The Mortensen's

January 2012

2012-01-11T20:21:00.002-06:00

Well, I kind of bombed on keeping this up to date at all last year. I had good intentions, but with Kiley deployed for half the year & then coming home & life going full speed, I just couldn't keep up. So my goal for this year is to blog once a month, at the end of each month. I will update for January in a few more weeks. 2011 was a good year for our family. It was so nice to reunite & be a whole family once again. We took lots of trips, drove thousands, THOUSANDS of miles this past summer. Got to visit with family & friends. Had visitors. Went to Great Wolf Lodge twice. Lots of BYU games. Good family fun! Looking forward to what 2012 will bring!

Easter Sunday Pictures!

2011-04-25T12:25:00.003-05:00

Had to get some pictures of my cute kids! Livy can not help buy make faces when ever she has her picture taken! Sometimes it is so funny, but other times I just want ONE normal pictures! I know, I think in most pictures I am pulling some sort of face, but if you tell me to stop & smile, I will! This girl beats to her own drum......and we LOVE it! :)

EASTER Festivities...

2011-04-25T10:40:00.007-05:00

Honestly, I didn't have it in me this year to be too crazy for this holiday. Although we did go to 4 easter egg hunts & spent some great time with friends, I just was a bit down all weekend! I really have missed Kiley & although we only have 8, maybe 9 weeks left, it seems a life time away! I am really kind of tired of having to be the one do do everything & make all the decisions about everything & just really can't wait till I have my trusty side-kick back & helping me with everything! I know, whine, whine, whine, right?!!??!?! But hey, I'm just sayin!

We did manage to have some fun & Brayden said yesterday, "This was the best day ever, but would have been better if dad was here!" Amen Brayden!

Pictures with mom! My boys like to think they are good photographers & took some shots of me & the girls! I think there were like 4o of them! Yikes!

The girls in their adorable Easter PJ's! Liv's came with a mini night gown for her baby doll!

Our wonderful friends invited us over for a yummy easter feast! I didn't get pictures taken of all the yummy food, but believe me, it was tasty!!! The kids had a blast playing & being crazy with their friends! I enjoyed sitting back & relaxing with great friends!

Kids eating their favorite Ring Pops! I detest those things, but what do ya do!!!???

We let the eggs dry over night, so Easter morning we colored & decorated them!

The Family Readiness on Base had someone donate 25 easter baskets. So I just put all that I had in with the ones from the military! Quite the loot!

Teagen's was on the basketball hoop, one of his most favorite past times!

Brayden's was in the game closet!

Livs was hidden in the dryer!

Brielle found hers in the closet with all the baby dolls!

Easter Morning! First clue in the annual Scavenger hunt for the easter baskets!

Brielle made messes with the tupperware & was trying to throw everything in the garbage while we were all distracted with the egg dying!

Coloring Easter Eggs! Always a fun event!

My friend invited us to her Church Easter Party. I didn't get any pictures of the boys! They were too dang fast!

Livy was not too thrilled about it, but Brielle was very interested!!!

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt!! Always a lot of fun!

Luckily my good friend Laura had her iphone & took some pictures for me!

Liv's MDO Easter Egg Hunt....I brought my new camera to take some fab pictures & of course, didn't have the memory card in it! So had to take a few pictures at the car!

The birthday Girls!!!!

2011-02-16T23:47:00.005-06:00

ThE bIrThDaY gIrLs!!!

I knew that I had some pictures of Brielle & I on the EVE of our birthdays! I had been shopping all day long with Kathryn at the outlets, so I look WORN out & believe you & me....I WAS!!

Cutest OnE year old EVER!

Of course I had to thrown in a picture of Brielle with our most favorite Kathryn EVER! And Anna Banana, too!

SnOw DaY!

2011-02-04T10:51:00.001-06:00

Yes, It snowed here in Texas in the wee hours of the night. Woke up to a "dusting" of snow on the ground. The Schools are closed, the YMCA is closed, major roads are closed, banks are closed! Now I do have to say that the roads may be a little bit icy, but really, such extreme measures for such an extremely disappointing winter storm! Any how, took a few pix to show y'all our first real snow fall since living here (been over 4 1/2 years now)!

Cute pix of the newly turned one year old.....

2011-02-04T10:38:00.004-06:00

These are just some fun pictures I took on Brielle's birthday! She is such a funny little stinker! She loves the IPHONE & can actually play with some of the apps on it! So cute to watch her swipe the screen to change it to something else! Are we in trouble or what!?!?! I love this little girl & have enjoyed having her as my last! Now if only I could slow the hands of time down & keep her cute & sweet forever!

My Baby is OnE!

2011-02-01T09:57:00.009-06:00

January 18th, 2010-With our Fave Dr. & Friend, Kathryn

A year later...such a cutie bug!

Brielle Kathryn Mortensen was born January 18th, 2010----which just so happens to be my birthday as well! It was sort of a bitter sweet day....my dear friend & the one who happened to deliver Brielle, showed up a few days before with her girls to surprise us & be here on our birthday to celebrate with us...that was the sweet. The bitter was obviously the fact that Kiley is in Iraq & not here to celebrate & also that my baby is oNe! I want her to stay little FoReVeR!

At the age of one, Brielle:

*still has NO teeth, not a single one, but can pretty much eat what ever she wants!

*hasn't really taken ANY interest in walking--she'll cruise around the furniture, but has no desire to let go! I'll take that....want my baby to stay a baby for a little longer!

*is a GREAT sleeper! Takes a good 2-3 hour nap & goes down to bed around 6:30pm & sleeps until 7am!

*isn't quite 20 lbs yet, smallest child in our family by far--I'll take it cause like I said earlier, I want her to stay a baby as long as possible!

*loves to cuddle & rock her baby dolls-she's gonna be a good mommy one day!

*adores her big sis except when she is being carried around like a baby doll!

*is starting to throw little mini tantrums! Hard to not laugh when she does cause they are so cute & come on, she's one years old! Tantrums shouldn't start for a few more months! :)

*loves to play with any phone & will put it up to her ear & say HI!

*knows how to work my iphone! I need to get it on video....pretty darn funny & cute!

*loves to skype with daddy on the computer! She literally gets so excited when she sees him & she just gives him her best cheesy toothless grin!

*has been my BEST baby! So easy going, fun, & sweet!

I love that I get to share my birthday with this special little girl! I truly am so blessed to have such wonderful children & so grateful that my LAST baby is so sweet & so good! What a good way to end! :)

We went to Texas Roadhouse with Kathryn & her girls for our birthday dinner. That was interesting! Too many crazy kids to take to a place like that! But we survived & came back home for cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches & presents! Brielle was above & beyond TIRED & so she really was grumpy. In fact, Teagen tried to help her with the cupcake & she lost it! It was pretty funny!

Kiley was very sweet & sent me a few fun gifts & had my favorite flowers delivered on my birthday! It was fun to skype with him & share part of the day with him....even if he was just a face on the computer screen!

Skyping with her daddy on her birthday! Thank goodness for Technology!

It's hard to believe that a year has gone by since my last birthday! What a crazy year it has been!

Rolling back a few months.....

2011-01-24T21:11:00.011-06:00

So I let myself try & get it together the first month of the new year & then when February comes around, I PLAN to get all my new years goals a rollin! Obviously like every single year, keeping the blog up to date is one of my "must do's". Hopefully I can keep up with it, especially since our lives are SO exciting (hint of sarcasm there)! I am thinking these first few catch up posts are gonna be pictures cause I know that is pretty much what most people want to see when they check out blogs.....who knows, you may not even be reading this lovely paragraph that I am typing right now! :)

Kiley put this play set together just before he left to Iraq. I did my best to help him, but then he needed to call a friend over to help....I just was too much for him! :) Actually, I had to keep the girls distracted & out of the way. But I like to think I was just too good at what I do & he needed someone more on his level! :)

One final project for Kiley the day before he left.....I have a tendency to hit the side of the garage every now & then when trying to park my beastly car. Luckily there is never a whole lot of damage, just have to replace the strip you can see him doing in the pictures. I've only done it twice now! Hopefully twice is enough! Isn't he so dang cute!? I sure miss him!

We had this cement pad put in right before Kiley left & had them cement in a basket ball hoop for the kids. TEAGEN LOVES IT! Can't wait to show his dad how much he has improved since he's been gone!

Had to decorate the Christmas Tree BEFORE Kiley left, so we litterally did it 2 days before he took off to Iraq. Teagen was the lucky one to put the star on with his daddy!

Brielle enjoyed stuffing her face while we all decorated the tree!

Took the kids bowling after we went to Build A Bear! Always a fun family activity!

We took the kids to Build A Bear shortly before Kiley left to Iraq. We weren't sure the boys would really appreciate it, but turned out they LOVED it, especially Teagen! Kiley recorded sweet messages to each one of the kids. It was a fun night, one I think we'll all treasure

Random pics...I think these were taken right before we went to Build A Bear!

The story of my life! It looks like Brielle is smiling in this pic with Olivia....however if you could hear her, you'd know that was not a smile! Liv thinks she is the mom of Brielle & therefore thinks she can tote her all around the house! Brielle is not a big fan!

Dinner with our favorite Nelson Family! We sure had a good time! It was beautiful weather when we first got there, but then an hour or two later, it dropped 20 degrees! It was COLD!

Thanksgiving morning at the annual Turkey Bowl. Kiley felt like he was the bomb diggity! He played a good game for a man pushing 35! :)

Kids Turkey Bowl! My good friend Aubrey decided to head up the kids turkey bowl. Teagen is so competitive & so I had to beat him up a few times! All in all, they had a lot of fun!

Had our family photos taken by a good friend of mine. These shots are at the park afterwards. The kids did a great job participating! The photo shoot will be on a separate post!

Teagen & Brayden had their first piano recital with their new teacher. Teagen had a soccer game before hand, so hence his attire for the event! They both are doing excellent....if only they understood now how wonderful it will be in their futures to be able to play the piano. Don't think there is a day that goes by that they complain about having to practice! I think Teagen tells his teacher at every lesson that he is quiting. Wow! Where did this kid come from!?!?!

The beginning of November, we went to the Air Show on Kelly Air Force Base. It was a beautiful day & was a lot of fun to see & hear all the air planes! The kids had a lot of fun climbing into a helicopter!

Let the COUNT DOWN begin!

2010-11-29T18:01:00.012-06:00

Wow! What an emotional couple of weeks! Actually if we go back to the evening we got the phone call about Kiley being deployed....it's been an emotional 5 weeks!

Kiley left this afternoon to serve at Kirkuk AFB in Iraq. He is due to arrive there by the 2nd of December. This has been quite the process getting ready for this big day! We were first told that he'd be leaving the middle of December. Then one day Kiley called me & asked me if I wanted the bad news or the really bad news....ended up being that he was to leave December 1st instead. Long story short....that happened a few more times & the date kept being earlier & earlier. At one point, he was supposed to leave Sunday, November 21st.....we found out at 1:30 the night before that they were able to get him an extension until TODAY! Those were some stressful days! But needless to say, we were able to spend this last week together as a family & had a lot of fun! And had him for at least one holiday! We had a busy few days with Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl, Build a Bear, Christmas Decorations, movies, family pictures, parties, BYU/Utah football (boo), bowling, shooting hoops, playing on the new swing set, & some good old family down time! We are so grateful for such wonderful friends here in Texas who have been so supportive & willing to lend a helping hand & a listening ear! Kiley flew out to Baltimore this afternoon around 3. The kids & I were able to get passes to go with him up to the gate. So grateful we were able to spend those last few minutes with him as a family! We all cried, some of us sobbed! Sweet Olivia sobbed the entire drive home! I told her that daddy would be home a few weeks after her birthday. She asked me several times this evening if it was her birthday yet! Sweet girl has no idea that her birthday is a long ways off......6 months to her is gonna be like 6 years! Kiley will fly out to Germany tomorrow & then eventually make it to Iraq sometime on the 6th. He will be the only Anesthesiologist there & we've heard from several people that he will be working with a great group of people! They aren't too busy at the base he is going to, so he plans to workout, study, & watch all of the episodes of 24! I may need to be deployed when he gets back!:)

Driving home without daddy! Two very sad girls!!!!

***MORE PICS TO COME, BUT I'M GOING TO BED, SO IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT!!!***

Playing catch up.....but not just yet!

