hAPpY LuCKy aDVeNtUReS

first day of second grade

2011-09-05T14:59:00.001-07:00

my little girl is in second grade. i cant believe it...my little girl is in second grade!!!!!

check out her first day of school outfit. isnt she just the cutest!!???

blowing kisses goodbye to mom and dad

mom and kenadees first day of school tradition. i always color a heart on her hand to remind her how much i love her!!!

a sweet daddy daughter moment. mike was telling her how proud he is of her.

how she makes us proud. she makes my heart smile.

i wasnt going to go to the bus stop, but i decided to anyway. kenadee told me to 'just go mom'. i think she was glad i stayed. this will probably be the first and last time she is first in line at the bus stop. she had to be there before anyone, and she was by about 5 minutes!!!

she loved her first day and has met lots of new friends along with some friends from her first grade class and kindergarten. kenadee also loves her teacher mrs. fackrell.

what a beautiful sweet smart little second grader we have. love you lots kenadee

LUcKy # 7 biRtHdAy

2011-09-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

introducing the birthday girl....miss kenadee mumm...7 years old

she is growing up way too fast. we cant believe it has been 7 years!!! wow!!!
kenadee and her cousin mazy

one of her birthday gifts, a monster high doll!!

it was a 'smurfin' fun birthday!!!

all smiles

and one of her presents from mom and dad. a little kitty that looks so real...it even breathes!!

make a wish, blow out the candles and lets eat a lot of cake!!!

we had a great birthday celebration with family. we feel so blessed and lucky to have a beautiful daughter. we love you kenadee mumm!!!

ReDEmPTiOn...in MOAB

2011-08-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

yes...we had to redeem ourselves from our last trip to moab. AND WE DID!! this trip was a couples only trip with chris & staci maryott, joe & stacey orduno, keri & mike, and heather & courtney. and just so everyone knows...i had never left kenadee for more than one night until this trip...i survived and i dont think kenadee really missed me. mike and i had a fantastic time!!!

here are some of our pictures.

WE LOVE MOAB

...UNTIL OUR NEXT TRIP....

moab 2011

2011-07-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

maybe a better blog title for this post would be 'the mishaps of moab 2011'. despite the mishaps, we had a great time. our first day in moab...saturday. our first trail...'the pickle' (but we couldnt find it)

so we stopped for lunch. mishap #1.

chris had a very dead battery. notice all jeeps with the hoods up...trying to get a charge to chris' jeep!!!

mishap #2.
we took two jeeps back to the condo and dropped off the kids and wives. mike picked up a new battery and headed back up the trail. cruising through the sand dunes mike hit a rock and...

not one but 2 tires he blew!!!

wow...now that is a blown tire!!!
remember it is saturday, no tire stores open, and even if they were they didnt have his size. we are very grateful for friends in the tire business. so...we spent a lot of time at the pool.
kenadee and jordyn
crazy steve...
the ordunos and the maryotts went jeeping on sunday without us, we were at the pool.

mishap #3
no pics, i was not there...broken rear drive line on steves jeep!!! luckily the guys are like magyvire and can fix anything with duct tape and bailing wire!!! (not sure if that is what they really used, but you know what i mean!!). they were back on the trail and heading back to the condo...carefully.
again...crazy steve entertaining us and he soaked us on this cannon ball.
the kids loved the hot tub...so did mike!!!

monday...the mumms plus jordyn (the only girl other than kenadee) went to arches national park.
this is the bridge over the colorado river just as you go into moab.

one of my favorite pics. kenadee said this was her favorite part of our trip to arches. "climbing on 'camoflauge mountain' ". that is what she named it.
okay, i love this picture too...who wouldnt???

kenadee and jordyn. can you guess how old jordyn is?? she is 11, kenadee is almost 7!!!

mike and kenadee at balancing rock. i truly love this place. moab is amazing and arches is incredible. i told the girls that 'someday they would appreciate the beauty here, not today or next year...but someday!!!'

more swimming. the kids loved it. that is all they cared about is going to the pool. last year it was pretty cold so we only went once or twice!!!

we always have a 'girl' picture on the trail, but since we (the mumms) were still waiting for tires we didnt get to go jeeping with the others. so our 'girl' pic was taken at our condo.

and of course we have to have a 'guy' picture.

the marryotts had to leave a day early for a funeral, so they left tuesday morning. boo!!!

but we were back on the road late tuesday morning with two new tires!!! we are ready to go jeepin'...

the orduno family. hells revenge trail. one of our favorites!!

boys being boys...playing around. mikes rear tire was off the ground!!

the mumm family!!!

our little jeep model!!!

and mishap #4. (no picture...actually it is on the next post of misc pics) coming out of hells revenge, steve hit a rock and bent/tweeked his front hydrolic 'something'. they hammered and pushed and got it back in place!!!

'potatoe salad' i was told that this was the most 'rolled' obstacle in moab!! it doesnt look that bad until they start climbing it, then you see. notice mikes front tire...

oops...these are a little out of order. this was monday night before the maryotts left. going to dinner at pasta jays. a must!!!

the maryott famiy.

kenadee and mom...a picture by the kokpelli. a tradition!!!

the kids...

ryan o, talon m, jordyn m, kenadee, zander m, ben o, gavin m.

they were so much fun!!!

kenadee and jordyn. not bad for a self portrait taken by kenadee!!

so...all in all we made it a great trip!!!
new battery...$100?
2 new tires...$1000

fixed rear drive line...$???
a trip to moab...priceless.

we all had the attitude that we were in moab with warm/hot weather, blue skies, swimming pool, and friends...much better than being at work!!!!

our moab mantra...
BUILD IT, BREAK IT, FIX IT!!!

and last but not least...mishap #5.

steves truck pulling his jeep home overheated the entire drive from moab to spanish fork. it took them 12 hours to get there, and mike went into the canyon to get them...their truck was not making it out of the canyon. they had to get another truck and tow their jeep home to logan, then turn around and go back to get the truck. luckily the damage was not as bad as they had thought!!!

are we ready to go back??? YES!!!

thanks ordunos and maryotts for a great and unforgettable time!!!

misc pics of moab...

2011-07-02T06:04:00.001-07:00

chris...
this is mishap #3. broken rear drive line. getting it fixed!!!

i scream...

you scream...

we all scream for ice cream!!! steve and cassie.

mishap #4. i do have a picture. this is the bent/tweeked front hydrolic 'something'!!! got it back in place.

not sure what obstacle this was. but damn...that is steep. hold on steve!!!

'the pickle'. they found it. chris told me the first year we were in moab and on this trail that it was my job to look for rain clouds. WTH??? he said if it starts to rain we are in a 'pickle' this little place fills up with water in a hurry when it rains!!! luckily we had no rain!!!

incredible, dont you think???

UNTIL NEXT YEAR....

'i want my hair cut short!!'

