Cinders

We were lucky enough to join my family for one last trip before summer's end. We went up to the Cinders and enjoyed lots of riding, fun and cooler weather! We had such a great time and I'm so glad we were able to go. Caden is obsessed with bikes and has been ever since I can remember (maybe it has something to do with him having a Dunes/Dirt Bike room as a baby!) Well, Keegan hasn't had the opportunity to enjoy bikes like his brother so it was great seeing him enjoy them as much as the rest of us. I'm so glad my kids like bikes and riding. I have so many memories of riding and sand dunes trips as a kid, so I'm loving that my kids get them too.

Riding family pic! I love it!!

Caden showing me "Rock On" Thanks Uncle Jake and Jordy for teaching him that!!

Hot Stuff!! My baby sis!!

Daddy and Keegan. He was definitely in awe when we first got there. Now all he talks about is the Rhino and bikes.

Caden and I sporting the Rock On

Believe it or not, Caden took this picture. The first one was crooked, but this one came out great! Nice job bud!

Another goodbye

My brother Jeff and his family moved last week to Memphis TN. We are so bummed to have them go. My poor kids no longer have cousins close by to play with. I know they are excited to start a new adventure, but they will be missed greatly. I tried to snap a few pics of the kids before we left that night, but they weren't too into it.

My little Keegan has been nicknamed "Little Jeff" because he is so wonderfully stubborn like his Uncle. Here's Jeff showing us his stubborn face. When I was younger this face would make me cry. Imagine my surprise when it does it to my kid too! HA!

Hugs for Uncle Jeffy.. We'll miss you guys and can't wait to see you in October. Enjoy your new adventure in Tennessee!!

Museum = Fun Believe it or not!!

My mom and I had the privilege of taking my nieces and my boys to the Phoenix Children's Museum before school started. We had SOO much fun. Who would have thought a museum could be fun, especially for 5 little kids.. It was an absolute blast and well worth the drive.

Here is our attempt at getting a group shot! Gotta love them!!

One year older - and wiser too....

I couldn't let Jay's 30th birthday pass by without making a big deal about it - SO, I threw him a surprise party! Now, keeping a secret from Jay is not the easiest task! He does not like surprises or being the center of attention, but like I said, he turned 30! You can't let that go without doing something special! Now getting him out of the house without me was quite the task - I had to fake a back injury to miss cosmic bowling (I'm still bummed I didn't get to do that too!) and pretend like I didn't care that he was gone just about all day playing video games and hanging with friends. They did such a great job keeping him out of the house and allowing me to get things prepared (with the help of my sister of course! Couldn't have done it without her!)

And the moment finally came.... SURPRISE!!

He was definitely surprised, to say the least!
Caden and Keegan were so excited to see Daddy.

I "made" him wear this hat while he opened presents. He said it made him look like a leprechaun, but I thought it was cute and festive!

The Cake! Thanks Costco - it was DELICIOUS!!

Us celebrating his wonderful birthday! (with a bit of Shane in the background!)

I figure he doesn't hate me too bad since I'm still here. Although he did say that it was one of the best birthday's he's ever had!! Yeah! Happy 30th babe! I love ya tons!!

Long Overdue!!

Ok, so I have been writing this post several times over in my head and never managed to get in on here. So, finally - here's a tribute to my sweet and wonderful husband.

We celebrated our 5th Anniversary on July 9th! I can't believe it's been 5 years. It feels like we've been together, but then again it feels like we just got married! Our 5 years together have been AMAZING to say the least. We managed to survive each other and create 2 kids in the process. We have a blast together every day and I couldn't imagine spending Eternity with anyone but my best friend. He is such an amazing husband and father - I couldn't have asked for more. Thanks for the best 5 years! I can't wait to see what the next 5 have in store for us! I love you babe! XOXO

Overjoyed

A girl couldn't ask for a better weekend! I was actually able to spend 3 whole days with my 3 favorite guys!! We had so much fun together!! On Friday morning we went out to breakfast (one of our fav things to do!!) to Cracker Barrel! It was amazing!! Then on Saturday morning I was able to go to breakfast with some awesome girlfriends for over 2 hours!! Totally needed some girl time! I came home and we spent the rest of the day outside playing on the waterslide!! My boys LOVE this slide and Jay and I couldn't have chosen a better way to spend our 4th of July!!

Yes, I was there too - just behind the camera! No one needs to see this in a swimsuit!! :)

Our day ended with these sweet boys doing what they do best.....

Being silly together!!

and...

Being the sweetest boys ever together!!

This is the first ever holiday where we didn't see any family! Both our families were out of town. As sad as it was not to see our families, we LOVED spending time with just our little family!! I couldn't ask for a better bunch of boys to hang with!!

The Bennett Family - TOGETHER

This is the Fablulous Bennett Family that I was lucky enough to be a part of for a few days.. Everyone knows our family - we are a bit famous TOGETHER! I couldn't have asked to be a part of a better family.. Ma and Pa (Carla & Brig) Bennett are the most amazing people ever! They are seriously awesome!! Big Brother Darrin was also awesome - Mr. Boy Scout himself. Thank goodness we had him in our family - he is so talented and smart! We had an amazing group of youth in our family that kicked some serious booty pulling a handcart for 4 days!! Kids - you guys rocked TOGETHER! I was so lucky to go for a second time and I can't wait to go again in 4 years as a Ma and Pa (sorry babe - I already put us on the list!)

Thank you to my family for the many memories we made TOGETHER. I had a great time and I will forever remember the 4 days we spent TOGETHER in the middle of nowhere!!

We pushed TOGETHER We pulled TOGETHER We worked TOGETHER We finished TOGETHER!! Go BENNETTS!!!!