2010-11-19T16:10:00.003-06:00

Sorry Friends & Family! I have been so incredibly busy this fall & updating the blog seems to be a task that I struggle meeting! I have some GREAT intentions of getting this thing up to date.....how ever, it will have to wait a bit more. I did want to post on here really quickly that my wonderful, amazing husband is being deployed to IRAQ this upcoming week. We found out about 3 weeks ago. He was supposed to leave the middle of December, then they upped it to Dec. 1st, then upped it again to BEFORE Thanksgiving, and this morning they called him & told him they had a plane ticket for him for Sunday. He told them that wasn't going to work for him! So his Flight Commander & the Deployment lady is working on trying to get things pushed back a bit so he can at least spend Thanksgiving with us! He'll be gone about 6 1/2 months. Hopefully we'll survive here with out him! He's my best friend, motivator, mentor, the one person I can always count on, & I could go on & on & on, but I'll spare y'all! :) Give me another week & I will be working hard to add some more pics & share with y'all what we have been up to the past 6 months!

Bradyen is 7 TODAY!

2010-09-23T21:33:00.006-05:00

Seven things I love about this kid:

*His sMiLe melts my heart! He has always had such a beautiful, contagious smile!
*Loves to learn! Amazes me how much this kid takes in! What a smarty pants!
*Is the LOUDEST child in our family! Brayden from the beginning of his little life to the present day, just has the ability to be LOUD! You can't NOT hear him! Love it....most of the time!
*Mr. SOCIAL! He lives to play with friends & loves to go to their houses or have them come over to ours! Seems to know an awful lot about every kid at school!
*I love that he isn't too cool for the matching pj sets! He wears his pjs with pride every night...even if they are a bit too small! Teagen would not be caught dead in them! I think it keeps Brayden young & innocent, but that's just me! :)
*He isn't afraid to do things or try something new!
*Willing to give what ever he has to any one! The tooth fairy brought him $2 the other night & he couldn't figure out why he got 2 & not 1. I told him it was because the tooth fairy wanted him to share with his mom....so naturally he tried to give me one of his dollars! He'd do that for any one!

Brayden, I sure do love you! I am so grateful you came into my life 7 years ago & so grateful for the many things I have learned from you! I hope you keep smiling through out your life & always know how much your mom & dad love you!

Top pic is when he was 2 months old & the bottom one is from this past summer! My baby boy is growing up too fast!!!

Opening presents before school! Showing off his $7 from Grandpa & ma Mortensen!

Kiley is on call today, so he didn't have to be in until 3. We took Brayden his favorite......Subway for lunch at school! It was fun to sit & spend some time with him at school!

Had 3 buddies over for some pizza & cupcakes & ice cream!

Crazy kids!!!

The fun Super Mario Brothers mushroom cupcakes I made for his class!

Yup, another kid turning another year older......why on earth does time seem to fly as a parent!??! I need it to slow down......my kids are growing up way too fast & I don't like it!

Guess who is SIX months old today???

2010-07-18T19:09:00.005-05:00

Can y'all believe that our little Brielle is SIX months old today!? The time has just slipped through my fingers! She has been such a joy to have in our home! Full of smiles & giggles for everyone!

*She has almost mastered sitting up by herself. She will do it for a little while, but then topples over if she gets too excited!

*The other 3 kids rolled over at 4 months old, I am proud to say that my baby at 6 months old has NOT rolled over at all.

*She absolutely DESPISES tummy time....hence no rolling over!

*Won't eat baby food...not the veggies nor the fruit, no rice or oatmeal cereal either. Don't think I haven't tried....she sees it in is packaging & she starts making faces! So like a typical Mortensen, she is slowly starting to eat what we eat!

*Is ALWAYS the winner at the stare contest! One of the ladies at the YMCA child care LOVES to have stare contests with Bree....she always wins!
*LOVES to jump in her jumper! She hears the word "Jump" & she'll start jumping in your lap! So cute, especially when she falls asleep in it!

*ADORES her big sis! Olivia is the only one who can really get Brielle to belly laugh!

*Getting better at nap times...we struggled for a long time with naps! Still gets up way too often in the night, but hopefully after our trip to Utah, we'll nip it in the butt!

We love having her in our family! She is such a joy! Loves to our sweet Bree!

She decided she was done with pics & ready for bed! It's hard being SIX months old!

Fourth of July happenings!

2010-07-18T19:05:00.005-05:00

Kiley had lots of time off over the 4th of July weekend. We were kind of lame cause a lot of our good friends moved away earlier in the week & we were feeling sorry for ourselves that we had to be left behind in San Antonio. But we were able to pick ourselves up & make some fun memories together as a family! It was beautiful weather on the night of the 4th, so we took the kids for a fun little walk & then packed them up in the car to go watch the Sea World fireworks. We are bedtime Nazis, but decided that it would be okay to let the kids stay up for this fun night! The Sea World fireworks were LAME, but the neighborhood where we parked was pretty sweet & there were fireworks all over the place! The following day we took the kids to dinner & bowling. It was a lot of fun! Our kids are pretty competitive....don't know where they get it from....but we managed to make it a fun night!

Tried to have them dress patriotic for church! I think they looked pretty darn cute!

Seriously none of them would look at me! I wanted one "normal" pic....these are what I ended up with! Just shows their personalities! :)

Olivia was so excited to get out of the house! She's jumping for joy in the top pic!

These two have a love/hate relationship! They fight & tease eachother like crazy, so it makes me happy to have photos like these so I can remind them that they love eachother!

Can you tell the Olivia runs the show????? Gotta love that girl!

Oh what do you do in the summertime?????

2010-07-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

The two Olivia's....Livy & Lulu! BFF's!

Swimming with our buddy Jordan!

We got a fun little blow up pool to help keep us entertained on those days we don't go swimming at the Y or to a friends house. Liv has loved it! These are just a bunch of random pics taken of the kids out at the pool...some with friends, too!

2010-06-24T21:40:00.011-05:00

I feel bad that I have been such a slacker! This blogging thing is for the birds! I seriously have the hardest time keeping up on this, but I also think it is very important & something that I do enjoy....when I have the time! Any how, just wanted to share some photos of the babe over the past several months! She has grown leaps & bounds & is such a joy to have around! Hopefully I can get this thing up to date, but not today.....for now just some adorable pics of the cutest thing that makes me smile on a daily basis! So cute!

JUNE (5 months old)

*Very aware of everything going on!

MAY (4 months old)

*Jumping Time! Our kids ALWAYS fall asleep in this thing!

APRIL (3 months old)

*Bumbo Time!

MARCH (2 months old)

*Was blessed up in Utah with lots of family & great friends!

Kiley's Anesthesia Residency Graduation: June 4th, 2010

2010-06-13T22:42:00.005-05:00

HOORAY! We made it! Kiley graduated from the SAUSHEC Anesthesia Residency Program on June 4th! It has been a LONG road.....but we made it! I am so proud of Kiley & all that he has accomplished these past 8 years! We've met some pretty amazing people during medical school & now residency...it is always such a bitter sweet time! Everyone seems to go their different ways & with this graduation, lots of great friends are doing just that! We will miss so many wonderful friends, but are so grateful for the time we've been able to share with them!

Kiley receiving his Diploma from General Travis (Air Force General on the left of Kiley) & I can't remember the guys name on the right! Teagen was with us seeing that he was with us when we moved to Arizona 8 years ago to start this whole process, so we only thought it fitting that he be there to see his daddy finish!

There were several guys here training at SAUSHEC that attended medical school at Midwestern/AZCOM with Kiley! Mortensen, Platt, Fisher, & Okander! Boys you are finally done! HOORAY!

All these fine Anesthesia Residency Grads also graduated from BYU many years ago! Way to go BYU Alumni! Mostellor, Fisher, Wilde, Okander, Mortensen, Hansen, & Anderson!

SAUSHEC 2010 Anesthesia graduating class!

I love a man in UNIFORM! That's my honey & my handsome son, Teagen!

Olivia is 3!!!!

2010-05-23T21:37:00.003-05:00

Olivia turned three on May 20th! I can't believe how quickly she is growing up! I think she has grown up the fastest of all my kids! It seems like yesterday she was a tiny newborn baby & now she is this giant who tells us all what to do & is bossy & demanding, & yet, can wrap you around her finger with her beautiful smile & freckly nose! Kiley was still in Panama for her birthday, so we really didn't do much. It was her last day of preschool & she also had a doctors appointment, with our fave pediatrician! We had subways for dinner & that was pretty much it. The next day, she had a little luncheon with 3 of her friends. Nothing too exciting, but she did have a great time! Kiley got home & the next day we went to Chuck E Cheese's with grandma Shirlee & swimming, too! She got a cute princess scooter & some fun princess stuff from her friends! I think she really enjoyed her birthday.

Three things that I love about my Livie girl would be:

*I absolutely LOVE her sweet raspy voice & accent. I love to sit & chat with her & make here say water, door, here, there, & a few others. I laugh so hard cause she totally has a cute little accent! And the raspy voice is my Fave! I hope she doesn't grow out of this for a long time!

*I love that she follows me every where I go. Okay, maybe I don't love it all of the time, but most of the time, I think it is so sweet. She likes to be with me all day long or if she is playing or watching a show, she'll come & find me so she can check in on me! I won't lie, some days it makes me crazy, but it also makes me feel so very loved!

*I love that she stalls at bed time. One more song. Let's read a book. We forgot family prayers. I need to go potty.....AGAIN! She loves for us to lay down next to her & sing a million songs & she will also just chat away. She is definitely my girl!

Happy Birthday to the Best little 3 year old! I love you so much, sis!

MaRcH 2010

2010-04-15T22:26:00.009-05:00

I am behind enough that I am going to post lots of pics of all thats been happening.

March 1st: Brielle is 6 weeks old! She is smiling & starting to talk & coo! So sweet! Still not the best sleeper at night & lets not even talk about naps!

Olivia LOVES to hold her sister. She also LOVES to have her picture taken!

Liv with her cute hair cut. I did it myself! The pics aren't so great, but her hair sure did look cute!

Sisters!

Brielle almost 7 weeks old! Love this cute outfit!

Smile! :)

Where have I been??????

2010-04-15T22:06:00.004-05:00

I am sure y'all are wondering what happened to the Mortensen's! Four kids is what happened! Life has just been busy! Everyday I think, "Oh, I should really sit down & update our blog!" But then I have to sit & nurse a baby, clean up after my almost 3 year old, take someone to soccer or scouts, make a meal so we can all eat, fold a mountain of laundry, scrub a toilet! I literally could go on & on! But I will spare you all. Just for the record, I am not complaining, I'm just saying how it is. So because I feel that this blog is important, I am sitting down at 10:15pm when I should go hop in bed to update this blog! But I am not going to get all caught up. Just a few pics. But I will get this thing up to date soon! Too many cute pics to share!

Brielle's new little friend....

2010-03-07T21:36:00.004-06:00

Brielle is on the right!

My good friend had her 6th baby on the 24th of February. He & Brielle are almost 6 weeks apart! We went to visit them in the hospital the day after he was born.....he is a big boy! We are so sad cause they will be moving to Ohio this summer & we will miss their sweet family terribly! Maybe Brielle & Beckhams paths will cross again some day.....

Our basketballer....Mr. Teagen!

2010-03-07T21:30:00.002-06:00

Teagen really enjoyed his basketball season this year! He improved incredibly since the first game! His coach really enjoyed having him on the team. She wrote him a nice little card & gave it to him at their Peter Piper Pizza party after their final game of the season. She said she loved his "intense" personality & how fast he is. She said she couldn't wait to see him in the NBA someday! We are so proud of the player he is! So much fun to watch!

PS-I will NEVER go to a Peter Piper Pizza place again.....DISGUSTING! I'll take Chuck E Cheese over that place, HANDS DOWN!

2010-03-07T21:10:00.002-06:00

Feb. 25th-Brielle is almost 6 weeks old! She is growing so fast!! I feel bad that I don't have as many pictures of Brielle with the boys! It seems that Olivia is the one always holding her & telling me to take her picture! And it seems that Brielle is always crying in almost every picture that Liv is holding her in!

CHUCK E CHEESE!

2010-03-07T21:03:00.004-06:00

Feb. 19th-

Olivia earned a date with mom & dad because she decided to give up her binky & sleep in her big girl bed! I really worried alot about how I was going to get this girl to give up the bink! Kiley had a little heart to heart talk with her & she said she wanted to go to Chuck E Cheeses with Kiley & I if she were to give it up! She did such a good job & has not complained or cried about it at all! She suggested we mail all of her binkys to Santa Claus. How thoughtful! :) We had lots of fun & I think Olivia felt super special being able to spend some quality time with mommy & daddy!

Not enough time...

2010-03-06T23:06:00.004-06:00

Seriously Olivia really is my good helper! There are some moments in the day when I just don't have time to sit down & nurse the babe! She is an excellent bottle taker & Olivia is an excellent bottle feeder, so I will have her give Bree a bottle so I can get some things done.

Bath Time!

2010-03-06T23:01:00.002-06:00

Brielle has LOVED her baths from the very beginning! She especially loves to have her hair washed! In these pictures she is almost 5 weeks old!

Moving to the crib!