2011-06-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

my conversation with kenadee went like this...

kenadee: i want my hair cut short.

me: really?? how short??

k: to here. (she holds her hand to her chin)

m: (again) really?? that is too short. i think you need to think about it for a few days.

k: i already have, and i want it short.

m: well i need to think about it for a few days. and you need to talk to your dad about it.

k: okay

dad: (same) really?? okay, it will be nice for moab and the summer!! not the comment i was expecting!!

so we did it...i cut my little girls hair short. and she was so excited!!! i think we took at least 7 inches off!!! wow!!!

before...

during...

and after...

she was so happy and excited and all smiles!!!

i asked her what she thought grandma donna was going to say and she said 'i wonder what dad is going to say'. i told her that i would be more concerned about what grandma will say. (if you know my mom, she loves everybodys hair long!!)

she has loved her hair, except for just one day...i think some friends may have said something and it probably was not meant to be mean...but she told me that she made a bad decision and wishes she wouldnt have cut it. the next day after showing it off at school, she is loving it again!!! so cute dont you think!!??

2011-05-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

Easter is always a big event at my moms. Easter egg hunts for the kids, coloring eggs, lots of yummy food, and fun for all!! this year was great. my brother and his family came up on friday evening. kenadee spent the entire day on saturday with her cousins charlie and hali. saturday was my brothers birthday so they all went out for dinner without me, i was working!!! the Easter egg hunt was that evening. this year each grand child had their own color of Easter eggs. it was fabulous...they could only find and pick up 'their' color!!! no arguing over who found more!!!

kenadee...purple!!!

brooklyn...pink!!!

hali...blue!!!

charlie bug...yellow!!!

shantel...orange!!

after finding eggs and coloring some at grandmas it was time to get home and color our own eggs for the Easter bunny to hide!!

our 'groovy' Easter eggs!!! all finished!!

here is what the Easter bunny brought for kenadee. books, swim suits, games and candy!!! and again this year the Easter bunny did not hide the colored eggs. he was too worried they would go rotten not being in the fridge all night! he did leave kenadee a note saying that he delivered the toys to the good children first so he couldnt hide the eggs and have them spoil. she wrote him a note back saying. "der Ester bunny, thanks. I love you. ples hid my eggs necst yer. Love: Kenadee"
i sure hope the 'easter bunny' can get up early enough to do it next year!!

so mom hid the eggs for kenadee to find!

and she found them all. with a little help with the really hard ones!!

kenadee and dad reading one of her books, silverlicious. very cute story!!

kenadee and her Easter dress. it came with a matching dress for her doll.

so sweet and beautiful.

after having our Easter breakfast, our traditional creamed eggs over toast with bacon, we went to grandma donnas and grandpa andys for a yummy dinner of ribs, potatoe salad, and ice cream cake...delicious!!!

heidi and hali

swinging on the swing at grandmas. kenadee...

...and hali.

i love 'smiley hali'. sometimes she is 'scali hali'. she doesnt always like her picture taken!!

Easter was fabulous this year. and we even had some warm weather!!

i hope you all had a great Easter weekend and remembered the reason for this beautiful season.

Easter means a lot. it's all about God's son. God sent Jesus down to earth to die for everyone.

He had to die upon a tree, to save us from our sin. but He was only dead three days, and then He rose again.

today he sits right next to God in heaven up above. He wants t live inside you too and fill you up with love.

the Easter bunny is okay, and Easter eggs are fun. but Easter's not about that stuff ITS ALL ABOUT GOD'S SON.

this was taken from kenadee's book what is Easter. i love it

a little bit of this and that...

2011-04-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

i know i know... it has been awhile!! so here are a couple of pics and stories of what has been happening at the mumm house for the last little while.

back in november i heard that bon jovi was coming to concert. i heart jon bon jovi!!! so mike and i decided to go, along with dave & christine and casey & holly. what a fantastic time. bon jovi played for over two hours and he was AWESOME!!! I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT!!!

mike told me he would buy me front row seats next time...just to see me that excited and having a great time. can you tell by my face in the picture i was having fun???

when bon jovi comes again...i will remind mike of what he said about front row seats!!!

kenadee drew a picture of how she wanted me to do her hair. now normally this wouldnt worry me too much, but kenadee can be a little bit particular when it comes to her hair and other things too. and if it is not just right...well, she is 6 so you know what can happen!!!

i did great...she loved it. the pictures were taken after school so her ponytail had dropped a little bit. but dont ya just love the picture she drew!!??

my great friend deena and her daughter madison came up for spring break. (it is now an annual thing). i have not had the time to photo shop and put all the pics together like she has. so i am going to wait for her to email them to me so i can copy hers to share with my blogging friends. (got the hint deena??)

i cant wait for spring...sunshine, warm weather, going topless (in the jeep!!), flowers blooming, birds singing, and being outside. it has been a long winter...bring on the spring and summer!!!

introducing taylor james

2011-04-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

well here he is...my new little nephew. isnt he so cute!!

happy #2

2011-03-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

this makes me happy.

july 18th, 1997

happy

2011-03-11T05:34:00.001-08:00

okay so my friend heather has been posting pictures on her blog every day that make her happy. she even challenged her other blogging friends to do the same. heather...i thought about it but i couldn't commit to every day...maybe a few times during the month!! so here is my picture that makes me happy.

kenadee is 6 so that means wiggly teeth!! i have called her my 'hillbilly' for days because this tooth was so loose it was pointing sideways!! it was not a happy and exciting moment until after the tooth came out. before it was a nightmare. tears, crying, some yelling, drama, and did i say tears??? kenadee did not want to pull it. (she said it hurt. it couldn't have because it was barely hanging on!!!) and then...

HAPPY is that not the cutest toothless smile ever??? i sure think so.

lost tooth...

2011-02-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

well, last week mike went to alabama for work. when he left on monday he told kenadee that her tooth would probably be out by the time he got home on friday night. she started to worry on thursday when it wasnt out yet. i told her it wasnt quite ready.

on friday night we were having 'tickle time' and i threw kenadee over my shoulder, she must have knocked koko with her mouth, she started screaming, 'its out, its out!!!' i turn around and she has her tooth in her hand and her mouth is full of blood!!! of course you dont want to scare them more and freak out over all the blood, so i just started laughing and telling her that her tooth DID come out before dad got home!! after it stopped bleeding she was very very excited. and of course we had to send pictures to dad!! here she is...

the tooth fairy brought $3...because it was her third tooth she lost. i hope she doesnt think she will be getting $4, then $5 and so on!!!

story teller

2011-02-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

i know i have not posted in quite sometime. i actually tried to post some Christmas pictures but for some strange reason (me being dumb i am sure) half of the pics didnt download/upload or what ever type of loading they do!! oh well...

on to my story.

