Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Holidays Everyone! So far this holiday season has been wonderful! Halloween was so fun! The kids had a wonderful time. I went to Utah for Thanksgiving and had an awesome time!! It was a little bit hard too because it was my first holiday away from the kids. The kids were with their daddy at Mt. Rushmore and just love to tell the story about how everything was closed on Thanksgiving day and they had soda pop and gas station food for Thanksgiving dinner. They had a blast!!

Christmas is my favorite time of year! The kids and I kicked off December by decorating the house and our xmas tree!

Football season if finally over...Jaydan's team was one game away from going to the Carnation Bowl. They did awesome!

Apparently I'm the most embarrassing mom on the team...
hmmm I just can't imagine why at all!

Kayleigh feeding a goat at White fence farmCassidy being silly

We love that our cousins moved near us!!

Craziness!

Life has been so crazy lately! Which is probably a good thing for me! I really need to keep busy at this time in my life.

So, Jaydan started football again, Cassidy is now taking theatre classes, which include singing, dancing and acting lessons. Kayleigh started pre-school 2 times a week, and I am...adjusting to new changes in our life.

Football game. Jaydan is #55

My good friend Savina. Our sons have been on the same sports teams for the past 4 yrs. Everyone thinks we are sisters.

First day of school! Hallelujah!

Field Day...Jaydan showing of all of his 1st place ribbons.

Here is a cute story from field day that melted my heart...

Jaydan was trying to break his "blue ribbon record" this year and get more 1st place ribbons than he did last year. Well, he did break his record! He got 2 more blue ribbons than he did last yr. He saw a boy in his class who is not very athletic, and had no blue ribbons. Jaydan said, "mom, he just looked so sad that he couldn't win any blue ribbons!" So, Jaydan went up to this little boy and said, "here! have these two blue ribbons." The little boy ran to his mom and jaydan said he was jumping up and down from happiness! In the end, Jaydan did not bring home his extra blue ribbons, but he made his mom cry and made the day of a little boy who will probably never forget that simple gesture.

She's just a little ball of fire!

Cassidy at field day

Summer is coming to an end...

I hate that summer is coming to an end so fast! On the other hand, I'm so ready for school to start! We are back in Colorado and ready to start our routines again! Here are a few pics of some of our summer fun!

The kids loved going up to the Provo Temple on Sunday afternoon. Especially to the "secret garden" in the back of the temple.

I love this picture because I had the kids sitting in front of the fountain by themselves and some elders came up and asked if they could get in the picture. The kids thought that was very cool!

Spent the day up at East Canyon with the most amazing people in the world! The Newman Family!

Swimming with Grandma Newman

The famous Cassidy Newman who took 1st place at the rodeo in Mutton Bustin! (it was a very proud moment for me ok!)

July 4th- Stadium of Fire! Trev, elise and mom and dad waiting for Shedaisy and The Jonas Brothers

Jaida and Cassidy. Still waiting for the Jonas Brothers...

Anouncing the Jonas Brothers...

And the moms having way to much fun rockin to the jonas brothers!

At the river. Jaydan getting kisses from Shey and Linds

Mom and kids

My baby

Grandma, kayleigh and Jaydan

My girls

I would like to start off by saying how grateful and blessed I feel to have such wonderful family and friends who love and support my family unconditionally!
Sadly, I also feel that some judgment has been passed recently...
As in most situations, it is very easy to speculate and give opinions on what could have and should have been done. I guess I realize this because I have done this to other people myself. I realize now that I was absolutely wrong for passing judgment, or speculating on someone or something that I had no idea what was really going on. The fact of the matter is, unless you have walked in that persons shoes, no one should be passing judgment on someones situation. Or saying, "they're justified in getting a divorce, but they're not." Which is a saying I have heard a few times now.
The last thing I want is for this post to sound mean. It's just hurtful to hear things and judgmental comments during an already extremely painful time.
With that said....
We have had a great summer so far, and I'm so sad it is quickly coming to an end! We have been spending almost everyday at a pool a water park or the movies. Entertaining kids is a full time job! I'm just having such a great time with my family and old friends!

I can't forget to mention my little rodeo cowgirl Cassidy who won first place in mutton bustin at the rodeo last week! I'll post a pic later

I never thought in all of my life that I would be sitting down and writing this message to our dear friends and family...

Sadly, after months of trying, Jeff and I have come to a joint decision to get a divorce and move on in the most amicable way possible. Neither Jeff or I feel it is healthy to dwell on "what went wrong" or try to rehash blame. We both have faults, we both have strengths and we both have tried very hard for a very long time to make it work. We plan to work very closely together in parenting our children with unity and maintaining friendly terms with eachother will be crucial to having that work successfully.

I love the Lord with all my heart and soul. I feel his love and presence during this difficult time. I still have great faith in family, marriage and in love. Jeff and I have these wonderful children whom we adore. The people I love more than any other on the face of the earth, and the people he loves more than any other on the face of the earth, are the same people. Bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh. So we're still inextricably tied together. What's wrong with this picture? All the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put it back together again.