2010-03-06T22:54:00.003-06:00

I don't like to keep babies in my room for too long cause I never seem to get much sleep! On February 18th, at one month old, I moved her to the crib! She seemed so little in the crib, but I must say it was so nice to not hear every little move!

My GOOD helper!

2010-03-06T22:02:00.002-06:00

Olivia is the best little helper! She is always SO willing to hold her baby sister when I need to get a few things done! I hope earners & willingness lasts a long time!

Liv's picture taking skills...

2010-03-06T21:40:00.003-06:00

At Teagen's basketball game on February 17th, Olivia insisted on taking pictures with our camera! She did a pretty good job for a 2 1/2 year old!

Good News!

2010-03-04T20:29:00.002-06:00

Just thought I'd share our good news.....we found out this week that we will be staying here in Texas for the next 4 years! We put San Antonio as our first choice, so we are excited! So glad I don't have to worry about packing up & trying to sell our house! Wish our good friends were coming here, but we'll make the most of it & hook up together again for a fun vacation, or two! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-28T23:04:00.003-06:00

The girls & I stayed home from church on Valentine's Day. I just wasn't quite ready to take the new baby to a child-infested area! So we stayed home & Liv & I made some nummy treats for the boys----CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES! We had so much fun! Liv obviously LOVES chocolate!

It was such a beautiful day so we decided to walk up to the school. I only got a few shots of Brielle, seeing that it was her first walk to the park. After being there for a little while, this freak wind storm came up & we had to run home!

The kids enjoyed their treats & ice cream! I Love You, my sweet children!

More Pics of Brielle....

2010-02-28T22:55:00.004-06:00

I know that I have added lots of pictures of the babe, but I figured those of you who live so far away & have not had the opportunity to meet her yet would like to see how she changes from day to day!

These pictures were taken Feb. 11th- 3 1/2 weeks old!

Liv's Photo Shoot with her little sister!

2010-02-28T22:11:00.001-06:00

OlIvIa & bRiElLe
I think every girl needs a sister! I can't express enough how grateful I am that Liv has a little sis! Sisters are the BeSt!

Brielle is 3 weeks old in these pictures!

What BeAuTiFuL little girls!

My Livy looks so big now that baby Bree is here! She has adjusted pretty well with the baby. She loves her & can be heard saying, "Where's my baby sista?" or "I want to hold my baby!" all day long. She loves to hold her & has been such a great help to me. When I haven't had time to sit down & nurse, Liv has been able to feed her a bottle! Not too bad for a 2 1/2 year old!

Grandma's here! January 28th thru Feb. 9th!

2010-02-14T11:10:00.010-06:00

My wonderful mom came & spent almost 2 weeks with us! Thank heavens! It was so nice to have someone cook, clean, do laundry, make beds, watch an ornery 2 1/2 year old, & also just keep me company! Our mandatory shows each day were Price is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Deal or No Deal, & Wheel Of Fortune! After the first few days she was gone, the boys always reminded me what time it was & what show should be on! Now I have no more time to watch those great game shows! It was a nice visit & I have to say it was hard to let her go! Thanks mom for taking time out of your life to come & help me with mine! Love you!
Here are a bunch of photos from the two weeks Grandma Shirlee was here! Of course, most of them are of Brielle, but that's okay! She's just so stinkin cute!

Liv sporting the new outfit grandma brought her!

Random pictures!

Feb. 1st: 2 WEEKS OLD!
Went in for doctor apt. today! She is perfect! Weighed in at a hefty 6.94 lbs!

Feb. 2nd! Olivia loves her baby sister! She constantly wants her picture taken with her!

Feb. 3rd-heading to Costco! What a cutie bug!

Feb. 4th- Grandma took all the kids to Chuck E Cheese & had a ball!

Brielle & I went shopping while they played at C E C!!!

Feb 5th- Teagen's Basketball Game! Go Cougars!

Feb. 5th- Almost 3 weeks old!

Feb. 8th- Night before grandma leaves! We took her to dinner at McCallister's!
Grandma we sure are gonna miss you! Thanks for all your help!

More of our new addition....

2010-02-11T20:46:00.009-06:00

Just a few pics of our sweet Brielle!

6 Days Old! January 24th!

5 Days Old! January 23rd!

Brielle & her big sister, Liv!

January 2oth, 2010: Our first night at home!

Our good friends brought us dinner our first night back at home. They have a cute little guy who is 2 1/2 months older than Brielle. Cute babies!

Happy BIRTHday to me!

2010-01-28T19:45:00.010-06:00

Getting all set up! Was dilated to 5 & 80% effaced! No false labor here!

Here she is! Brand Spankin New! Brielle with her favorite OB in the whole world! We love you Kathryn!

She can out scream any of you!

Proud Parents!

Daddy is excited to have another dramatic little girl!

Lots of energy for being almost 2am!

After a LONG 9 months, we finally meet face to face! She's a beauty!

She LOVED her bath, especially when they washed her hair!

Teagen was so excited to meet her! He kept asking my friend who was watching him when his dad would get there so he could come see us at the hospital!

Lots of love from the siblings!

Brayden was excited to hold her.

Olivia kept saying, "My turn! My turn!" Then after holding her for a few minutes, she says, "I'm done!"

Tomorrow is the actual day that little miss Brielle was due.....boy am I glad that I do not have to wait any longer! Brielle Kathryn Mortensen decided to come a few days earlier, eleven to be exact! That is the earliest any of my kids have come & I must say it is quite nice! If you read my post just before this one, I had been contracting for quite some time & kept thinking ANY DAY NOW. Finally on Sunday, the 17th, I decided that the contractions were frequent & painful enough that it was TIME! Kiley took all the kids to church, I made arrangements with great friends to take the kids, he came home & we got ready & took off. We were really hoping that she would be born on the 17th, Kiley's moms birthday (she passed away 13 years ago). The 18th is my birthday & although I don't mind sharing it, she may not like it when she's older. Kathryn met us there at the hospital. I was dilated to a 5 & 90% effaced, this was the real deal! It may sound weird, but that was the funnest day/evening! Kathryn painted my toenails, just hung out & chatted, & even watched a movie--I had a hard time watching & knowing what was going on cause I was in labor, but it was a pretty funny movie! It was so fun to have my own personal doctor hanging out with Kiley & I! She was so great! I had plans of going natural & think I did a pretty great job, until they upped the pitocin 6 more notches.....finally dilated to an 8, I knew that I needed some relief! The CRNA came in, worked hard to give me an epidural, had to pull it out & do it OVER--NOT FUN! I could still feel major pain in my bum, but I knew that the end was near. Not even an hour later, I could feel she was heading out! They got things ready the nurse lifted the sheet & told me NOT to push! She was right there! Kathryn came rushing over, and one push later little Brielle made her entrance! It was such a surreal experience! So easy & so fun! She is a little peanut, weighing a hefty 6 lbs 8oz. & 19 inches long. She was born at 1:10 am on January 18th! She has TONS of black hair & a set of lungs that keep us on our toes! Literally this girl can scream! I am sure the neighbors can hear her! Kiley brought the kids in that evening & we had dinner & birthday cake. They all adore her! Liv had a rough couple of days....I will spare the details cause it was pretty rough, but she seems to be adjusting & loving being a big sister! Kiley had work off for about 9 days & my mom just got here today & will be here for 2 weeks! Thank Heavens! I am not ready to be a mother of 4 all by myself just yet! Brielle is the BEST birthday gift I have ever been given! It always amazes me that with each child we have brought into this world, I still manage to LOVE them just as much as the other kids (sometimes a bit more seeing that they can't talk back) & they just fit right into our little family, like they've always been here! I am so grateful for her & so grateful that things went as smoothly as they did! What a blessing it is to be a mother! Now...if I could only get a bit more sleep at night......

Happy Birthday to me! The kids were so excited to sing Happy Birthday to me & to eat birthday cake!

Let's go home!

Getting all dressed up to go home! NOTHING fits this girl, she is TOO tiny!

Yellow is a good color on her!

These pictures don't show how really tiny she is. We felt like the car seat was going to eat her up! It was SO nice to finally get home! What a fun adventure.....now for what lies ahead! Wish me luck!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

2010-01-10T21:09:00.004-06:00

That is exactly how I am feeling.....under construction! Since Friday afternoon, I have been having contractions. They kept me up that night from 2:45am on! There was a point they were 2 minutes apart, lasting 1 1/2 minutes each! I felt like I was walking around my house in circles, not quite sure what I should be doing. I still have laundry to do, bathrooms to scrub, floors to mop...oh and not to mention I still need to get things in order for this sweet little girl & where she will be sleeping for the first couple weeks of her life! I know a lot of this doesn't even matter, but to me it does. The thought of coming home to a messy house literally makes me crazy!

I forgot to mention that I am not due until the END of this month, not quite 3 weeks away! AND my OB, who is also one of my dearest friends, is out of town until tomorrow (Monday) night! And she & I both know that she HAS to be the one to deliver this baby girl! Today has been a bit better, the contractions are not as constant, but still they come, they wear me out, & leave my back aching! I waddle like a pro. Take a bazillion hot bubble baths (yikes our water bill is going to be a tad bit higher this next month). I am tired. Pregnancy is hard work. She can't come this week because Kiley HAS to finish this training program that he is right in the middle of & won't be done with until Friday! Did I mention I am tired? I am not complaining, just stating the facts! I am scheduled to be induced on the 20th of this month, but I have a feeling this little girl has other plans! My body is ready to finish this project!

My handy man!

2010-01-10T21:00:00.003-06:00

Kiley & I have been working on some house projects & trying to dejunk/declutter the place! We moved furniture around Christmas night (pics to come someday when I take them) & have spent countless hours going through closets, toys, clothes, & Tupperware getting rid of lots of stuff & putting things aside for our big semi-annual yard sale our neighborhood puts on every 6 months! We have had this empty closet just wasting away, filled with a few items, but definitely a huge waste of space. The builders didn't put anything in the closet, nothing to hang things on or shelves to place things on. So after 3 1/2 years, we finally did something about it! Kiley called his brother to get some pointers & set out to build the most amazing closet shelves known to man! Well, at least they are pretty amazing to me! And very USEFUL! He did such a great job & it has really helped us to organize our other closets as well. He did such a great job, I had him build some shelves in the boys closet as well (maybe I'll get around to taking some pics of those later). Thanks Babe for having such mad craftsman skills! You rock!

B-Man looses his first tooth...second one follows a few days later!

2010-01-10T20:47:00.003-06:00

On Dec. 29th, Brayden lost his very first tooth ever! He had complained about his tooth bothering him for a few weeks, but I didn't even think to feel it to see if it was loose! I am such a great mom! Any how, that night it was barely hanging on, so Kiley pulled it out for him. He said it hurt for just a second & that it was just fine. Not even a week later, Brayden pulled out the second one all by himself & said it didn't hurt at all! He loved that he got $2 from the tooth fairy! So now he is missing his two bottom teeth, but the adult ones are already growing in quite fast! Isn't he so cute!

Still a little blood smeared on his face, but cute as can be!

Guess Kiley wanted to show off his rockin mouth of wire! Will he ever get these braces off??? That is a very good question!!!

Of course, Liv had to join in the photo action....

And Teagen didn't want to be left out either!

The rest of our December Festivities....

2009-12-31T21:29:00.024-06:00

MeRrY cHrIsTmAs 2009!

Looks like Santa found our house! I guess the kids were pretty good this year! What a fun morning! We told the kids they couldn't go downstairs until 8am! Teagen was up several times in the night cause he was so excited & then Kiley found him downstairs at 6 something watching TV! What a stinker! A tradition at our house is that Santa leaves the stockings at the foot of every one's beds, so they can sit in their rooms & open the presents they find in their stockings & maybe nibble on a little bit of candy--that is what I experienced as a kid & LOVED it! I think our kids also enjoy it & look forward to the surprises they get inside their stockings!

We had a fun, lazy day! The boys played the wii for most of it & Liv loved her pink bike & baby stuff! I got to talk with my entire family for 2 1/2 hours, including my little bro Rob & little sis Ash. They are both serving missions for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Rob is in Brazil & Ash is in Michigan. My bro Chris set up this conference line & we all called in on it & all 10 of us (including my parents) got to sit & chat! It was such a neat experience & made my Christmas! What a fun day we had! We are so truly blessed & are so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ & for the gift that He has given us!

CHRISTMAS EVE 2009!

Here I am with my big pregnant belly on Christmas Eve--5 more weeks to go. I am not a huge fan of taking pictures of full body shots while I am preggers, but I knew that since this is my last one, I need to have a few for memory sake.....and to help remind me that I don't want to ever be pregnant again! We had such a fun Christmas Eve this year, just our little family! We missed our extended family awfully bad, but made the most of it!