as you all know i have a very busy, active and imaginative 6 year old daughter named kenadee. today i went to pick her up at my moms after work and my mom asked me about kenadees dentist and her teeth. the reason my mom was asking is because kenadee had told her something that she had never heard of before about her teeth and dentist. kenadees top front tooth is very wiggly, (we cant wait for it to come out. i love the looks of little kids without their front teeth!!) a couple of days after kenadee went for her cleaning it looked like she had lost a tooth. the space between her front tooth and the next one was much bigger. she even said her tooth came out because she could 'stick her tongue through it'. i looked at it thinking maybe it chipped or something...nope. so when i went for my cleaning i asked the hygienist about it. she said it was normal and that sometimes your jaw will grow and it will make bigger spaces between your baby teeth. okay...great!!! of course kenadee was there with me so i am not sure where she came up with this one!!!

this is how the conversation went when my mom asked about it'

kenadee: "when i went to the dentist last week he had to put me to sleep so he could move my front tooth over a little bit. if he didnt do that, then when my other tooth grew in it would touch the other one and scratch it. that would be very bad"

grandma: "really?? why would he do that, i have never heard of such a thing. did it hurt??"

kenadee: "not really, well actually when i woke up it hurt a little when i touched it"

my mom was very confused, 'do they really do that?' she thought. listening to kenadee tell a story, true or made up, it sounds very believable!! she told the exact story to her grandpa and again to her grandma. where does she come up with this stuff!!?? my little story teller!!!

finally...Christmas pictures

2011-01-25T11:31:00.001-08:00

i am really not sure what happened to my Christmas post...so here are some of the pictures that for some reason i had 'saved as draft' and never posted!!!

jewel sparkle...lalaloopsy doll

kenadee always wants to take a picture of mom and dad when she has a sleep over at grandmas...'so i wont for get you'!!!

yes...we finally got a wii!!! priceless expression dont you think???

the biggest sucker!!

sweet dreams princess...it has been a long and eventful Christmas day!!

I BELIEVE...

2010-12-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

'tis the season

2010-12-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

Kenadee's Christmas Letter 2010

Twas the weeks before Christmas & all through our home,

i am excited for santa & mom is writing my poem.

daddy's been busy at Nucor, working days & even at night.

mommy is at the Kutting Edge, doing hair just right.

spring & fall i played soccer, the ball i did take.

i scored my first goal...during our earthquake!

to moab & bear lake we went this summer.

with our family & friends it couldn't have been funner.

dad has his wrangler, now mom has a cherokee,

i have a barbie one, we are a jeep family.

i started first grade & i like it a lot.

i am learning to read...i just cant stop!

i love to make up songs, i sing them so good.

i play & i dance & almost always do as i should.

what i really want for Christmas is my two bottom teeth

i lost them both within the same week.

i keep asking mom if santa is true.

she tells me to 'believe' & i will see very soon.

Christmas is here & santa will soon come

to leave toys & presents to each & every one.

but i also know the true meaning of Christmas

its the birth of Jesus & the love he has for us.

may you feel in your hearts the love that we send

this Christmas season to our family & friends.

with our health & lots of love our family is blessed,

we pray for a new year full of happiness.

together our family is ready for the season

spreading good cheer, there is no better reason.

may your Christmas be filled with holiday delight
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL & TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!

~kenadee mumm

i hope you ALL enjoy this beautiful Christmas season!!

cookies & milk

2010-11-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

last night kenadee woke up from a bad dream and came into our bedroom. she asked me if i would tuck her into her bed and snuggle with her for a minute. of course i said yes...i love to snuggle with her!! as soon as i got comfy and warm next to kneadee mike got up and went into the kitchen. kenadee heard him and asked what daddy was doing. i told her he was probably just getting a drink.

my husband has this crazy late night habit of having cookies and milk (chips ahoy), usually in the middle of the night. i have been 'invited' to his late night snack on several occasions, but usually i am fast asleep and i dont realize he is gone. kenadee knows about his little habit and tells her daddy that she wants to join him sometime. of course he does not want to wake her at 3 am for chips ahoy!!!

but last night was different...she was already awake and she knew he wasnt just getting a drink. 'daddy is having cookies and milk, can i go too??' of course i said yes!! she flew out of the bed and joined him in the kitchen. i almost got up to join them but decided that this was a daddy daughter moment. i waited in kenadees bed just listening to the two of them, i couldnt hear what they were saying but i knew they were enjoying their special 'cookies and milk' time!! after they were finished we all snuggled as a family in kenadees bed (hers is the most comfortable) for a few minutes...until kenadee says, 'mom, can i tell you something in your ear?? you can go back to your bed now.'

what a special time for all of us...thanks mike and kenadee!!!

Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil

2010-11-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

WHAT DO I HAVE TO SALE, GIVE OR DO TO GO TO THIS!!!???

anybody going to go with me???

sandra

2010-11-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

congratulations to my sweet friend sandra anderson!!!

my wonderful friend shay introduced me to sandra a few years ago. shortly after that she was in a sledding accident that left her paralyzed and in a wheelchair. i can not even begin to imagine the struggles, and the hard times she has endured since her accident. but i do know this...sandra is an amazingly strong, sweet, loving and beautiful woman...inside and out.

on tuesday november 2nd, sandra was a contestant in the ms wheelchair utah pageant. i was so excited to hear that she was doing this. she came into the salon a few days before to get her hair colored and cut for the big night!! i really wanted to be there for her (it was on a school night!!) and to see and hear the other incredible stories of the others. i asked sandra what her talent was and she said that it was a surprise. she wrote and sang a beautiful song. i watched it on line and it brought tears to my eyes as i am sure it did to everyone watching. (she told me she would give me my own private performance...yay me!!!) i couldnt wait to hear all the details about her big night. i got on facebook the next morning and looked at her page.

SANDRA WAS CROWNED

MS WHEELCHAIR UTAH 2011!!!

wahoo!!! i was so excited and happy for her. i could barely write a comment because i had huge tears in my eyes!!! (check out my comment...the very first word is misspelled!!) i am so proud of this amazing woman, and her accomplishments!! i can not wait to follow her through out the next year as she shares her beautiful story and message to so many people!!

sandra, you truly are an inspiration to me and so many others.

i am proud and blessed to call YOU my friend!!

good luck to you sandra...in all you do in life!!!

JOY

2010-10-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

today kenadee brought home a book from the school library. it is a very large 200 page book with many short stories in it. she says she will not take it back until she (not me) has read it all!! she began reading it as soon as she got home from school.

this is how our conversation went tonight while doing homework...

kenadee: mom you may have to help me with the big words.

mom: sure, but big words are just little words put together. and words make sentences and sentences make stories and...

kenadee: and stories make JOY!!! mom, maybe when i get bigger i can sit on a stage and read stories to parents and their children...i would bring them so much JOY!!!

oh how kenadee brings me so much JOY!!!

finally...

2010-10-25T20:43:00.001-07:00

well i lost a tooth

whatever shall i do?

I'm left with a window,
and my tongue is peeking through.

kenadees first loose tooth took forever to come out!!!

we tried everything to get it out...

