durango. There is so much to do and see. There is a little town right by us here called Silverton. Silverton is an old mining town. Its alot like Tombstone, but nicer. Its only about a 45 minute drive or so. We thought today would be a great time to go check it out so we did. We packed a picnic lunch and grabbed sweatshirts and headed out....thats right I said sweatshirts. It was in the 60's there today. (I never thought that I would be dressing in jeans in the summer.) The drive up was absolutely breath taking. At one point we were up at 10,600 feet. We saw snow up on the mountain tops. I think I enjoyed the drive up and back more than the actual town itself. There wasn't much to do but go into little shops and stuff. We just walked around, looked at a huge steam engine close up and ate at a fabulous little restaurant called "The shady lady". It was my type of place...When I saw it I thought "wow, they named a restaurant after me..hum."
This is a picture of a hot spring we found on the side of the road.
The kids and I at a waterfall we found on the way.

We found the local ward building...it was super tiny. I don't imagine there are very many memebers in such a small town.

The fabulous shady lady. It was an interesting place. We had some fries and root beer floats. We heard the shady lady herself saying that in the late 1800's there were 32 brothels within three blocks. The shady lady was the last one standing. It was turned into a restaurant in 1947.

Mackenzie and I enjoying our little field trip.

Josh and the kids in front of the scary steam engine.

Here is a picture I took as we were coming into town. It is sooo small. You can see the entire city.

Here is a pretty picture of the view.

Snow!!!!!

More pretty moutains.

ATTENTION all moms!! Is this normal for a little boy?

OK so our little guy Braden has been potty training for the last month or two. Back in may, Josh took him to the father and sons camp out and thought that it would be a great time to teach him to pee out in the great outdoors....like real men. So of course, being the great and supportive wife that I am, I had no problem with a little male bonding. Well here are a few questions for those fabulous ladies out there that have raised little guys before:

1. Is it normal for them to drop their pants at a CROWDED park and pee off the end of the slide.....daily?

2. Is it normal for them to insist on running out in the front yard in only their unmentionables?

3. How do you get them potty trained for during the night? Pull ups are only made in so many sizes you know!

4. How do you convince them that its really not cool to poop in your big boy underwear?

5. and last, how do you convince them that if you don't wear any underwear you will have a horrible rash and want to die?

Yesterday, I was sitting in the living room with the kids enjoying a wonderful episode of curious george and Braden stood up and started pulling down his pants much like he would at the park to pee openly. So, I asked, "Braden, what cha doin?". He of course didn't say anything. He was simply taking off his underwear for some weird reason, then put his shorts back on. I thought that was a bit odd. He continued through the day without underwear on...he refused.....now I don't know if this may be just some rebellion or some kind of cool club in nursery...who knows. I finally told him that mommy thinks its a great idea to wear underwear and when is a big boy and dresses himself he can go commando if he wishes, but until then, we are part of the underwear lovers club. Is this normal? Is there more wacky things to come? HELP!!!!!!

and you guessed it......more pictures

mackenzie and grandpa enjoying a day at the park.

Braden and Mackenzie on her birthday

Mackenzie in her pretty green birthday dress for st. patricks day

Mackenzie at Jeremy's wedding enjoying a delicious strawberry

Braden acting cool in daddy's glasses

Just some random pics of the kids. I have alot of picture catch up to do, so there will be alot of random pictures.

just some pictures for fun

Braden and daddy's day out with Thomas

Last weekend Braden and Josh went down to the local train station here in town and had a fun day out with Thomas the tank engine. The weather was perfect like always here in colorado. They had so much fun....Braden came home with a fabulous thomas tattoo which I told him if he ever thinks about getting a real one of those it had better say mom inside of a heart or something. Josh told Braden that Thomas had to go take a nap so all week when we pass the train station braden has to remind me that "Thomas is sleeping".....though yesterday he decided that thomas was taking a bath...oh well. We are really starting to finally get adjusted up here. We love the weather. We have only had one visitor so far....come on people.