We had the boys play their December piano recital pieces for part of our family program. Kiley put together a nice little program & of course it would not be complete with out the tradition of reading the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! What a fun evening!

After the program, we went out to spread the Reindeer Food all over the lawn so that they could have a snack while Santa dropped off the presents & enjoyed his snack. The kids also made sure they put out the magical key so that he could get into our house since we don't have a fireplace (forgot to take pictures of that event!!!).

Opening of the TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PJ'S!!!!

This is a tradition that I LOVED as a child & hope that my kids love it as well! I love to look back on pictures when I was a kid wearing our new jammies, sometimes they were home made & sometimes they were not. I love the "train" pictures & it is a MUST at our house now. It is so fun to see how much the kids have grown & changed each year.

Our kids really like to pose for the camera!

Kiley had to show off his new PJ's with the boys!

Although Kiley & I have been married for 10 1/2 years now & we should be on top of everything, we are still trying to create our family traditions. We had no plans for Christmas Eve. Kiley had to go to work for the first part of the day, so the kids & I pretty much just hung out. Being the anal person that I am, my house had to be spotless & beautiful for Christmas morning! So I spent a lot of time getting things tidy. When Kiley got home, we decided that we'd go out to dinner.....a big deal cause if we are going to take the kids out to dinner, we usually just go with Subway. But we thought we'd go somewhere a little nicer so we took them to Texas Roadhouse. We had the BEST service & the food was FANTASTIC! The kids really enjoyed it & it was so nice to come home to a clean kitchen!

We let the kids open their Christmas presents from the Mortensen's in Seattle because it is always fun to open something besides the traditional PJ's that we do every year. They were pretty excited about their gift cards & couldn't wait to use them! Thanks Mortensen's!!!

Dec. 20th:
GINGERBREAD HOUSES!!!
The Berryman's came over & we made some fantastically messy gingerbread houses. The kids had so much fun! The Berryman's had a great kit that seemed to be pretty simple & easy. I had a kit as well, but it was a few years old & when we opened it, I thought the smell was going to kill me! Luckily I had a box of graham crackers & icing on hand. I was very impressed to see each of my kids personalities in their little houses! Braydens was very precise, a rhyme & reason to everything. Very thought out. Teagens was just very.......random! Olivia's needed a lot of help & was lacking lots of candy cause she kept eating it! It was a great night & something we hope to do every Christmas Season!

Before the Berryman's came over, the kids really wanted me to take their pictures with their daddy! They had so much fun posing & being so silly! It was quite comical to watch!

The Sunday before Christmas....(Dec. 20th)

I absolutely LOVE to get my kids all decked out for Christmas Sunday. I don't know that they enjoy it as much as I do, but it just always puts a smile on my face to see my boys looking so handsome & Livy looking so adorable! We all matched in our gray, red, & black attire. I may be partial, but I think I have pretty darn cute kids!

Dec. 17th:

Today was Olivia's MDO Christmas Pageant! We made sure she looked absolutely adorable before school & so we HAD to take a few pictures before she left. She kept telling me to take more & more. I think she knew she looked pretty darn cute & just kept hamming it up for the camera. The program was adorable & she did such a great job with her yellow star! She was very excited to give Miss Sherry & Miss Kelly their Christmas presents. She loves her teachers & loves going to school!

Liv with her favorite teacher, Miss Sherry!

Dec. 16th:

Teagen is playing basketball through the youth program on base again this year. He has thoroughly enjoyed it & really is such a great player! The coaches told the kids that who ever won some competition that they had during practice, they would get to pick the team name out of the hat. The week before they each got to write down what they wanted their team name to be. If any of you know my T-money, you know that he is a HUGE fan of BYU Cougars. So his contribution of course was the Cougars. Long story short, he won the little competition, pulled the team name out of the hat & as luck would have it, he pulled out COUGARS. Oh & I forgot to mention that their shirt color for the team is BLUE! Teagen is one happy little cougar!

More of the December Festivities!

2009-12-23T08:46:00.008-06:00

Dec. 14th: Music Class Party!

Music Class...

Our neighborhood/ward does a music class for toddlers every Monday. We had our Christmas party & although Liv looks like she feels pretty crappy in the pictures, she had a good time. She had an ear infection.....

Dec. 12th: The boys piano family had the opportunity to play at the Rolling Oaks Mall for all the shoppers. It was a very laid back atmosphere & the boys seemed much more relaxed than they normally do when they are preparing to play for a recital!

This is Teagen & Brayden with their Amazing teacher, Emily! We sure do love her!

Brayden!

Teagen!

After the piano playing we headed to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa. We had about a 2 1/2 hour wait, so we played, made candy cane reindeer, went to lunch, & then back to sit on Santas lap. Liv was not so excited this time around. In fact, she was shaking & bawling her head off! But it was still a fun filled day. I don't know that Kiley thought it was as fun as I did, but that's okay! It just made it feel more like Christmas here in Texas, without family & without snow!

Making our Reindeer!

Kids playing & posing with daddy!

This was outside the shop & the kids really wanted their pictures taken infront of it!

Dec. 10th:

Getting ready to take our Neighborhood Christmas treats around. We have always done Muddy Buddies since living here & have just made it a tradition. Everyone seems to love them, so why change something if it doesn't need changing!

Church Christmas Party & Missionary Packages!

2009-12-23T08:19:00.004-06:00

Dec. 6th:

For a Family Home Evening, we decided to go shopping for the missionaries in our family & make them some fun packages for Christmas. We had lots of fun choosing candies, cookies, & other treats & some fun little gifts, too! The boys decorated the packages, we filled the boxes with goodies, & each wrote a letter to each missionary. Liv colored pictures for them. It was a lot of letters, but it sure was fun! We sent them to California, Michigan, & Brazil! We sure love our missionaries & pray for their well-being & safety!

Brayden wasted no time when the jolly old fellow came! He was the first in line & the first to sit on Santa's lap!

I thought maybe Teagen would be too cool this year, but he got in line with all of his buddies & didn't seem to have any problems sitting on his lap!

Caroline was so brave this year! Kathryn said that she would NEVER sit on his lap, but with the pressure of her little friends, she was more than willing to hop up on his lap....she's even smiling!

At last, just before we were to go home, Liv decided she would take the plunge & sit on his lap. She was so brave! Way to go Olivia!

Dec. 5th:

The same day I had my surprise baby shower, we also had our church Christmas Party. I inivited my good friend Kathryn to come along with us. The boys disappeared & ran around with friends all night. Liv, Caroline, & Anna had a great time running around the gym! We even had a special guest......Santa Claus! Olivia was very nervous about this strange man in read! She would not sit on his lap, but then finally after staring at him for quite some time, she sat on his lap with my help! It was pretty funny!

SURPRISE!

2009-12-22T22:13:00.003-06:00

This is my sweet friend Kathryn! She is the one that I am always blogging about. She delivered Olivia & will also be delivering Brielle on the 20th of January. She surprised me back on Dec. 5th with a Baby Shower! Livy & I walked over to their house thinking it was a birthday party. When we walked toward the kitchen, a bunch of my friends jumped out & instantly I started to cry! What a fun surprise! I am sad that we didn't get pictures of everyone that was there---that always seems to happen! I felt so much love & support from my sweet friends! Thanks ladies for such a fun get together & those that couldn't make it, I know you would have been there if you could have been! You guys are the BEST!

Is this cake not the cutest! It was so adorable-I hated to cut into it, but it also was so nummy!

Good friends, Good times!

WISH BONE!

2009-12-22T22:02:00.002-06:00

The boys could not wait to see who would win the wish of the turkey wish bone! We finally remember one night to do it & was smart enough to capture some pics of the big event! Kiley got the boys ready & told them the rules. One, two, three.....Brayden won! He was so excited & could not wait to make his wish! Olivia was feeling left out, so we had to do a repeat of the ordeal with her & Teagen & had to make sure she got the biggest side! She was quite proud of herself! A few moments later, Brayden decided he wanted to test out this whole wishing thing! He said he made his wish & then he did something funny with his hands! I asked him what he was doing & he just said, "Nothing, these wishes really don't work!" I asked what he had wished for & he said, "I wished that I had super powers & could throw fireballs out of my hands!" Ya, I am pretty glad this wishing thing didn't work! What a kid!

Decorating the tree!

2009-12-22T21:42:00.003-06:00

Aghhhh, decorating the tree! So we have what we like to call our Charlie Brown Tree. It isn't much of a tree, I think we got it for $20 at Walmart a few years ago. We load it up with all our ornaments that we have collected, made, or been given over the past 10 years. It may not be the prettiest tree, but it does have a lot of meaning to us & we love to look at all the fun, unique ornaments. I opted to not have any pictures of myself taken during this fantastic event. Pregnancy=avoid the camera at all costs!

Teagen sure enjoyed decorating this year, in fact, he was goofy & intense all at the same time!

Brayden got a hold of the camera & started going crazy. He did help out a lot, but seemed to take a lot of the pictures & was not in many of them.

Olivia....oh this girl! She had the opportunity of putting the star on the tree. Obviously from the pictures, something did not go exactly has she had hoped & therefore she is showing off her dramatic side! People, what is this girl gonna do when this baby is born!??!?!?!?!

The finished product! I just love this time of year! I love having my house decorated with loads of different holiday items! This may be our last Christmas in this house, so I need to get pictures of the other rooms as well! It is so much fun to transform the house for the holidays! Merry Christmas Y'all!

An act of service????

2009-12-22T21:35:00.003-06:00

Before we put the Christmas Tree & other decorations up this year, I had one small request. I really just wanted the windows & blinds cleaned...not too much to ask right? Well, it did take some time, but these 3 handsome, wonderful boys got the job done! Thanks for making sure everything sparkled & was what I wanted! I have the best boys ever!

Thanksgiving Day.....

2009-12-22T21:23:00.003-06:00

We hosted Thanksgiving this year. Our WONDERFUL friends, who are pretty much family, joined us, the Berryman's & the Meier's. We enjoyed some delish food & nummy desserts!

Kiley took the boys out early in the morn to play in the annual Turkey Bowl with a bunch of people from church (no pics :(). It was a nice relaxing day!

A day at the park....

2009-12-22T21:12:00.002-06:00

November 25th:
The day before Thanksgiving, we decided to go to the YMCA & then have a picnic at the park that is right behind the YMCA. It was a beautiful day, so we loaded up the bikes & scooters & packed some lunches. We had a great work out & then headed out to play! The kids enjoyed being outdoors, however the bees were also enjoying the beautiful weather! Kiley worked with Brayden on improving his bike riding skills.....a few tears shed & frustrated words & all was well! Good job Brayden! Way to not give up! :)

NOVEMBER????

2009-12-22T20:39:00.008-06:00

Okay, so once again I am a bit behind on the Mortensen Blog, but if those of you who are not close by could see me & maybe even be me for a day or two, you'd be behind as well! :) Yes, I know Christmas is only 2 days away, but I just couldn't forget the rest of November & not blog about it. So here we go!

Back on November 21st, the boys had their first formal piano recital. It was quite the Saturday! I think we had 101 million things going on that day! The recital was at 2 in the afternoon & Teagen had a bday party to go to before hand. So the plan was for Kiley to pick him up & meet us at the recital......of course, he was late & Brayden was the first one to play & he played his piece PERFECTLY & Kiley missed it! Luckily, they arrived in time for Teagen to play his piece! They both did SO incredibly well & had their pieces completely memorized! They also had to share 10 interesting facts on a composer & did an excellent job presenting those! Brayden received an award for being such a great listener & always doing what his teacher asks him to do! What a good boy!! Our boys have truly improved so much in their piano playing & we are just so grateful for their amazing teacher, Emily! Thanks for being so patient with them!

Corpus Christi here we come!

2009-11-15T21:56:00.011-06:00

These are pics from our trip to Corpus last weekend....the 6th through the 9th. They are all backwards, but I am to dang tired to try & get it right! Enjoy!
I really enjoyed fishing, even though non of us caught a single thing! Not even a tug, but that's alright! We had fun anyway!

The Girls! So cute!

Even Liv got to fish!

Fishing with daddy!

The boys!

Liv & daddy mini golfing!

Bowling!
Teagen LOVED the ocean! He played out in the water for the longest time! He loved boogie boarding!

Teagen in the sand!

Brayden thought it was pretty cool to be buried in the sand!

Trying to catch the cool little crab things before they buried themselves into the sand!

Collecting sea shells!