(other than holding her down and pulling it with pliers!!)

...we even tied it to the door. the string slipped right off her tooth!!!

could the tooth be any looser??? after 30 minutes of trying to get her to 'pull' it, i left her alone in the bathroom. i really thought she would come running out with her tooth in her hand. nope!!!

i told her if i didnt pull it out the first time i tried i would give her $20!! nope!!! she said...'mom, it is not about the money!!!' wow...i thought loosing a tooth was all about the money!!! i was worried she would swallow it in her sleep, (it was barely hanging on!!). nope!! then i worried she would loose it at school on her field trip. i sent her with a baggie in her pocket. nope!!! then tonight after prayers and a snuggle i asked if i could try to pull it. kenadee was still really nervous, and was scared that it would hurt. we decided to tie a string on it again and she was going to pull the string and therefor...pull the tooth. i knew if i got the dental floss around it, that little tooth didnt have a chance of staying connected!! i was right...i barely moved the string and it popped right out!!!

she was so excited to finally loose a tooth. she called her daddy first and then grandma donna. she did a little dance and of course posed for a picture. and now i think she is finally asleep!!

i guess all that is left is for the tooth fairy to come!!!

kenadee...and think pink

2010-10-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

my sweet little kenadee, and hugs with mom and with dad. i have had a lot of fun with my new camera and photo shop!!! just one i wanted to share!!!

hope all is fabulous with YOU and your loved ones. i am so blessed to have an amazing family and fantastic friends!!!

oh...its october...remember toand... please support breast cancer awareness!!!

in memory of rachelle

2010-09-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

what a day...kenadee and i drove down to spanish fork to attend my cousins funeral. it was a small graveside service with many family and friends. i am sure none of you know my cousin, i have to say i didnt really know her either. but way back when...when we were just kids, rachelle and i were together a lot. she was only 6 months older than me and we had some fun times at grandma and grandpa hansens. we played in the chicken coops, at the farm, we played in the leaves and ran around the big tree in the front yard. we played for hours on grandma and grandpas porch. we tried to catch water skeeters (is that what they are really called or is that what we called them???) we picked apricots in the loader of grandpas tractor, and we went all the way through the fields to pick plums. and somewhere out there is a picture of us when we could not wait for the other to go to the bathroom (grandma only had one bathroom with 6 kids!!!)...yes we are both sitting on the toilet going 'potty'!!! we had many incredible times together with each other and with other cousins!!! i honestly cant remember the last time i saw rachelle. we both went in different directions in life. i really wish i could have known her more. she had some really tough times in her life and i wish things could have been better for her. i am so thankful to know that she is in a much better place, with God. and i know with all of my heart that our grandma and grandpa were there for her with open arms to welcome her to heaven.

after a long day we finally got settled in to bed and ready for prayers. it was kenadees turn and she starts her prayer like always, soon after she says, 'mom i have to ask you something, what was your cousins name?' so i tell her, 'rachelle'. then she continues...'bless mommies cousin rachelle in heaven. and that she met my grandma c. even though i didnt know her long, she was a great friend. (kenadee had not met rachelle!!) she finished her prayer and i had tears going down my cheeks. how thoughtful and beautiful was her prayer. i had thought to myself earlier that i would 'add' a little something to her prayer about rachelle and our family. i didnt need to, she did it all on her own. i am so proud of my little girl. especially that she knows about heaven, Jesus, and God. i am so grateful for prayer time as a family. being with my family today, i feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. family and friends and so many loved ones. i pray that rachelle always knew the love that her family had for her.

rachelle you will be missed.

before...

2010-09-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

well...if you have been reading my blog you know that kenadee turned 6 years old in august. we decided that it was time for a new room for kenadee, a 'not so little girl' bedroom. here was her room before, dont get me wrong, we loved it for quite sometime but we needed something new. we switched her room with the guest room upstairs and we are turning her old room into an office. (pics of the office will be another blog post in the not so near future).

kenadee kept asking when we were going to start painting. we told her that we would start soon. little did she know we had already started the painting and had to lock the door to keep her out. we wanted it to be a total surprise...and it was!!!

continue to read on for the after pics....

...and after

2010-09-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

so here it is...

kenadees new bedroom!!!

she was pretty surprised when she tried to go into her old room and it was locked. dad told her 'your bedroom door is not locked' ah ha!!! she came walking in to a big surprise!!!

i am pretty sure kenadee loves it. she keeps saying how 'psyched' she is to have a new room. and is telling everyone about it!!! i think we are all happy with the way it turned out.

pictures by mom...

2010-09-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

okay...so i got a new camera for my birthday, and photo shop. i am desperately trying to figure them both out!!! so here is some of my work.

i didnt get kenadees pictures taken for her birthday, i thought, 'i can do that'. so i did and here they are.

...continued...

...continued...

2010-09-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

isnt she so beautiful??? i sure think so...

first day of first grade

2010-09-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

wow...how time flies. kenadee started first grade last week and of course i had to share some pictures of yet another incredible milestone!!!

our tradition...i always put a heart on her hand for the first day of school.

(yes i am sure i will do it all the way through high school)

getting on the school bus. i am so proud of myself...i didnt even cry!!!

i am not sure why i didnt worry about her getting on the bus after school, i just figured it would be just like kindergarten, (the teacher would take them out and make sure they got on the correct bus). she made it home just fine for the first 3 days. then when i went to pick her up from school i had a panick attact when i saw all the kids and busses. i then realized and remembered...she is not in kindergarten anymore!!! there were a million kids!!! she didnt worry at all, i am so proud of my little first grader!!!

hey curly girls...

2010-09-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

hey curly girl friends...check out the kutting edge blog for great tips, tricks and curly clues for all types of curly hair!!! http://kuttingedgesalon.blogspot.com

also check out my sassy specials page on my facebook!!!

birthday fun

2010-08-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

wow...how time flies. kenadee turned 6 and we had a weekend full of excitement and parties!!! we had a joint bday party for kenadee and judd (mikes little brother) on saturday the 21st. judd and jill had some exciting news. they are having a baby!!! we are so happy for them both!!

our little birthday girl

madison and kenadee

one of kenadees gifts from mom and dad. russian nesting dolls. she loves it!!!

cute little 'bling bling' hat from her cousin mazy!!

and a pogo stick from grandma donna and granpa andy!!

sunday we went to the lion king at the capitol theatre in salt lake

it was amazing!!! the costumes, the colors, the music, the singing...incredible!!!

kenadee and daddy leaving the theatre...just after we got rained on!!! (sorry tried to rotate and it went back to the original)

kenadee and simba with her lion king tshirt and program!!!

i highly recommend the lion king!! we all LOVED it!!!

birthday continued

2010-08-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

kenadee celebrated her 6th birthday with her friends in style...

fancy style that is!!

make a wish and blow out the candles...she always wishes for a flying pony!!!

the fancy girls...they all made their own fancy headbands...so much fun and so cute!!!

here is kenadee and her cute fancy headband!!

what a wonderful weekend of birthday celebrations!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!!