Thank you all for your support, love and prayers.

One Eyed Willy

As if my life isn't crazy enough... My dog had to go and lose an eye!

I'll make a long story short:

Our big dog Sawyer and the little dog DJ were rough housing last Friday. Sawyer got too rough and bit the back of Dj's neck and severed the muscles from his left eye. I got home and noticed that my dogs eye was almost hanging out of his eye socket. After I screamed and almost fainted, I took him to the vet and he got surgery the next morning. They could not save the eye.

Sadly, we took Sawyer to the pound because he was just too rough for our family. All turned out fine, DJ is doing great, and the kids now call him "One eyed Willy".

Loving May

I love May! It's sunny, it's warm, it's Derek Jeter season, I mean baseball season and summer is only one month away!

This last weekend was a buzzzzzy one for me! In order to prepare for my Relief Society lesson I spent most of Saturday making my handout. (Welcome to the life of an over-achiever!)

I made 50 bumble bees out of fondant, and put them on top of 50 cupcakes.

Cassidy spent all afternoon helping me!

(Over-achiever in training)

The saying on the bottom of the cupcake says...

"Forgiveness is a funny thing... it warms the heart and cools the sting."

The final product! All the women loved them...and I think they liked my lesson too

Happy Mother's Day!

I was surprised with breakfast and a basket Sunday morning!

Sunday evening, I had about 15 people over for dinner for a

Mexican feast! 4 pans of enchiladas later...we were a happy bunch!

Of course I talked to my momma and told her how much I loved her too!

I have the best mom in the world! It makes me cry when I think about how much

she does for me! And hello...she's beautiful!

The Graduate!

Our little Princess graduated Kindergarten today!

I couldn't focus the camera because I was crying while she walked down the aisle

to the graduation song.


All the kids got up and told what they wanted to be when they grew up. Most said
a doctor or a vet. Cassidy said, "When I grow up I want be a barrel racer in the rodeo."





Just because I'm camera happy

Stronger than the Storm

To my dear friends, family,
For those of you who have noticed or not noticed, I have been feeling a little bit absent
lately. Kind of like the phrase, "The lights are on, but nobody's home." Needless to say,
the past few months or more have been a little bit of a "storm" in my life. And, since I know I
am not the only one who has ever been put through trials or tribulations, or had my faith tested, I KNOW you understand what I am trying to say.
Please know that I am not avoiding you if I don't answer your call, or I'm not mad at you if I decline the invitation.
I just need some time right now to figure out how to "Turn my Lights back On." I have the most wonderful friends and family a girl could ever ask for! Thank you for you support, prayers and unconditional love.

I've come to realize lately, that difficult times in our life can become an opportunity for growth that may not come in any other way. Most of all, I've come to appreciate aspects of the Atonement that I didn't understood before. I know the Savior understands our pain and if we let him, he will lift our burdens.

Easterssss...

So for those of you who have seen Nacho Libre, you will understand the inside joke of the word Eastersss. Jaydan and Jeff love Nacho Libre and couldn't get enough of saying Eastersss on Easter.

You will never know by looking at this picture that Kayleigh threw a tantrum 15 min. before because I tried to curl her hair. Cassidy wanted to wear her hair straight with NOTHING in it even though I spent $10 on an adorable white flower for her hair. And Jaydan...oh jeez...once I handed him a hot pink tie to wear to church you would think the world was coming to an end! Basically I had to bribe him with money to wear it. But, alls well ends well and we had a great easter! Pink tie and all!

Daddy and the kids!

We had Easter dinner at our cousin Kathy and David's house! Wow, what a meal!

The kids are counting their easter eggs

Our cousins Mary and Adam

My Three Little Bugs

I Have three lovable little bugs

Who march through my home each day.

Mess up their rooms in fun and games

And then they are gone to play.

Out in the grass, dirt, and sun

With dolls, and sports, and other fun.

But when their day is done at last

They march back in to eat and bath.

With smiling faces, hugs and kisses

I hope their day was fun and filled

With dreams and granted wishes...

I'm not always the kind of mom who gets down on the ground and plays barbie's or trucks with the kids...but, I do love to spend time with them, and one of our favorite things to do is to cook together! We are making a berry cobbler for Sunday dessert

Clean Up!

Once again, baseball season has arrived! Which means 3 practices a week and 1 or 2

games a week.

Jaydan made the zero flight team which is the highest ranked team in the league.

We are very proud of him if I may brag for a moment!

He is pitching for the first time this year. It's just so cute. He doesn't think
it's very cute when I scream "Good job baby boy!" Just kidding I don't really
do that....ok, maybe I just did it once.




Cassidy has a new hobby too...after trying many other activities such as soccer, ballet,
and gymnastics, she has decided she would like to be a rodeo girl when she grows up.
She now takes horseback riding lessons and loves it!
(of course she had to love the most expensive activity!$$$)



Getting ready to saddle her horse


Grooming her training horse Carousel

I don't think Kayleigh wants to be a rodeo girl...she can't even handle

the smell of the horses