Kiley left the week before Halloween to do his LAST away rotation. He is in a fun little town called Corpus Christi. It is only 2 1/2 hours away, so he was able to come home for the Halloween festivities & the following week the kids & I headed down there to spend the weekend with him! He's been down there with one of his good buddies & so I don't think they've missed their families much because of all the fun they are having together. His family went down the same weekend we did, so it was fun for the kids to have friends to play with as well! We left late Friday night, Liv was sick that day with a fever & we almost didn't go, but the boys were DYING to get there. The drive was quick & we were all so excited to see Kiley. We spent the day at the beach on Saturday. It was perfect weather! The beach was full of dead jelly fish, but we still made the most of it. Sunday Kiley was on home call & just our luck, they called him in. It rained all day as well! So I took the kids bowling with our friends. Always a fun activity for the kids! Kiley finally got home around 3ish & we were pretty much lazy all afternoon. That evening we took the kids to an indoor glow in the dark golf course. They had a great time! Kiley had Monday off, so I decided we'd stay another day. So the kids missed school, but it was worth it to spend time with dad! We went fishing & enjoyed a little bit of extra vacation time before heading back to reality! It was a quick trip, not a whole lot to it, but fun & relaxing & ALWAYS wonderful to see Kiley & pretend we are all together again.....thank goodness he will be home for good this Friday! We've missed him terribly!

Olivia's adorable Hair Cut!

2009-11-15T21:32:00.005-06:00

Nov. 2nd-

I have cute Olivia's hair a few times in the past, but decided it was time for a drastic change! I chopped it off into a cute little bob! She looks so adorable & grown up! Where has my baby girl gone??? She was so good & sat still! I was worried I'd butcher it completely, but I must say I did a pretty good job! Isn't she so cute!

Happy Halloween....a little bit late!

2009-11-15T21:05:00.005-06:00

I feel terrible that I totally STUNK this year at taking pictures of my kids on Halloween. The boys literally darted out of the house, saw some of their friends & took off! Liv wouldn't hold still for two seconds for me to catch any decent pics, so these two are about all I've got. I may need to make them all dress up again so I can document it for the future! Halloween in San Antonio is a one of a kind experience. I really don't want to be mean, but really people!?!?!? Grown adults asking for candy, parents TELLING you to give their kid some extra pieces of candy, old ladies not even dressed up trick or treating, people taking their newborns out & collecting candy for them???? It is mind boggling to me, but I guess I don't really know the rules to Trick or Treating. All I do know is that it is always amazing the different people we encounter on the 31st of October in the Lone Star state!

Annual Friends Halloween Bash!

Fosters & Atwoods pulled off another fun Halloween party! I had the hardest time trying to figure out what we were going to be this year. Kiley had left the week of the party to start a rotation down in Corpus Christi (about 2 1/2 hrs away), so as usual I left the deciding until the LAST second! I did a bunch of searching on the internet & decided that we would be a plug & socket! I made it in a matter of 45 minutes & it was MUCH cheaper than buying it online. Kileys plug didn't quite make it through the night, oh well! As you can see, there were some great costumes: 80's Aerobics people, UFC fighters, Polygamist family, Spooky people, Wendy & Peter Pan, Biggest Loser, etc. It was a good laugh! We sure do enjoy our friends here in San Antonio! Thanks Fosters & Atwoods for a fun time!

The Whole Gang! Happy Halloween!

Music Class Halloween Party at our house!

2009-10-27T22:58:00.004-05:00

I hosted the Monday Morning Music Class Halloween Party on Monday (26th). All the kids came dressed up in their costumes, ready to sing, dance, wiggle, trick or treat, & eat goodies! It was a great success. Everyone seemed so happy & calm! We sure do love parties!

Movement Time!

Liv LOVES the Nut song! She walks around singing, "I'm a nut, I'm a nut!"

Annual Mortensen Family Pumpkin Carving Party!

2009-10-27T22:46:00.003-05:00

Okay, so it wasn't really a party, but it was still a good time! We carved pumpkins on Sunday a bit after we got home from church. Kiley had to leave that evening to Corpus Christi! He is gone for yet another month, but this is his LAST month having to be away! Any how, we got to work on the pumpkins & was surprised at how much both Teagen & Brayden were involved this year. Usually they are interested for the first few minutes & then run off to play. But this time they both stuck around for the most part & helped us out. Teagen & Kiley did a scary face. Brayden & I did a bat! This is something we have been doing since the first Halloween Kiley & I had together TEN years ago. We buy the fun pumpkin pattern books & have a great time seeing who can do the best! I think it is always a tie, but in all actuality, mine are usually the best! :)

Jack is BACK!

2009-10-27T22:23:00.004-05:00

We went to Sea World on Saturday (24th) afternoon. It was VERY crowded, but we were able to do almost everything we wanted to do. They had a darling Sesame Street Halloween show, which was by far Olivia's favorite show of the night!

Kiley took Teagen & Brayden on Journey to Atlantis while Liv & I waited for the show to start. They made it back in time for most of the show. We tried to go through the haunted forest during the family friendly hour, but the line was well over an hours wait long, so we walked around a bit, visited the penguins, played at Happy Harbour, & then made our way over to see the Jack is Back Shamu show.

Jack!

I am not kidding when I say that it was crowded! We showed up at the stadium 30 minutes early & it was packed full, except for the splash zones, which of course we ended up sitting right there, but managed to get away with only a few little drops of water on us! It was a LONG day, but fun to spend together as a family!

This is how Olivia watched the Jack is Back show. She was a tad bit frightened!

We did have a bit of a scare. Liv decided to disappear for about 5 minutes. It was the longest 5 minutes of my life! She was holding my hand & the next second she was gone! LUCKILY, she wasn't too far. Thank Heavens for good people! Some lady saw her all by herself & picked her up & went to the nearest Sea World Employee. I spotted Liv & wasn't instantly relieved! I couldn't believe she would take off like that, but of course she would! She thinks she is 2 1/2 going on 16! I started bawling & all she says is, "Hi Mom!" I could have killed her! But then was so happy to have her safe & sound in my arms again! That little stinker! I keep telling her how sad & scared I was......just to try to get her to see that it isn't good to run away from your parents. She just smiles & tries to distract me with something she is interested in! It reminded me a lot of the time when we lost Teagen when he was this very age........oh the things us parents have to go through!

Trunk Or Treat!

2009-10-27T22:05:00.004-05:00

Our church Trunk or Treat was last Friday, October 23rd. Our neighbors & good friends, the Berryman's came along! There was a chili cook off, lots of games for the kids to play, and of course the tradition of trick or treating at the trunks! We had a great time & enjoyed watching all of the kids run around with out a care in the world! Oh to be a kid again!

Ready to go!

Me, Kathryn, & Anna~such a great friend!

Olivia LOVES Caroline, cute little witches! And we can't forget her buddy, Draco/Cody!

Olivia got a nasty blister from her shoes & so Kathryn swooped in & saved the day! She knows that candy is the way to Olivia's heart! She was all better once she had that sucker in her mouth!

Gotta love Brayden's smile! I am sure he is smiling so big cause he knew he was gonna be cashing in on a lot of candy!

Halloween Piano Recital

2009-10-27T21:46:00.005-05:00

All of the piano students with their teacher, Emily!

Teagen & Brayden had their first piano recital with their new teacher. They got to dress up, play a Halloween piano piece & one that they made up themselves. They both dressed up as GI Joe guys, we've never seen the movie, but they insisted that is what they wanted to be for Halloween. I only got a little bit of Brayden on video, so it is short & sweet. The parents had to leave after the recital & the kids got to stay & have a fun Halloween Partay! The boys did great, they practiced so hard & had their pieces memorized, but then I think they both forgot what they were doing & were a bit nervous! Teagen played his Halloween an octave lower than he was supposed to, but that is okay! They could careless if they mess up! I am glad they had a good time!

Tutu!

2009-10-27T21:43:00.002-05:00

I made Olivia an adorable tutu for Halloween. She is going to be a pretty witch...although there is no way she will wear the hat. Any how, here is a preview!

Liv's cute bum!

2009-10-27T21:35:00.003-05:00

Now that Olivia is potty trained, we seem to see her little bum crack quite a bit! It is pretty funny! This isn't the best picture, but still shows that her cute little "bummy", as she calls it, hangs out of her pants & undies! What a cute girl!

And this picture is just to show that I am not kidding when I say this girl makes messes every where she goes! This is in my closet....oh well, at least she is having a good time!

Camping trip!

2009-10-27T20:59:00.004-05:00

We decided to go to our ward camp out two weekends ago up at Potter Creek Park. It was beautiful camping weather & we all had a blast. Liv loved being able to roam free & the boys loved having lots of friends to run around & play with. It did get pretty cold for us Texans, but we survived & really enjoyed spending some good time outdoors. Kiley was so great to load, unload, take down, & then reload & unload again! Thanks babe for always being so great & never complaining about it! :) Good times!

Livy & one of her fave little buddies, Cody. They had a lot of fun together!

Liv showing off her dance moves, making smores, & loving her daddy!

Bed Time! It was sooooo cold, but we loved it! Although I got NO sleep & was a bit uncomfortable, but it was still a lot of fun!

Out exploring the lake. Fun to enjoy the awesome weather!

You got BOO-ed!

2009-10-12T20:25:00.003-05:00

For FHE tonight, the boys & I put together some nummy HaLlOwEeN treats! We were boo-ed last week & finally had some time to boo a few neighbors. The boys have been trying to wait patiently for the day to finally come that they could drop some treats & a cute little note off at someones door step & run off & hide. They had school off today & Kiley is on call, so I figured today was the best day to get it done! They thought it was pretty fun, even though one of the neighbors saw Teagen trying to hide & me standing on the front walk like a total dork! Oh well, it was still fun!

Happy Birthday Brayden Thomas!

2009-10-04T21:04:00.010-05:00

Brayden turned 6 years old on the 23rd of September. I feel terrible that I am now just blogging about it, but I guess better now then never, right! Kiley was still up in Dallas on his birthday, so it was just me & the 3 kids! Teagen & Brayden had a dentist appointment that very day...I know, what a crappy mom to schedule a dentist apt. on his birthday, but really it was the ONLY day they had available. We went to the dentist, mr. B had 2 cavities.....happy birthday, right! Afterwards, we went to Toys R Us & I let him pick out his presents this year. He thought that was pretty cool. We then headed to Apple bee's for dinner. Great service, NASTY food! Oh well. It was a very long day, but I think Brayden felt pretty special!
Any how, Brayden wanted a swimming party in the worst way. He's been talking about a pool party since last April! So we made it happen. He invited some of his little buddies from church & the neighborhood. Kiley got home the weekend we had the party---so grateful for his help! We had cupcakes & did presents first & then headed to the Air Force Base to a fun out door pool with a slide & a few diving boards. The boys all went for the high dive & had a blast jumping into the pool! I couldn't believe these little boys had no fear of jumping off such a high board, but they seemed to LOVE it! I think Brayden had a great day! He is such a good boy!

A little bit about my Brady Bug! He was born in the afternoon on a nice hot day in Glendale, Arizona. He was my BIGGEST baby, 8 lbs 3 oz. & 22 inches. When I think back on those days, it seems to be a bit of a blur. Having two little ones only 2 years apart & during Kiley's 2nd year of medical school (some of you will understand that "fun" year), I remember struggling. He was not my easiest baby, but still a good baby all the same. He has always been so good at putting up with his older brother. I am afraid Teagen is a tough act to follow, but Brayden has held his own! He is definitely his own little person! The teachers he has had over the last few years, have always mentioned how much they love & enjoy having him in class. Most of the time, you will find Brayden looking out for his siblings, even his friends. He has been the peacemaker in our family, although I must admit lately he has swayed a bit! :) We are so grateful he is part of our family! We have learned a lot about him & from him! Here are 6 things that I love & appreciate about my little B man!

*He loves to learn. Often times, he will ask me for "homework" to work on. Before he started Kindergarten he was reading. He is a great little reader! I can't compare him to his older brother cause that wouldn't be fair, but he is much more WILLING to learn & has such a desire...can't let that slip by!

*He is very sensitive. This can be a good thing & a bad thing! :) He does shed a lot of tears when things don't quite go his way, but that is just who he is. I appreciate that about him, cause I am a crier, too! He is very protective of his siblings. If either of them are getting in trouble & he has had nothing to do with it, he will usually pipe up & stick up for them sometimes even taking the blame! That is how siblings should be, always willing to stick up for one another! I hope he never looses that unique/special trait!

*I love that he LOVES to play games, any type of games---video, computer, phone, board games, pretend games, etc! He has such a love for it! He could sit & play games all day long if I let him. He is also good at most of them, too!

*He LOVES to dance & wrestle. If he gets chance to turn up some tunes, he'll dance around the house. If daddy is around, he is counting down the seconds until he can wrestle with him.

*He is social butterfly! If he could play with his friends all day long, every single day of his life, HE WOULD! His friends mean a lot to him, reminds me a lot of myself! Along with his social-ness, he is a TALKER! Sometimes he doesn't ever stop talking, definitely a trait he got from me, just ask Grandpa Tom & Grandma Shirlee!