Answered Prayer~August 23, 2004

2010-08-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

I cant believe it has been 6 years since our prayer was answered and our sweet little Kenadee was born!!! This day always brings back such emotions, mainly because it took us quite awhile to become parents. I must say that I am so proud to be Kenadees mommy!!

Here she is the day she was born...and the day we brought her home, one of our first family pictures!!

And Kenadees birth announcement

These pictures were taken about 2 hours after she was born!!

Dear Kenadee,
The day you were born was the happiest day of my life, and daddys too!! The room was filled with emotions, tears (happy ones), and smiles. You were so beautiful and so quiet. You had a cute little button nose, big bright eyes, and lots of dark hair. The day you were born changed our lives forever...our prayers were answered, and we are so grateful for YOU.
And of course we cant forget Whitney and Eric, the most loving, selfless, and giving people we know, thank you!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET GIRL!!!
love you lots,
mom

ashley mae photography giveaway!!!

2010-08-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

hey everyone. check out ashley mae photography!!! she does an incredible job and she is having a 'GIVEAWAY' check her out and enter to win!!! she did our family pics two years ago and i love them!!!

look to your right>>>>>>>>

that is one of my favorites that she did for us!!!

http://ashleymaephoto.com/blog/

nebraska fun

2010-08-09T15:06:00.001-07:00

i am trying to get my blog caught up on all of our summer time fun!!! here are some pics from our trip back to nebraska to see mikes family. long drive, short trip, lots of fun!!!

crazy nebraska boys...duane, dave, mike, ryan (cousins)

and sheldon (duanes son)

sunset in nebraska at the johnsons home...beautiful!!

you know when your in nebraska when...

the johnsons fed us another interesting dinner...

so good!!!

self portrait!! yes it was hot and humid!!!

this was on our way home to utah...kenadee finally got to go swimming. (for about 15 minutes at 8 am)

swinging at jeff and nancy mcgills

have YOU ever been in two places at one time???

the mumms...dave, madison, makena, and christine

the mcgills...jeff, jack, and nancy

the other mumms...mike, kenadee and keri

grandma edna with her great grand daughters...kenadee, madison and makena

and grandma with her handsome grandsons...
mike and dave

going for a harley ride...mike, dave and jan

cute little cousins

one of the highlights...go-carting

we had a fantastic time, wish we could have stayed longer!!
of course we made a trip to the nebraska bookstore to stock up on cornhusker apparel and memorabilia...
perfect for when mike, dave, judd, and jim go to the nebraska vs U of W game in september!!

anniversary...#13

2010-07-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

i am getting caught up on my blogging...finally!!!

mike and i celebrated our 13th anniversary

on july 18

in north platte nebraska.

(pictures of our trip will come later).

let this be our destiny to love, to live, to begin each new day together, to share our lives forever...on july 18th, 1997 i married michael allen mumm...my handsome prince, my best friend, my soul mate, my everything!!! i cant believe it has been

13 years...and i cant wait for more!!!!

thanks to my sister who gave me the idea...i started the tradition of wearing my veil on our anniversary. yes, it even went to nebraska with me. mike even asked before we left if i had packed it. the first year i wore it i think he thought i had gone a little crazy...but now it is something we both have fun with.

kenadee loves wearing my veil...she asks me all the time if she can play with it. the answer is always no, but she gets to wear it for a few minutes on our special day. maybe someday...not too soon...she will be wearing it for her wedding!!!

oh how i love my husband...yesterday, today and forever...

mikes fathers day

2010-07-24T08:37:00.001-07:00

our fathers day tradition is always taking pictures of kenadee for her daddy.

we always go to the same spot and have them put in a little frame.

it is a fun thing to do and mike says it is a must until she is at least 18!!!

here are a few of the pictures.

forty is fabulous...

2010-07-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

i am trying to get caught up on my blog. nothing exciting happened all winter and now there is so much to blog about...my birthday for one!!!

if you know me well you know i love birthdays... i think everyone should love their birthday!! it is a very special day! so this year i turned the big four-oh!!!

i celebrated with mike and friends at cafe sabor. my big day was actually on fathers day so mike and i celebrated together with family. it was great!! my birthday

present was a new camera...i have wanted one for a long time. now i

just need to learn how all the bells and whistles work.

thank you so much to my family and friends for a very great birthday...especially my incredible husband!!!

cheers to being 40!!!

birthday kisses from my honey!!

cant have a birthday dinner at cafe sabor with out the sombrero!!!

okay...so i was going to give you all 40 fabulous facts, but i cant think of that many!!! hey...what facts do you know???

remember...celebrate your birthday...
it is your day and you deserve a ParTy!!!!

summer fun

2010-07-11T19:25:00.001-07:00

finally...some summer fun pictures. we had a fantastic time in moab with the ordunos, the maryotts and their families!!! a few little mishaps...throwing up kids...and adults, almost tipping over 2 jeeps, a 'little' rain storm, but...no broken down jeeps!!!

mom, dad, and kenadee...we love jeepin'

me and my honey

kenadee and mommy

after the rain...very muddy jeeps, but very happy boys!!

boys will be boys...

one of my favorite pictures

yes, we had a little rain...check out the waterfall. awesome!!

mike on the obstacle 'white knuckle'.

hmmmm....i wonder why they call it that???

the boys and their toys...mike, steve, joe, chris

the jeepin' boys

and all the kids...ben, kenadee, talon, jordyn, alec, ryan, garrett, gavin, zander.

the 'little jeep' did great!!!

cant wait until next time!!!

our soccer girl...

2010-04-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

the long awaited soccer season has started. we got the jersey (kenadee chose #20), the shin guards, the socks, and the cleats. we met the coach and had a 15 minute practice right before our first game.

'skinners' team kicked some soccer butt and won!!!

our little soccer girl

practicing up before the game

go yellow team!!!!

and she is chasing the ball.

the coach told us he was worried about getting everyone in to play and having to take players out so others could go in. he didn't have this problem with kenadee...she told him when she needed a break!!

so this was her first game and her team did fantastic. and her coach is great.

i didn't get pics of her second game but i have to tell you about it.

so kenadee was doing really well, but started feeling bad because she wasn't able to kick the ball!!?? she actually started crying and i was not sure at first what was wrong until i went to talk to her. she just wanted to kick the ball and make a goal. 'i haven't kicked it and made a goal...that is all i want to do'. her coach and his dad were so great and kept telling her to 'believe' she could do it. he told her she had to stop crying and when she was ready he would put her back in. the coaches dad kept saying,' you have to tell yourself you 'can do it'. and was telling her where to be and how to get the ball. (he was fabulous!!!) she told me to go sit with dad and after another minute she was back in the game. it was right before half time and kenadee got the ball and took it down the field and MADE HER FIRST GOAL!!! it was so awesome, i don't know who was more excited...me or her!!! (good thing i had sunglasses on because i got BIG tears in my eyes...hey, i was very proud!!!) it was perfect and i didn't even get a picture of it. her coaches were so proud of her and told her that they knew she could do it!! it was amazing the positve attitude and motivation from her coaches. they really are incredible!!

oh...and we kicked some soccer butt again and won!!!

the time we were cheering for kenadee i guess we had a little earthquake...i called my mom to tell her kenadee had scored and she said her couch had just been shaking. i didn't believe her...i thought she was thinking crazy. but she called me back about 5 minutes later and said we did have an earthquake!!! i guess i should listen and believe my mom!!!

oh how proud we are of our little soccer player...

but we have to tell her..."there's no crying in soccer!!!"

i know...i know...it has been awhile. but i am back!!

