How can I turn back the hands of time?????

I have a confession. The kids & I did not go to church today. Brayden wasn't been feeling well & I didn't feel like contaminating the 500 kids that are in our ward! Of course I am exaggerating the 500 kids thing, more like 300! :) Kiley is gone on a rotation in Corpus Christi for a month & so I am a single parent for the time being!
So, what on earth did I do ALL day long with 3 kids & nothing to do......we TRY to not watch TV on Sundays & so that makes the day DDDDDDDDRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! I am not kidding, I looked at the clock at around 9:45ish this morning & then, what felt like 3 hours later, I glanced up at the clock & it was BARELY 10:30! Me, being the genius that I am & really not wanting to have to do any entertaining for a while, decided to pull out the old family videos. The boys LOVED them! It was so fun to see them react to themselves as babies & then as little toddlers. I was searching the house for a Dramamine-home videos make me so nauseous & dizzy! Normally I would go & do my own thing while they were busy with the TV, but I was enjoying it just as much as they were! Despite filling so queasy, I really enjoyed watching the movies & being able to remember my boys as cute little babies & toddlers. It also made me feel OLD & made me realize that time does just fly & it is so important to enjoy the NOW because LATER is just around the corner!

Happy Birthday Brady Bug!

Today is my sweet Braydens 5th Birthday! What a big boy he is! I clearly remember the day he was born! He is our sweet boy--sometimes we tease him & tell him he should have been a girl cause he cries so much, but he is tough & can really hold his own! He is a great helper when he wants to be & would do anything for his big bro & his baby sister! He has the best smile ever & the most irresistible lips! Our family would not be complete with out Mr. Brayden! We sure to love you bud!

One Month Old!

5 Years Old!

For breakfast, Brayden choose donuts! For those of you who know me well, this is not something I would normally do, but it is one of his favorite treats, so I figured it wouldn't kill us!

I made cupcakes, with his help, & took them to his school today. He was so excited & passed them all out to his classmates.

He & Teagen had piano lessons today, so right after they were done we headed to Mc Donalds. We celebrated his birthday last week with a bunch of his friends before Kiley left out of town (will post that party later), so today was pretty low key! He loved his new Planet Hero Guys!

There is a song by the Dixie Chicks called Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) that will forever make me think of my sweet Brayden (Teagen, too)! When ever I would drive from AZ to UT by myself with the two boys, it seems this CD was always part of the drive & this song would come on. I never get tired of listening to it! It says alot about how I feel about my boys!

Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)written by Radney Foster

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"

Pirate's sail and lost boys fly

Fish bite moonbeams every night

And I love you

Godspeed, little manSweet dreams, little man

Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings

GodspeedSweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out

Superman's in pajamas on the couch

Goodnight moon, we'll find the mouse

And I love you

Godspeed, little manSweet dreams, little man

Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings

GodspeedSweet dreams

God bless mommy and match box cars

God bless dad and thanks for the stars

God hears "Amen," wherever we are

And I love you

Fun day at the park & Sea World!

A few Saturdays ago, we woke up fairly early (not really), but early enough that we decided to load up the car with bikes, scooters, jogger stroller, & roller blades & head out to a fun park to get some exercise. We went to OP Schnabel Park-it has lots of different trails to run, ride, walk, skip, jump, etc., through! Kiley & I roller bladed, Teagen rode his bike, Brayden tried to ride his scooter, but didn't last too long & then jumped in the stroller with Liv for a fun ride! We had a fantastic time & it really made me reflect back to the glorious days living in Arizona & rollerblading all of the time with great friends to lots of different parks! Those were some good times! After the park, we decided to head over to Sea World to catch a few shows & then swim. The boys are both big enough to ride The Atlantis. Brayden couldn't wait, but Teagen was a bit apprehensive about it! Kiley convinced him to do it & then ended up going on it a couple of times in a row! They loved it & to this day still talk about when they get to ride it with me! Hopefully they are warming up to riding bigger rides & will be ready to ride the Steel Eel next year! Liv & I played in the Lazy River for a little while & then she was ready to crash in the stroller! She was EXHAUSTED! It was a very long, but very fun day!

Liv loves her big brother, Brayden!