*One of my absolute favorite things about Brayden is his BEAUTIFUL smile! I love to see his smile-it's very contagious & just plain beautiful! It is an image that I will always treasure!

Brayden, we love you so much! All those who come to know you, are truly lucky! You are one of a kind!

Pizza Partay!

2009-10-04T20:42:00.005-05:00

Kiley is on call today. It is Sunday. Not my most favorite day for him to be on call....we really like to be together as a family on Sundays yet his profession doesn't always allow him to be with us on this special day of the week. This weekend is General Conference...some of you have no idea what that means & may not even care. It is one of my most favorite times of year. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we get to hear from the leaders of the church for 2 days! It is always a time of self-reflection for me & also a reality check as to where I am headed in my life. This has been one of my most favorite Conferences (they are all really great & meaningful)! I am going to be a better person. Especially a better wife & a better mother. So this leads to our fun little evening, even though we were missing our daddy terribly today! I decided that my kids really needed to see their mother having fun! So I got out the cute little kiddie aprons, got some items out to make home made pizzas & then let the kids have at it! I am not one who can readily enjoy letting my kids make a mess in the kitchen, but today I did not care! They had so much fun making their own little mini pizzas. We listened to music & munched on all the toppings as each child created their own little master pieces! It was a fun evening, one that I hope my kids will always remember! I know I will!

Ya, so apparently I need to clean out the oven! :) GROSS!

Curly Sue!

2009-10-04T19:59:00.003-05:00

Olivia had school pictures this last week at her preschool. I decided to curl her hair in ringlets...didn't take too long & ended up so stinking cute! She wasn't in the mood for a photo shoot, so these are the only pictures I was able to capture. By the time she got home from school, the curls were completely gone. I sure hope they lasted for the pictures! What a girl!

Celebrate Good Times!

2009-09-22T19:59:00.017-05:00

A few weeks ago (hard to believe it's already been a few weeks now) most of my family came in to town for Teagen's baptism & the BYU/Oklahoma game. My parents, brother Paul & his little family (Nat & kids-Ethan, Brooke, & Tyler), brother Shawn & his wife Jessica, & my sister Angela (aka-Lala). I guess that is not most of my family, not even half my family, but it still seemed like a lot of people. Angela's friend came as well---she is a big BYU fan.
Any how, we had such a great time! Kiley was able to come home a few days early from Dallas & we were able to accomplish a lot while everyone was here. I already posted about the baptism so I will share the happenings after that! We headed up to Dallas shortly after the baptism for the big game. He has a nice apartment he is staying in up there & the other anesthesia resident let us use his apartment cause he was heading back to SA for the weekend. It was nice to not have to worry about a place to stay. I didn't go to the game. I stayed at the apartment with the two little girls. We met up with one of our dearest friends from medical school & byu days, the Huffinator! I only got to visit with Jeremy for a few minutes, but it was so much fun to see him! They all had a great time at the game & was pleasantly pleased that we won! It was also my brother Shawn's birthday that same day & so it was a fun present for him! We spent the next day up in Dallas, sight seeing & all that jazz. We went to the Dallas Temple to check it out...Very beautiful! I really enjoyed Dallas & thought it was a pretty neat city. We went to the River walk & Alamo, something you have to do at least once if you visit San Antonio. We celebrated lots of birthdays, ate some good food, watched lots of movies, swimming, lots of playing, & a little bit of relaxing, too! I was sick with some nasty stomach bug, so I felt like crap the last day or two, but still enjoyed having everyone here! Thanks family for coming! We love & miss you!

Liv looked so cute in the dress Grandma brought her for the baptism!

After the baptism, the kids blew bubbles & jumped on the trampoline while we got loaded up for Dallas!!!

Ethan, Teagen, & Brayden were sure excited to get to the big game! They had so much fun!!

Went to breakfast the next morning....

Kiley's apartment had a cool swimming pool, so we took the kids out to play! They had a great time!

Chillin in the apartment! A pretty tired group! Not quite ready for the long drive back to San Antonio!

We had to go see the beautiful Dallas Temple! We were sad the grounds were closed, but at least we could still see it from the road!

You can't come to Texas & not have some of Rudy's famous BBQ! The family LOVED it, especially the creamed corn!

Kids excited faces.....can't wait to eat Rudy's BBQ!

The Alamo....need I say more!

Rainforest Cafe....it was Shawn's bday, so they made him act like a gorilla...didn't have to act much! :)

On Labor Day, we took the kids to our friends pool. We had it all to ourselves!

Celebrating every one's birthdays! The cupcakes were a success!

One last day to play.....Liv & Brookie had a good time fighting over everything! Girls, girls, girls=DRAMA!

Kissing Grandpa Tom goodbye!

Grandpa Tom giving all the grand kids the infamous two dollar bill!

Grandpa Tom & Grandma Shirlee with the kids!

We miss you all!

I belong to the Church Of Jesus Chirst of Latterday Saints!

2009-09-15T21:53:00.007-05:00

Teagen was baptized a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on September 5th, 2009 by his dad! My parents & most of my siblings & their spouses were able to come! Teagen was the only one being baptized that day, so it was nice to focus completely on him & make it a lot more personal. Grandpa Tom & Uncle Paul gave excellent talks that touched all in attendance. I even saw Teagen get a bit teary eyed! It was so wonderful to have great friends come & support Teagen on this special day! It is a big milestone in life & makes me feel so happy & elated as a mother, but it also makes me feel a lot more pressure to really teach my children the things that are most important in this life & really help them to see the importance of loving everyone & choosing the right! Teagen is a great kid & has a lot to offer the world.

Kiley & Teagen!

Looking pretty excited!

Teagen & Aunt Lala!

The Mortensen Family

We love our Webb Ohana! Thanks for coming!

Liv's FIRST day of MDO (Mother's Day Out Preschool Program)!

2009-09-15T21:30:00.006-05:00

This year Livy is attending Preschool. She is going to the same MDO program that Brayden went to a few years ago. She missed the first day of school because we had family here & I felt that was a bit more important than her going to school. She went for the first time this last Thursday, the 10th. I was very nervous about it. She goes every Tuesday & Thursday from 9am to 2pm. It is a long day for a 2 year old, but surprisingly she has done FANTASTIC! I miss her during the day, but must also admit that it is so nice to run errands, grocery shop, & take a bath all by myself without tantrums & other things that 2 year olds like to do! Her teacher is Miss Sherry & she has lots of kids from the neighborhood & church in her class. I think it is going to be a great year & will really help her transition a bit more smoothly when this little sister of hers joins our family in January. She has had some major milestones in her little life lately, like going to school & the biggest one yet is that she is officially potty trained! I started the week the boys started school & she has done a great job! Loves her panties & her potty candy! We struggled big time the first few days, but then she suddenly got it & rarely has any kind of accident. I am so proud of my little girl!

All ready to go to school! What a cutie!

Liv with Miss Sherry!

Olivia all dolled up to meet her teacher at

Meet the Teacher Orientation the week before

school started!

Liv in her Dora Panties!

First day of school for the boys (august 24th)!!

2009-09-15T20:55:00.006-05:00

Teagen started 3rd grade this year & Brayden started all day Kindergarten. I think all of us at the Mortensen Homestead were looking forward to this school year starting! It had been a pretty long summer & we have been ready for some major structure! The boys both have some friends from church & previous classmates in their class this year. Teagen was sick the first day of school, but INSISTED on going. His classroom is upstairs this year & he was so excited about that!!! We got to school a little early so I could take some pictures. Teagen DID NOT want me to take pictures of him at school, but he did it any way! He is getting to be too cool for his pretty darn cool mom! Brayden LOVES school & has done so well with the all day schedule. Liv had a hard time the first few days with the boys being gone, but quickly realized that she has me ALL to herself & that is pretty great in her sweet little eyes! The school had a BooHoo breakfast for parents of kindergartners. Kiley, Liv, & I decided to go. OH ya, that reminds me, Kiley was able to go with us on the first day of school, something that has NEVER happened! Any how, Liv had a great time at the cute little breakfast.

The boys with our good friend & neighbor John G!

Here they are at school!

Teagen's 8th bday continued!

2009-09-15T20:24:00.002-05:00

The Saturday following Teagen's birthday, we took him & a few of his buddies to the Skylark Bowling alley on base. They had so much fun bowling, eating, & just hanging out! It was so nice to have a birthday party somewhere other than our house. No messes to clean up! I think we all had a great time!

FYI.....

2009-09-09T14:13:00.004-05:00

Olivia is pretty excited about the news!

Just in case you didn't figure it out from the picture I posted a few weeks ago----we are having a GIRL! Hooray! Livy will have a sister! I think every girl needs a sister! I had my anatomy ultrasound last Friday & it was confirmed that this little thing wriggling around inside me is indeed a girl! We are way excited & hope she is nothing like Olivia! Okay, that sounds terrible! We just hope she is a little less dramatic & bossy! We'll see....only 20 more weeks to go! YIPEEEE!

Yay! One more girl to even out the numbers!

Happy TEN! (10) year anniversary baby!

2009-08-31T19:33:00.015-05:00

Kiley & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on the 20th of this month. I can hardly believe it has been 10 years!

A friend of ours offered to take the kids that Friday night & keep them until about noon on Saturday. It was so nice to have the night off & be able to enjoy the quiet together! We went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, walked around the mall (tax free weekend=millions of people at the mall), and made a stop at an anesthesia bbq. It was fun to visit with old friends & meet some new peeps as well!

This is us 10 years after the first picture! Boy have we changed!!!

I know most of these pictures won't mean anything to any of you, but they sure do bring back a flood of memories for me & hopefully for Kiley, too! The pictures are not in any specific order. Have fun trying to figure out if which ones are sooner than later! It also makes me feel so old as I post these pictures from 10 years ago to now.......

I rarely think of all that we have accomplished together in the past 10 years. I kind of get stuck in the now & how to make it through each day. But as I sat here going through picture after picture (believe me, we have thousands & thousands of pics on this computer) it made me realize that we have accomplished so many things in these short years together & we still have many many more years to come.

Some of our greatest accomplishments since 1999:

*Having three children & one more on the way! This is huge to me because being prego, having the baby, & then trying to raise them in this chaotic, evil world is not an easy feat! Not to mention, IT IS EXHAUSTING!!! Ask Kiley, living with me for 9 months while I am pregnant is anything but easy! So please pat him on the back or send him some words of encouragement for the next 5 months! Way to go babe! You have almost made it through 4 long pregnancies with me!

*Putting Kiley through BYU, Medical School, and now Residency. We have known nothing but school, school, & more school! What great memories we have from the good old BYU days. But I do have to say, I think Med School is a time that I will always cherish & every now & then, long for. We had such a simple life & great friends. We lived off of love & student loans & nothing else really mattered, well except for making sure Kiley did well in school & passed those darn tests that he would study hours for! Residency has been a whole new ball game. Nothing we had expected. So grateful we have only 1 year left! I am so grateful for Kiley's hard work & dedication to his education, but most importantly to his family. I wouldn't do it any differently than we have! Now it is my turn to go to school!

*Training together for a marathon back in 2005. Kiley didn't get to run it with me, but he did train with me up until about the 10th week of training then he had to leave for a month. It was so much fun to run ourselves to death TOGETHER! There is nothing like pushing each other & supporting each other through some major hard running.....we did a 20 miler for one of our training runs & were both ready to die, but made it together! That was a time period that I will always treasure! Let's do it again babe....well after this baby comes & when you have more time.....

*Competing in our FIRST triathlon earlier this year was a huge accomplishment for the two of us! We had so much fun & really enjoyed it! Again, this is something we'd like to continue doing, but gotta get this baby here first!

*Moving to Arizona, then back to Utah, then on to Texas. To me, moving is a HUGE accomplishment & although each move seemed so hard at the time, we made it & have survived & loved everywhere we have been! Change is good!

*Along with that, having our FIRST home built. That is a tough process for anyone & trying to agree & work together on prices, upgrades, etc, is NOT easy! But we had fun & have LOVED our house!

*Our oldest will be baptized in a few short days. What an accomplishment! Like I mentioned earlier, it is not easy raising kids these days & I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life & my little families life. We are so far from perfect, but together with our knowledge & testimonies of the gospel we are trying to teach our children to make good choices, to love everyone, and to know that our goal as a family is to be together forever. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of eternal families & am even more grateful that I can teach my children this amazing principle & blessing!

*This is always an ongoing accomplishment, but one I really want to mention-everywhere we have lived, we have met some wonderful people & made some life long friends. We are so grateful for the relationships we have, FAMILY & FRIENDS! It is so wonderful to know that we are loved & looked out for! Thanks guys! We love you all!

SiStErS!