2010-04-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

yes i know. it has been quite sometime since i have 'blogged'. so here is a little update on what our family has been up to.

~in february i took kenadee to 'annie' at the eccles theater...it was fantastic.

~the mumms are officially a jeep family. now i have my own jeep. mike got me a grand cherokee for valentines...it is even red!! kenadee...barbie jeep, mike...jeep wrangler, and now me!!)

~we spent valentine weekend in boise with judd & jill and had a very relaxing weekend watching the olympics!! i love the olympics...especially apollo!!!

~for Christmas kenadee got a gift card for build a bear. we finally made it to SLC and she got to build her special bear 'rainbow'

~my great husband got a raise at work...that is saying something about nucor, especially in this crazy world now. i am so proud of him!

~in march it was my turn to host our monthly bunko night. i decided to do an 80's theme. oh what an 'awesome' time we had!!!

do you recognize anyone???

~kenadee is doing great in school and is reading really well!! a little sassy at times and always likes to be the leader. she is our little sweetie and she makes us so proud!!

~the winter has been long and we can't wait for summer. we have a trip to moab planned in june with our jeepin' friends...the maryott's and the orduno's.

~Easter was great (other than mike was working graveyards) my brother and his family came up and we had the traditional dinner and easter egg hunts at grandma donnas!! it was fabulous!

~the easter bunny left kenadee some great spring toys, like a new bike (didn't get that in the photo), sidewalk chalk, spring dresses, shorts and shoes, and of course some new sunglasses!

finding the easter eggs

how beautiful is our sweet little girl in her new easter dress!!??

~easter isn't all about the bunny and candy. we can't forget what easter is all about. and i am so glad that kenadee knows all about Jesus and what he did for us ALL!!

~my great friend deena and her daughter came up to logan to visit over spring break. we had so much fun. i don't believe we have spent that much time together since high school. it was great!!

~kenadee has been wanting a pajama party with her friends. so over spring break we planned a little party with pj's, movies, crafts and lots of fun. oh and of course popcorn!!

front: julles, reagan, kenna back: jillian, macie, kenadee

well that is about it...winter was pretty long. now that spring is on its way and summer to follow i am sure we will have lots more excitement to 'blog' about!!!

smiles to you all and thanks for the friendship!!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

2010-01-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love Christmas. I truly believe that celebrating the holidays with family and friends, carrying on the traditions of our family and remembering the birth of our

Savior Jesus Christ is really what Christmas is all about.

Here are some of our Christmas memories from 2009!!!

On Christmas Eve Mike's family tradition is having oyster stew for dinner. Since Christine and I have married into the family we have added other soups to the menu. We get our tummies full, exchange gifts, and I always read the story of the birth of Jesus from the bible. Christine also read an incredible story called ' the Christmas Jar'.

Nothing better than family!!! Mom, Kenadee and Dad!!

Kenadee on santa's lap.

Kenadee and her doll from Grandma Betty.

Love the 'cousins' picture...all dressed up. Makena, Madison and Kenadee.

...in their Christmas Eve jammies.

Kenadee left a letter for Santa thanking him for the gifts and of course some yummy chocolate chip cookies...Santa's favorite!!!

Christmas morning...oh how i love it. Mike and I in the past woke up before Kenadee and had coffee, opened our presents in our stocking and then woke up our little princess. We were lying in bed and Mike wanted to go wake up Kenadee (6:30am). I told him 'please let me brush my teeth and get the coffee going'. Then we heard Kenadee get out of bed and creep quietly into our bedroom. 'Good morning sweetheart' I said. 'It's Christmas. it's Christmas' she squealed. Then all she wanted of course was to open presents and see what Santa had brought her.

Looks like Kenadee got everything she asked for...and more!!! She wanted a baby alive and a nintendo ds!!

She was a little confused about the helmet. Dad surprised her with...

a four wheeler!!!!!

Mom and Dad gave her the pink nintendo ds!

This was Kenadee's present to her Dad. We dipped her hand in wax in the 'i love you' sign and then poured plaster inside to make a mold of her hand. Dad said it was his favorite gift of Christmas!!!

Their first 4-wheeler ride. Dad was a little bummed because Kenadee didn't want to go at first. Finally she went for a ride. When they got back her cheeks and nose were bright red and she said, 'that was awesome, can we go again later??!!' I am not sure who had more fun!!

Christmas afternoon we spend at my mom's with more food and presents.

Kenadee got zhu zhu pets from Grandma Donna and Grandpa Andy.

Grandma Donna and Kenadee. I love this picture.

What a very long and exciting Christmas. Kenadee all tucked in and fast asleep. (notice she is snuggling with her baby alive and it is snuggling with its teddy bear!!)

...and to all a good night!!!

I hope you all enjoyed the magic of Christmas this year...

I know we did!!!

Kenadee's Christmas Letter 2009

2009-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have had this tradition of writing a holiday poem for

many many years.

The past few years it has been 'Kenadee's Christmas Letter'

It is something I love to do (sometimes is takes a few days for my creative mind to start working) and I have family and friends tell me how much they enjoy it. so here it is...

'Twas the weeks before Christmas and all through our home,

Dad is putting up lights, Mom and I are writing a poem.

It has been a good year spending time with my family,

We laugh and we play just Mom, Dad and Kenadee.

I learned to ride a bike and got my ears pierced too,

I am taking gymnastics, and learning to tie my own shoe.

Dad got me a barbie jeep, for himself he got a big one.

Our motto now is 'got rock?' going jeepin' is a lot of fun.

I started kindergarten, I love my teacher and my class.

We read and we write, and even do some math!

I have this friend Charlotte, she is a ghost you see.

She travels and has babies, of course she is imaginary!

I ask a lot of questions like who, why and what.

My parents give me the answers, sometimes i think they make them up.

Mom and Dad are working hard, at their jobs day and night,

taking care of their little girl and raising me right.

My parents say they love me more than I could ever know.

They are proud of their princess and our love continues to grow.

I keep adding more toys to my Christmas wish list.

Like barbies, dolls and games and a nintendo DS.

We are grateful for so much this beautiful holiday season.