About 2 weeks ago (I know, I am terrible at keeping up with my blog), Liv, Brayden, & I were hanging out waiting for the bus to come to pick Brayden up for school. Liv wanted to sit with Brayden & then she wanted to sit ON Bradyen. It was so cute! She isn't usually very cuddly, so Brayden was eating it all up! Cute Kids!

Happy Birthday Old Man!

Kiley turned 32 on Monday, September 1st! I wish that I could say that I got up early, made him an amazing breakfast, waited on him all day long, gave him a wonderful back massage, and made all of his dreams come true.......but that would be a lie! I was such a slacker! I think going out of town threw me off! He pretty much got up before I did, got the kids their breakfast, pulled weeds & mowed the lawn, & didn't really complain too much about it! We did take the kids swimming & then had a little gathering with some friends. I hate to admit it, but I even sent him out to get his own birthday present! What kind of wife am I!? I promise I will make it up to you next year babe! Hey, at least I made a deeeelish cake! I love you!!!!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.....YIPEEEEEE!

Okay, I seriously have some major confessing to do. I LOVE WHEN MY KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL! I know that sounds terrible, but it is true. I am sure, actually I am positive, that most of you reading this feel the same way as I do. This summer was full of lots of great moments, but let me tell you what-it was pretty darn long & hot & BORING, except for a few trips (thank heavens!). I am realizing that life runs more smoothly when we are all on a schedule & have things that HAVE to be done.

Brayden started Pre K this year. He goes to school every day. We walk to the bus stop at 11:15 & he is gone until 3:05. I did shed a tear or two when he hopped on the bus. I still think of him as my baby at times & so believe it or not, with how excited I am about having them in school, I still was emotional!

Teagen is in Second Grade. I must say, I think I started counting down the days when school would resume the day school got out back in May! He truly loves school, maybe not for the learning part of it, but definitely for the social! He is a great reader & loves math! He just hates doing anything that I tell him to do????? Still haven't figured that one out yet!

My goal is to walk Teagen to school every morning. The boys like to ride their scooters. So far, in the last 2 weeks, we have only driven twice. I try to get up early to get my work out over & done with so that I can utilize the rest of the day. Liv takes a great afternoon nap, so I get to do things like sit at my computer & update this darn blog! :) I have lots of projects & goals to accomplish, but I am taking everything a day at a time!

Both boys started piano lessons yesterday! It may be a challenge with Teagen, but Brayden LOVES it!

Weekend in Austin, Texas!

We decided to take a quick trip up to Austin this past weekend. It was so much fun! We went up with our good friends, the Meiers. We went as soon as Kiley got home from work Friday afternoon. It is about an 1 1/2 hour drive, not too bad! I desperately wanted to stop at the Outlets on our way up, but I had to refrain! No MON, No FUN! That's what my mom used to say to me an awful lot growing up! Anyhow, back to Austin. We stayed in a hotel just a few miles away from the city. Ate dinner at a funky restaurant-good tacos & great live music! Liv rocked out to it & entertained the crowd! We tried to make it to the Congress Bridge where millions of bats fly out at dusk, but the sweet drunk lady at the restaurant gave me the wrong directions & we missed it by minutes! Next time! We went back to the hotel & swam our little hearts out! The following day we headed back into the city. We went to Zilker Park & rode a fun train, ate some good pizza, then swam in the river pool. We didn't get to do everything that I had hoped, but that just means we'll have to go again! I just have to throw in that those of you who know my husband well, probably figured out that we had to get back home so that he could watch at least half of the BYU game! Love you babe!

Utah part 2!

This is me, happy to be in Utah and happy to be done with the marathon!!

Okay, so I have this addiction. I LOVE to read up on everyone & any ones blogs. I must admit, I do it too much. I should be UPDATING my own, but seem to tell myself after spending hours (okay I am exaggerating a bit) blog hopping or what ever you want to call it, blog surfing, etc., that I will update tomorrow. Tomorrow never seems to come, so even though it is after 10pm ( I should be in bed, 5:45 am comes pretty early) I have decided to grace you all with an update! I must go back in time however, so this may be a bit long!