2009-08-16T14:49:00.008-05:00

I love my sisters! I have two younger sisters, Angela & Ashley. We didn't really do much together when we were younger, but as adults, we really enjoy spending time together! They both came down to San Antonio back in May to spend a few days with us! It was so fun to have them here & spend some good time together, especially before Ashley left on her mission for our church a month after her visit here.

We tried to do all the things they wanted to, but there were a few days the weather did not work with us! We made the most of it & have some great memories! We left the kids home one afternoon with Kiley & went to the San Antonio Temple, to the book store, & then out to an early dinner. They HAD to go to Rudy's & to Papasito's. We also spent a few days at Sea World. The first day was spent watching all the shows & going on all the rides. The next day rained & we had planned to go to the water park all day, but luckily it stopped raining just in time for us to see Billy Ray Cyrus perform LIVE at Sea World. Okay, I know you are all jealous & feel really bad that you did not get to see his AWESOME performance & even make your way up to the stage, have him grab your hand (both Ang & Ash were able to touch his hand) & to TOP it all off, we left the concert with Billys own personal SWEAT TOWEL. You heard me right, he handed his nasty disgusting towel to my little sister Ashley. It made her night!

We also went up to Enchanted Rock with our good friends Matt & Kathryn & their kids! It is just a few miles out of the cutest little German town, Fredricksburg. It was such a fun hike! The little ones did such a great job. Livy was able to climb most of it on her own. It was so amazing, a big humungo round mountain. After we ventured all over the mountain, we headed back into Fredricksburg & went to a nummy little restaurant, the Beir Garten. It was a fun day I think we all will remember!

We had so much fun with Angela & Ashley! They are such wonderful Aunts to our kids! We love you guys & are so glad we had those 5 days to play, watch movies, eat good food, be lazy, play in the rain, sleep in, work out, & make some pretty fun memories! We love you!!

At the Temple......jumping for joy!

The flowers were so pretty up there!

Dinner at Papasito's! It was good food!

Pirate 3D show at Sea World!

We love the log ride at Sea World.

Shamu, penguins, roller coaster rides, water rides......

Anxiously awaiting for Billy Ray to come out!!!

Ya Billy! Liv LOVED the loud music & dancing around!

Liv & mom having a good old time!

The TOWEL....Ashley was so excited about this nasty thing!

Making our way up Enchanted Rock!

Good times!

Fried Pickles...sounds gross, but they were good!

Are you all ready for this?????

2009-08-12T09:58:00.002-05:00

Take a gander at the picture (sorry, not the best quality).....Is It A bOy Or Is It A gIrL?????
I have mentioned several times through out my blog, my good friend Kathryn. She is my neighbor across the street & one of my very dearest friends. She is also my OB! Pretty sweet! Any how, she was on call last night & had me come in to do an ultrasound. I went in last Tuesday & the babe would not cooperate, so I was thinking it would be the same scenario--I am only 16 weeks along, so it isn't always easy to tell whether it is a boy or girl. She is 100% sure it is what it is, but I am not purging any girl or boy stuff until my 20 week ultrasound. Still, we are dang excited & look forward to this baby joining our family in January!! Hope you can figure out what it is!!!

The Teagster is 8!

2009-08-03T16:31:00.003-05:00

Teagen's AMAZING birthday cupcake!!!! He is having a

bday party with friends on the 11th, so that is when we

will really celebrate!!!!

I am way behind as usual on this darn blog, but I am not ready to quite give up on it yet! I will have to post the summer going ons when I have a bit more time, but really wanted to celebrate my newly turned 8 year old boy & the joy he has brought into my life thus far!

*Good times at McCallister's Deli! Had to get some wacky

pictures!

We let him chose where we were going tonight for dinner. He chose McCallister's Deli....one of our faves! He LOVES the nachos there & insists we buy a side of the nacho dip just for him! We went to Target after dinner & let him pick out a brand new bike! Pretty exciting stuff!

Teagen was born on August 3rd, 2001. He was the cutest little thing & looked a whole lot like his daddy! He was a mover from the get go & I don't think he has stopped since that first time I felt him kick me while he was still baking in the oven! :) Teagen was born in American Fork Utah at the American Fork Hospital. He was 5 days late & weighed a hefty 7 lbs. 4 1/2 oz. He was smothered with love from the very beginning. We lived in my parents basement apartment & most of my 7 siblings still lived at home, with that said, being surrounded by so many adults & teenagers Teagen talked, walked, ran, laughed & all that other great stuff pretty early on. We moved to AZ for medical school right after he turned one. I think he missed his grandparents & aunts & uncles a lot, but LOVED all his new little friends & the amazing pool we had right outside our door. When he was almost 4, we moved back to my parents house for a year. We celebrated his 5th birthday in San Antonio--we had just moved 2 days before his birthday! He has been such a trooper with all of our moves to different states. He is a lot like me & can't wait to get back to Utah for a good lengthy visit with family & friends--I think that is where he considers "home". He loves to play sports, eat, watch tv, hang out with friends, play the DS or the WII (we don't have either, so he does that with friends at their houses), ride his bike, ride his scooter, swim, cuddle, & listen to pretend stories told by his dad. He is pretty much 100% a daddy's boy & loves to spend time with him. He is a good boy with a lot of energy & emotion which can really ware me out! I love him very much & know that Teagen is part of our family for a reason.

EIGHT reasons why I love Teagen:

*He has a boundless amount of energy that I wish I could bottle up & use myself!

*His excitement for things he really enjoys & likes is very contagious! If only we could channel it to some of the things he isn't too thrilled about (school work, piano, chores!!!)!

*He has an amazing memory! Definitely not something he got from me!

*He may not like to read like his mom & dad, but I love that he thoroughly enjoys pretend stories. Kiley has been telling him pretend stories since he was 2! If no one is willing to tell him a story, he can often be found telling Brayden a pretend story at night before they both fall asleep!

*He comes off as a not so sensitive kid, but in reality, he has a very sweet heart! He broke down crying at the end of one of the Peter Pan movies, I think the second one, cause he was so concerned that the little girl didn't have a family! Hopefully his tenderheartedness will shine through a little bit more as he continues to grow up!

*I LOVE that Teagen will run with me. I love it even more that for the most part, he can keep up with me. He has always been an amazing runner & hopefully will take a liking to it just like his mom & grandma!

*I love that he adores his daddy! He is much more fond of Kiley than he is of me & I am okay with that! He thinks his dad is the most amazing person & I hope that he will always think that & that they will always have a special bond!

*I love that Teagen is always up for a hug or just a good old cuddle session on the couch. Again something that I hope he never grows out of.....except in HS when he starts dating & all that good stuff!

We love you Teagen & hope you have the best birthday ever! Thanks for being apart of our family!

THREE plus ONE equals FOUR!

2009-06-29T22:19:00.004-05:00

That's right.....come the end of January, another little munchkin will be joining our family. I wanted to wait as long as I could before announcing it, but I started showing when we decided it was time for another! So I couldn't keep it a secret for too long. Yes, what are we thinking????!!!!!?????!!!! They say once you've had three, you can handle anything! Is this true??? I guess we'll let you know when we figure it out for ourselves!

Easter Eggs, Cascarones, and BBQ!

2009-06-14T15:20:00.007-05:00

The day before Easter, we were invited to a BBQ & Easter Egg hunt at our friends lake house. Molly made an adorable bunny cake! The kids scored big time & had enough candy to last the rest of the year!!!

Easter was an eventful holiday! I have been trying to come up with some fun family traditions this year for the different holidays. The day before Easter, we colored our Easter eggs. The kids really enjoyed themselves, as did Kiley & I! It was fun making them colorful & shimmery. It is tradition that the Easter Bunny leaves clues for each kid & they go on their own little scavenger hunts looking for clues that will lead them to their baskets. We have early church (8:30) so we waited until after church to go on the hunt. They loved their baskets! Liv got a cute little dress up dress in hers. I don't know who was more excited about that, me or her???? :)

Can't we get a decent picture!?!?!? Easter Sunday!

We had a few of our close friends over for a BBQ later that day. Kathryn made a nummy bunny cake that was a huge hit with the kids! She also brought over Cacarones (also know as confetti eggs, are festive, hollow chicken egg shells, filled with confetti, meant to be broken over somebody's head, usually as a surprise from behind scattering confetti all over the person. This tradition is most often carried out among family & friends. Cascarones derived from Mexico and have recently regained popularity in the southwestern United States. They are used for many different occasions, especially Easter. Having one broken over your head is said to bring GOOD LUCK!). The kids had such a great time with these eggs as well as the adults! It was so much fun & there was egg shells & confetti EVERYWHERE! If you ever join us for Easter, be prepared to have a good time!

Boys Piano Recital back on April 25th, 2009

2009-06-14T14:25:00.008-05:00

I realized that there are lots of events that I have not blogged about & really want to include these events for history sake. So I will be doing a bit of back blogging!

Teagen & Brayden have been taking piano from a lady from our church since last September. She just moved back in May out of state & so they had their final recital back in April. They went every Tuesday to piano & even though there were days they (mostly Teagen) hated it, they really enjoyed it & grew a lot! So here are a few fun pics. I have some video, but for some reason it will not load. I may have to add it later!

Brayden's soccer season....

2009-06-06T20:48:00.006-05:00

Brayden played soccer through the YMCA this spring. Today was his last game. We really weren't sure if he would like it---he is just not as quick on his feet like Teagen. However, he did surprise us! He is quite the little player! His teams name is the TIGERS. Several of his little buddies were on his team & this made it that much more fun for him. He scored a goal in today's game! We are so proud of him! Last week they had their team party! He was so excited to have his very own trophy! It is amazing how such a thing can make a kid so proud of himself!

Pictures from the Team Party & Parent's Vs. Kids game! Lots of fun!

Our Baby Girl is now 2!!!

2009-05-23T21:22:00.011-05:00

Our Little Diva!

I know that I have been terrible at updating my blog-it seems to take over me when I do try to update it, but I felt that this was very post worthy-so here I am taking the time to jot this all down! :) Olivia turned 2 on May 20th! We had a fun homemade pizza dinner with our good friends the night before her birthday (Kiley left out of town on her birthday). She had a great time & loved having friends over.

This is Liv with our favorite OB Doc, Kathryn!

She is our neighbor & good friend! She delivered

Liv 2 years ago & they have a special bond that

is so sweet!

On her actual birthday, we didn't do a whole lot--she did get a new mini big wheel! So cute!

We had a big birthday party on Friday with all of her cute little friends. It was so much fun! We played outside, chased bubbles, colored with side walk chalk, jumped on the trampoline, ate snacks & cupcakes--it doesn't get any better than that!

When all the kids started to sing Happy Birthday to Olivia, she flipped out. Check out the video, it is pretty darn funny!

There are a million reasons why I love my little Liv & I want to take this time to share a few of those reasons with y'all and share a bit of the joy that she has brought into my life with y'all as well!

*She is my trusty sidekick! She pretty much follows me where ever I go. She mimics a lot of my actions--like talking on the phone, getting after the boys, etc.

*Whenever the phone rings, she yells in her cute raspy voice, "HELLO?"

*I probably tell her a dozen or more times a day that she is beautiful. I hear her talking to her babies & she is telling them that they are "beutibul". I love to her her say "beutibul"...I will be so sad when she can say it correctly! She will even remind me to tell her she is beautiful...this could be bad! :)

*She loves to stall at bed time! I try to have the same routine, some nights are better than others. She insists on reading books, singing songs, tickling her tummy, getting her a drink or two, talking, & of course, rocking in the rocking chair. She'll say, "Rock mommy! Book Mommy! I want dink (drink)!" Her favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle & sometimes we sing it 10 times in a row! Even though it can be exhausting, I love every second of it!

*Tonight as I got the boys into their beds, I turned out the lights & told Liv to follow me to her room. She started to walk out the door & then said, "Love yous, momma?" And I knew exactly what she wanted to do. She walked over to Teagen & hugged him & said, "Luv you Teagey!" Then walked over to Brayden & gave him a big hug & kiss & said, "Luv you Bebe (that is her way of saying Brayden)!" I watched all of this from the doorway & my heart was so full! Being a mom is not easy, but little moments like this one really make it worth it!

*She has the cutest little freckles just across her nose & cheeks! It is truly a beautiful sight!

*Last Sunday, her teacher at church told me that when they tell all the kids that it's time to clean up, Olivia jumps up & down & yells & is the best little cleaner-upper! She is only 2, but is by far my best helper in the house! :) Must be a girl thing!

*She is demanding, spoiled, bossy, temper mental, feisty, stubborn, adorable, funny, fearless-Kiley says she is just like her mother! Ah, come on now! That's why you love us so much, right!?!?!?

*She is really getting into pretending-especially with play food & tea sets. I love it when she tries to feed me & brings me my plate & cup so I can have a little tea party with her!