Like family, friends and loved ones, and let us not forget the true reason.

Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and the birth of baby Jesus.

How He lives in our hearts and loves each and every one of us.

May the true gifts of Christmas be yours this year.

We all send our love to family and friends so dear.

We pray that your holiday is jolly and bright,

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!

hugs and kisses

Kenadee

pumpkins

2009-11-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

sorry friends...i forgot to post this cute little saying that kenadee got for a trick or treat from my moms friend.

a little girl was asked,

"what is it like to be one of God's children?"

she replied, "it is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from a patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes all the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. then He carves you a smiling face and puts his light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

i thought is was cute and wanted to share it.

fall fun...

2009-11-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

i love this time of year...the cool air (not cold!!), sweaters, carving pumpkins, candy...trick-or-treating, the smell of apples and pumpkin, a warm bowl of homemade soup, the thought of thanksgiving and Christmas, sitting next to a fire, and snuggling with my favorite people...and so much more. i hope you are all enjoying this time of year!!! i am so grateful for the wonderful blessings i have!!!

rainbow princess jillian, vampire kenadee, cowgirl julles (aka bffs!!!) kenadee and our carved jack-o-lanterns

my cute little vampire princess

gothic vampire mom and princess vampire kenadee...so much fun to dress up!!!

fall fun cont'...

2009-11-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

more pictures...

kindergarten state of mind

2009-10-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

my friend Deena gave me a birthday card many years ago that said:

everything you need to know you learned in kindergarten...

'boys are stupid'!!!

now that my cute little kenadee is in kindergarten i am sure she thinks that sometimes. but i hope she learns more in kindergarten than that. i saw this outside her class room and i loved it. hope you enjoy it too!!!

everything i needed to know...by Robert Fulgham

most of what i really need to know about how to live, what to do, and how to be, i learned in Kindergarten.

Kindergarten State of Mind

share everything.
play fair.
put things back where you found them.
clean up your own mess.
don't take things that aren't yours.
say your sorry when you hurt somebody.
wash your hands before you eat.
flush.
warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
live a balanced life. learn some, and think some, and draw some, and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
take a nap every afternoon.
when you go out into the world, watch for traffic; hold hands and stick together.
be aware of wonder. remember the little seed in the plastic cup. the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why; but we are all just like that seed.
goldfish and hamsters and white mice, and even the little seed in the plastic cup--they all die.
and so do we.
and then, remember, the "Sam Books", and the first word you learned--the biggest word of all--LOOK!!
everything you need to know is in there somewhere...
apply any of those items to your family life or your work or your government or your world and the hold true and clear and firm.
and it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world; it is best to hold hands and stick together.

kenadee's first day of school...kindergarten!!!

2009-09-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

yes i know i am a week or so late on this post. i see all of my friends' blog with their adorable children with backpacks bigger than they are, standing in line for the bus or walking into the school. well now it is my turn to share my first day of school...

we can't start school with out a 'back to school' hair cut. and kenadee said, 'lets just do it at home mom, it will be much quicker that way.' so we did her kindergarten haircut on the bathroom counter!! pretty cute don't you think!!??

this is at 'back to school night'. kenadee is now a 'panda' at providence elementary. this is 'oreo' their mascot. oreo stands for: outstanding reader at every oppurtunity!!

our little tradition we started in pre-school. i always color a heart on her hand so if she gets nervous or scared she can see the heart and remember how much i love her. she also colors one on my hand to...'so you will remember me'!!!

of course the 'back pack' picture!!!

waiting for the bus with her best friend jillian. notice mike in the background, what a great daddy he is!!! standing in line waiting for the bus was a lot of fun. seeing all the kids so excited for school. we have about 20 kids or more at our bus stop and about 7-10 are kindergarteners!!! all the moms were holding back tears...but as soon as the bus drove off with our precious children inside to begin their big adventure of school, the tears fell...

i still can't believe my little girl is growing up so quick.

we always tell her,

'no matter how big you get, you will always be our little girl'

our birthday girl

2009-08-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

so many memories come back to us on this day...what an amazing day, or as kenadee would say, 'the best day of my entire life'. the day our little girl was born was the best day of our life!!! it is hard to believe that it was 5 years ago!!! we are the luckiest parents to have kenadee as our daughter. we are so proud of her. what a beautiful, smart, fun, energetic, sassy too, and sweet little lady she is becoming!!

she is 5...of course she wants a

'hannah montana' birthday cake!!!
and the movie!!!

make a wish...
her wish was that 'everyone in our house would be a family for always!!'

thanks to:
whitney and erik. for giving us the greatest gift of all.
for making our wishes, prayers and dreams come true.
kenadee for being our best little girl,
and bringing such a happy spirit to our home.
we feel so blessed that God has given us so much...especially our family!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENADEE
WE LOVE YOU!!!

learning to ride...

2009-08-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

well this post is long over due...as of july 24th kenadee is riding her bike with out training wheels. we helped her as much as she would let us, but then it was all her and we couldn't even touch the bike!!! all of the sudden she was off, in a left turn circle!!!

she could only turn left, and could not go down the sidewalk. and when she did try the sidewalk it was like a drunk bicyclist!!! i think it was too narrow, she needed more room (like the road!!)

she was so excited to wake up her daddy (he was on graveyards) to show him her big accomplishment. and what a proud daddy he was!!!

we were worried with the new barbie jeep she wouldn't want to ride her bike, well...all she wants to do is 'ride her bike without training wheels'. she is doing much better and learned quickly how to turn right, and to go down the sidewalk...straight!!! she has crashed a couple of times and has scrapes and bruises but she says that is part of riding a bike!!!

her favorite thing to say is...'i can't believe i got my ears pierced (still), and i can ride my bike without training wheels.' and this week it is the above with 'i can't believe i start kindergarten in 2 days, and it is my birthday in 4 days and i will be 5!!'

mom and dad can't believe it either!!! our little girl turning 5 years old, riding the bus, going to school, growing up...

hApPy BirThdAY...DEENA

2009-08-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

today is my friend deena's birthday...so here is a little

HapPy BirThDaY to DeEnA!!

we have been friends since about 5th or 6th grade!!! we would walk to school together in middle and junior high...we were pretty good kids. then we went into high school...we were still pretty good kids we just started sluffing a little bit. there were 3 of us, keri, deena and shay. i won't mention how many times we sluffed and went to springville...and got caught!!! and how deena could make up an excuse or reason why we were there to the principal!!! i won't say what deena did in the mcdonalds bathroom!!! but i will say that we had a great time!!

deena...thanks for being such an incredible friend over the years.

celebrate big, eat a lot of birthday cake...and wish BIG!!! i hope your day is filled with many bright and happy moments!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND!!!

love ya!!!

12 years and counting...