Utah-

Our trip to Utah was a blast! In fact, I really didn't want to leave. Whenever asked the question, "do you think you guys will end up in Utah?" I have always quickly responded with, "NO WAY! We will visit, but I can not live there." However, after this trip, I have decided to re-evaluate my absoluteness of never moving back there. It is so beautiful & who can argue with the weather---I guess anything NOT HUMID, is pretty great to me and it cools down at night if it is hot! So now if asked that question, I will have to respond with a maybe.

The last two weeks of the trip were filled with fun family outings, play dates, hiking, swimming, sleepovers, roasting marshmallows & making Smores, went to the Highland Fling parade & watched the amazing firework show, attended the extended Oscarson Family Reunion & much more, but I am too tired to remember what at this time! We spent a lot of time with family & tried to get together with some good friends as much as possible. It always seems that the last week is the busiest & I always try to cram in WAY TOO MUCH! Oh well, I am sure it will happen next time, too! It was so fun to visit withfamily & friends. Thanks Haley for the fun afternoon. It was good to catch up!

We went to the Hoogle Zoo with my Sister In Law, Manda Panda & her roommate Charcole! It was sure hot, but loads of fun! My littls sis, Ashley & our nephew Ethan came along, too. The kids had a great time!

We got together with our awesome friends, Paul & Jess & their adorable kids! Thanks for the nummy BBQ~ we sure love you guys & can't wait for that cruise! :)

It was so fun to see our good friends, the Wrights! We had a heck of a time hooking up, but managed & I am so glad! Thanks for the Pizza & for the fun time at the park! Congrat's on the new baby!!!

Jen & Courtney
We also got together with my dear friend Angie & her kiddo's! Always fun to reminisce & am so grateful that we still manage to keep in touch after all these years! It is so fun too to see our kids play together. We are growing up way too fast! Love ya, Ang! Thanks for hanging out with me!

Brayden, Christina, Teagen, Livy, Nikki, & Faith
My sweetest friend Becca took me out to Cheesecake Factory---NUMMY! I enjoyed our late nights hanging out & also swimming & slip-n-sliding with all our kids! You are the best!

Livy decided one day to get into my Vaseline. Brayden had come to get me & told me that she had my lip stuff, so I didn't think much of it. When I went into the room, there she was, smiling so proudly! She pretty much had washed her hair with the Vaseline. It was so gross & oily! It took a few days before it was completely out. I had to just laugh! These pictures are my classic Livy Girl!

Teagen also turned 7 while we were in Utah. We had a big dinner & cake & ice cream in grandma & grandpa's big back yard! Lots of family & a few friends came by. He got lots of Lego's & some other fun things. It is hard to believe that my little Teagen is 7!

Liv had to put on the cute red cowgirl boots! What a babe!

We went to the Highland Fling Parade (it was the day before Teagen's birthday). Liv had a good time! She was so cute with her little baby doll. The boys had a blast, especially cause there was TONS of candy!

And of course, it is ALWAYS so great to be with family, both my side & Kiley's side! I hate missing out on all the get togethers, but LOVE when we do get to be there!!! The boys hang out a lot with their cousin Ethan who is pretty much their bro as well! He is the cute little Hawaiian boy in all the pics! We sure love Ethan!

Aunt Lala & Aunt Ashley took the boys hiking & up to the Gateway Mall. The boys had a blast! Thanks Lala & Ashpash!

We hiked up to Donut Falls a few days before we headed home. We went up with my mom, my two sisters & one of my sister in laws. It was so fun & the kids were great!


Oscarson Family Reunion! It was fun to see cousins that I hadn't seen for a while! The reunion was at the PG Pool & so the kids LOVED that they got to go swimming. It was Brayden's first time going off the diving board. He couldn't get enough of it! Swim lessons this summer apparently passed off!

We sure had a fabulous time! Thanks mom & dad for letting us crash at your house for a whole whoppin month! Making smores & all the family bbqs/picnics were a blast! Thanks dad for taking the boys swimming, Mc D's, the Pet shop, & the Nickel Cade many times! They may not say it or show it, but they are grateful (and I am too, sure enjoyed the nightly breaks) & they sure do love you!

Last but not least, we obviously survived the LONG drive home. My little sister, Angela (aka-Lala) drove back with me. It was long, but the kids were great! No major problems & it sure was good to sleep in my own bed! We miss Utah-all of our wonderful family & friends, but it sure is nice to be home. We look forward to our next visit.....maybe Thanksgiving time?????