*She adores her daddy, but for the most part she seems to prefer me & for the most part, I don't mind!

Happy Birthday my sweet Livy Lou Lou! You have changed my life forever & I am so grateful for this time that I have with you!

Galveston Triathlon, April 4th, 2009

2009-04-16T14:47:00.005-05:00

Thanks Babe for doing this with me!

(Disclaimer: I worked on this back in April, so it is pretty much old news! But I knew I still needed to post all about it!)

Kiley & I participated in our very FIRST & most definitely not our last, Triathlon. It was up in Galveston, TX-about 4 hours away from San Antonio. Kiley has been in Houston for the past two months & the triathlon just happened to be the day after his LAST day in Houston. So I drove up with some girlfriends & met Kiley up there (Houston is about 45 min away from Galveston). The ride up was great! It's always fun to sit in a car with a bunch of ladies who are pretty cool & just sit back & chat it up! We were able to stay at a friends house...THANKS FISHER'S!!!! They moved down by us in San Antonio & are trying to sale their house up in Galveston. It got hit pretty hard during the hurricane but is now all put back together & is seriously adorable! The house was maybe 3 minutes away from where we would be racing the following day. We went to dinner & then back to the house. We decided to do a bit of "practicing" for the big day. The pictures say it all! Kiley was such a good sport chillin with all of the ladies! We really had such a great time......lots of great memories!

Yes, we are all so tough!

All of us trying desperately to perfect our form!

Pretty much we rock!

Me & my pal, Molly! She and I decided

to do this Tri way back when & I am so

grateful for her intensity & dedication! Thanks

Molly for making this such a fun experience!

I am the goofy one with my hands up in the air!

Good Job Kiley, Jen, Molly, & Rebecca! We did it!

Eating some food!

Kiley & I getting our Post Massage! It was so

wonderful!!!

I was so proud of Kiley for doing this tri with me! He rocked it. I really wanted to beat him & I almost did, but he beat me by 19 seconds! He did AMAZINGLY well on the swim & kicked all of our behinds! The swim was not quite a 500 meter swim, the bike was 12.5 miles, and the run was a 5k. I was pretty nervous about swimming in the ocean-definitely not my favorite, but doable! The bike was all along the ocean-very calming & serene! Loved it! We had such a great time & will be back next year! I am so glad we did it & am grateful for all the support & help along the way! SO grateful for good friends who were so willing to watch my kids! Becky you are the best! Love ya! Who knows, maybe the Mortensen's will become Triathletes?????

Mother of all posts!!!!

2009-04-05T16:54:00.023-05:00

So I am basically 2 1/2 months behind on my blogging! I have loads of pictures that I have been wanting to put on our blog, but Kiley has been gone for the past 2 months with the lap top & most of those pics have been on it. I have also been trying to figure out what the purpose of this blog is......I don't like to boast & brag, but I like for our family & close friends to see & know what we've done, accomplished, and enjoyed through out our days, months, years, etc. I also want it to be apart of our family history & plan to turn our blog into a memory book. With all of that, be prepared that this particular post is going to be enormous! ****Remeber that if you want to see the pictures BIGGER & BETTER, you have to click on them!****

SIDE NOTE: Kiley left to Houston back during the second week of February & just finished up this past weekend (April 3rd). EIGHT LONG WEEKS....although he was able to come home MOST weekends.

I am going to start with March & work my way backwards!
MARCH:
A fun day at the park!

Liv & I went to Walmart one day & she was so stinking cute I just had to take some photos!

Celebrating my friend Becky's birthday! Good Times!

Olivia jumping on the trampoline! So cute!

DAVID ARCHULETTA CONCERT!!!

I know I already posted a bit about this awesome event, but I had a bit more to add! Thanks to Susan, we really did get to meet this talented guy! He was so stinking cute & really fun to hang out with.

My little brother Shawn & his darling wife, Jessica came to visit in March for about a week! I didn't tell the boys they were coming, so I picked them up from the airport & the kids were at our friends house. I had Shawn & Jess go up to their door & ask for Teagen & Brayden. They were so excited to see them! It was so much fun to have them here & really helped me out a TON, especially since Kiley was gone. We had a good time hanging out, going to Sea World, the YMCA, the River walk, the Alamo, Dinner, making cookies, and Swimming! It was so fun & really they were such a great help to me! Kiley was able to come home that weekend & enjoyed a few days with them as well. While they were here, our little sister Ashley received her mission call and my little bro's wife had a baby girl on the same day. We were all sad to miss out on all the excitement, but we were glad we were here together to celebrate for them!

We had a fun day with our good friends the Platt's! We had a picnic at the park, which was FREEZING cold! We sure do love the Platt Family, they pretty much are family to us!

We were able to watch our good friends, the Tourtillott's dog, Ellie! We had so much with her! She is the best dog ever! Olivia ADORED her & was so sad when we had to give her back! I have never been much of an animal lover, but Ellie won my heart! I even let her hop in bed with me! Ya, I know......crazy! But I was all alone & Kiley was still in Houston & I needed someone to keep me company & she is so darn cute!

Liv & Brayden love to dance. So we turned on some tunes and away they went!

FEBRUARY:

*SIDE NOTE: My parents & two of my bro's & two of my nephew's came to visit this month. However, I am waiting for pics from my brother, so I will not post about that adventure until I have the pics!

The Second Grade students at Teagens school had the cutest little "Texas" themed musical at the beginning of February. It was so cute & I about fell off my chair when I saw Teagen up on stage singing & dancing! He did such a great job! What a cute little cowboy he is!

My sweet friend Emily has a FUN Valentine's Day tradition that she has done every year that they have lived here in San Antonio. She puts together a huge Progressive Dinner with couples in the neighborhood. The last stop is always at their house with nummy crepes for dessert & a fun Newlywed game! We always laugh our heads off, say things we probably shouldn't, and leave full! Kiley made it home from Houston just in time. My parent's & two of my brothers flew in to town that very day, so I didn't have to worry about finding a babysitter! It was a lot of fun!

These are some funny pictures of Olivia putting on one of the boys smelly socks! She worked long & hard at getting them on all by her little old self! Way to go Livy girl!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

We had a few friends over for the Super Bowl! We had a YUMMY BBQ with all the fixins & lots of good salads & treats!

End Of JANUARY:

These are just some darling pictures of Olivia one Sunday after church. She has been so much fun & her little personality has really started to shine.....Watch Out World!

It's been a long time....

2009-03-22T20:48:00.006-05:00

DOES THIS MEAN I AM FAMOUS NOW?????

I have not had two seconds to update this darn blog! We've had lots of visitors over the past month & so I really have not been able to dedicate some time to this blog. I am not going to get it done tonight, however, I did want to post something pretty darn cool. A couple of weeks ago, David Archuletta was here in San Antonio. I was able to go with some wonderful girlfriends to his concert. One of my friends actually knows him personally, close family friends you could say! :) Any how, long story short, we were able to go back stage after the concert & hang out with him & take pics & videos. Looking back I don't know why I didn't take more pics & videos-I think I was just so stinking excited! We had him say a little something to the girls at church that I work with (12-18 year olds). Any how, I hope y'all enjoy the pics & video. IF you ever get the opportunity to go see him, I suggest you do! He is AMAZING!!! Darn it! I saved my video clips on Kiley's computer that he has with him. I will have to add those later.......

Kids are so funny!

2009-02-23T14:05:00.003-06:00

This morning Teagen & Brayden were having a little argument at breakfast. They were debating whether or not Barack Obama was bald. Brayden was 100% convinced that he IS bald. Teagen explained to Brayden that if he were bald, he would have a little bit of hair on the sides of his head & nothing on top. After much contemplating, Brayden decided that Teagen was right & that Mr. President after all is NOT bald. What even brought this up is beyond me!

Spurs Mini Slam Dunk Contest!

2009-02-08T19:01:00.004-06:00

Teagen is on a basketball team through the Youth Center at Lackland Air Force Base. A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from the director of the youth center asking if Teagen would like to play in the contest during the half time of the Spurs game on January 23rd. Teagen LOVES the Spurs & so of course I told him yes. It was Military Appreciation Day & so that is why the Spurs had asked the youth center to send a few kids to participate. It was so much fun! They had them do the mini slam dunk contest during the first time out. Teagen looked so cute out there...I could only see him because of the big screen, our seats were pretty much nose-bleed!!! It was a fun outing & I must say, it was nice not having a wild & rambunctious little 21 month old tagging along! Thanks Meiers for letting her crash at your place! :) All of the kids that participated ended up winning & were given a $100 savings bond at some bank. Pretty darn cool! Brayden had so much fun yelling "DEFENSE"-everyone around us would start to laugh cause he was so loud! I think the boys loved eating basketball game food...the cotton candy was the best! Poor Kiley was pretty darn tired. We had to pick him up from work & it had been a very long day & he had to be to work the next day early in the morning. But he was a good sport & enjoyed the game with us! I can't even remember if the Spurs won that night! We left before the game was over. How funny!

IT'S OFFICIAL.....Drum roll please!!!!

2009-01-25T14:49:00.017-06:00

Today marks the FIRST week of me being 30 (okay, so I started this on Sunday & now it is Thursday!!!!!)! I know, what an accomplishment, right!? It is funny how many people have asked me if I feel different now that I am the big 3-0! Nope, I feel the same as I did when I was 29, heck even when I was 25, except for maybe a few more stretch marks & grey hairs! I have embraced this new age of mine & look forward to making this next year a very memorable one, full of new goals & new adventures! Maybe if I get around to it, I'll even dedicate a post to the "30" goals that I am working towards this year!

So, I am sure y'all are DYING to know what Jen Mortensen did for her 30th birthday. Here are the glorious details!

Unfortunately my birthday fell on a Sunday & so all plans were set for Saturday. Kiley & I got the kids up & headed up to the YMCA for a quick work out. We raced home, I got showered & ready & then my two great friends, Kate & Kim, took me to lunch at the Olive Garden. Kiley had informed me earlier in the week that I needed to be prepared for Saturday. The preparations included: shaved legs, wear something comfortable, bring along a cowboy hat, and a blindfold. After lunch, the girls surprised me with a pedicure that Kiley had planned. That is why I needed to shave my legs.....don't want to gross out the lady who would be giving my legs a rub down! It was a wonderful time & am grateful to my girlfriends for such a fun afternoon!

Kiley had planned for our kids to be watched by our friends & we were off by 5pm for a fun adventure! He took me to Benihana's---so good! It was a great meal & so nice to spend some time alone with him! They sang to me & the waiter announced to the entire restaurant that I was celebrating my 21st birthday....awwww sweet! :) When we got into the car, Kiley put the blindfold & cowboy hat on me. Now of course I had a sneaky suspicion that he obviously had some surprise planned...I thought he was taking me to the Cowboy Dance hall & that some of our good friends would be there to celebrate & dance the night away with us. After a crazy drive & me feeling terribly carsick, we made it to our destination. He told me that we were in a big parking lot & to be careful not to run into any cars. He helped me through the door & instantly I KNEW where we were.....the smell gave it away....we were at my best friend Kate's house! I ripped off the hat & blindfold & to my surprise there was a house full of great friends ready to party with me! Rock band, good food, bday cake, & even presents!!! It was such a fun surprise! I told Kiley months ago that he had better make my 30th a big deal....like throw me a surprise party! I didn't think he could pull it off, luckily he had Kate along with the help of Kim, to do all the dirty work! :) Thanks guys for such a fun night!

On my actual birthday, we rushed to get to church on time (8:30 am, ya I know, it's a love/hate time frame). I enjoyed all the birthday wishes from such great friends!!! Too my surprise, when I came out of church, my car was decorated in "30" & "honk, I'm 30"! It was pretty darn funny! I did get a few honks a few days later & thought people were mad at the way I was driving. Then I realized that Kiley hadn't wiped off the Honk I'm 30 on the back window! We had a little BBQ & Birthday Cake & Ice Cream in the afternoon with a few close friends. It was a wonderful Birthday weekend! Thanks babe for everything! I truly felt so very loved & also so very grateful for such great friends!

My sweet kids gave me a beautiful diamond heart necklace & earrings! Click on this picture above & you may get a better view of it!

It was the best Birthday EVER!

Pillar of Character award goes to.......

2009-01-22T20:42:00.004-06:00

Teagen & Brayden both were awarded the Pillar of Character award for Responsibility this past month. Two kids from each class received the award. They got to have a fun donut & juice breakfast & then were given their awards along with a free meal at the Olive Garden. I have to say that I was pretty proud of both of them & had to fight back a few tears. I am thinking that maybe I should award a Pillar of Character once a month in our home...........maybe there would be less fighting, whining, complaining, etc. Any how, it was a proud parent moment! Way to go boys!