2009-07-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

july 18th 1997 mike and i said 'i do' at sherwood hills resort surrounded by family and friends. what and incredible day...and here we are 12 years later!!!

my tradition is wearing my veil on our anniversary. mike thought i was a little crazy the first year but he looks forward to now every year!!! i can't imagine spending my life with any other man than mike. he is my soulmate, my true love, he gives me strength and compassion, love and respect. we have become stronger over the years. i never thought i could love anyone like i loved mike the day we married, but i have to admit...i love him more now!!!

this 'kissing' picture was taken by our little sweet heart...kenadee!!!

oh how our life has changed in 12 years...kenadee has brought a whole new meaning to the word 'love'. our family became complete with the addition of her!!!
of course, kenadee wants to wear my veil and asks about it on occasion (since last year when i got it out to wear it). i told her someday when se gets big and gets married, maybe whe will want to wear 'mommys veil'

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MICHAEL!!! you have made me the happiest, luckiest and most loved girl ever!!! heres to us and 12 years and many, many more!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

FRIENDSHIP PARTY

2009-07-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

what an event...finally kenadee's friendship party was here. she has been waiting and waiting for this day (sometimes patient, sometimes not!!). we had a total of 13 girls. the girls made 'friendship bracelets' for a craft project.

(i didn't get a pic of them making the bracelets...i was serving up some jell-o). they also got to smash a pinata full of candy and toys, which sydney was the one to break it!! we had snacks, and jell-o, and princess rings and a whole lotta FUN!!!

taylor, kenna, brielle, jillian, paige,julles, reagan, grace, lindsey, halle, sydney, & kenadee

(you may be able to see the cute bracelets they made)

they ran through the sprinklers and played on the slip & slide...

what great little friends...julles, jillian, reagan

picture time...in no paticular order we have

halle, taylor, kenadee, jillian, julles, sydney, paige, grace, reagan, lindsey, brenley, & kenna.

friendship party cont...

2009-07-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

after the pinata...

just chillin'...having some candy
my great helpers...
madison (my niece) and her bf brooke

mmmmm...jello!!!

we had a fantastic time. i might have to make this a summer tradition. thanks to all of kenadee's friends for being a part of her party. you are the best. and to the moms...thank you for having wonderful girls and being my friend too!!!

ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR SUMMER!!!

what a great sport...

2009-07-13T13:56:00.001-07:00

kenadee has wanted to paint her daddy's toes for quite sometime...

and he let her!!! what a fun daddy she has...don't you think??!! i wonder what the guys at work will say, or the neighbors when he is out walking with flip-flops on!!!

hey dad's...kenadee is available for toenail painting. colors available: pink and purple with sparkles!!!

the NEW jeep...

2009-07-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

i guess some body in the family has to have one...

who would have thought...

2009-07-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

i never would have thought that my little princess would be doing THIS...

our neighbor up the street has caught many snakes, this one is a 'gopher snake'. he says they are harmless...but to me a snake is a snake is a snake...eeks!!!!

she had the slimey thing wrapped around her arm like a piece of jewelry!!!!

he also has this dragon lizard, (i think that is what it is called) its name is marshall and he is shedding...kenadee liked to peel the skin off like a sunburn...again, eeks!!!

the snake was also starting to shed. they have not named it yet, kenadee suggested lizzy.

kenadee said it felt wierd, and his tongue tickled her arm. and now she wants to go and hold the snake again. i am not too sure about this...my daughter has NO fear!!! (other than learning to ride her bike without training wheels...any suggestions??!!)

and the winner is...

2009-06-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

nucors annual lagoon day...

we had a family craft day a few weeks ago to make kenadee's safety poster for lagoon day. we have made a few of these posters in the past, every child who makes a poster receives a $5-$10 gift certificate...but the winners get something bigger. we have wanted to win and this year it was our turn...

KENADEE WON FIRST PLACE!!!!!

the safety slogan we came up with was...

there is only one way home from work...

the safe way!!!!

mike helped out a lot and cut out ALL of the safety equipment...glasses, hard hat etc!!!

we really had a fun time making it together as a family. kenadee was so excited when we saw the blue ribbon. (i think i was even more excited!!!!)

for making a poster kenadee got $10, and for winning

1st place she got a

$200 savings bond!!! wow...thanks nucor!!!

yes...she was soooo excited!!!!

after the safety poster prizes they have a drawing for the employees at nucor. mike has not won in quite sometime (actually the only time he has won since we have been married is about 10 years ago and it was $50!!) they were giving away $100, $200, $250 and one $500 in cash!!! mike was the big winner...

$500 cash to MIKE MUMM!!!

kenadee went on many rides, and yes...

dad and mom went on the kiddy rides too!!

she was very aware of safety this year (maybe it was the poster!!).

she asked about seat belts, how high, when does it stop, and more.

but she was our brave little girl and had a great time!!!

our favorite was rattlesnake rapids.

mike was the winner on this ride...

he got the most wet!!!

what an incredible day we had as a family...

we celebrated our winnings at tapenyaki (not sure how you spell it)

with some friends, sushi and japanese grill!!! yummmmyyyyy!!!!

one of our best days this summer!!!

hope all of you are enjoying your summer with family and friends...

be safe and have FUN!!!

FuN sUmMer DaYs...FinAlLy

2009-06-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

summer is finally here...i hope!!!

it has been a very busy week; family reunion, my birthday and fathers day.

here are our latestest adventures...enjoy!!

my delicious birthday cupcakes from the one and only, miss emily merkley. (if you have not tried her cupcakes you are missing out!!)

no pics of my birthday and the reunion...it was misrable in the rain, rain and more rain!!!

fathers day pictures...my tradition every year is to take kenadee's pictures and put them in this little frame for her daddy...here are a few.

my favorite...isn't she beautiful??!!

self portrait!!

and of course always one sitting on the bench

SumMeR DayS ConTinUeD...

2009-06-26T05:42:00.001-07:00

of course we have had an update on charolotte... this is kenadee yesterday (25th) she is going to visit charolotte in california. she says it is very cold there. (you do remember it was very hot yesterday). she wanted me to drive her there or take a taxi. but i had to go with her or she would miss me too much!!

kenadee was not very happy when i told her we really couldn't take a taxi to california, and that it would cost 'way too much money'!!!
(don't ask...i am not sure about the pencil in the hat??!!!)

kiddie pool fun...

love this picture of jilly beene splashing

front: jilly beene, reagan, julles
back: kenadee, wade, kenna
what fun we ALL had...

yes, this is kenadee sleeping on ALL of her pillows...
i just couldn't resist taking a picture.

and this was just this morning while i was getting mike off to work...
eeeks...a mouse in our house.
he was quite a brave little mouse...he kept poking his head out from under the stove and trying to run out. then he ran for the fridge (can you believe i actually got a picture...i can't). mike bonked him on the head while he was in between the fridge and wall and took him out to the garbage...eeeeeks!!!

one last thing...you all know i am an 80's girl. i am so sad that my favorite angel farrah faucett (that i always played when i was a littl girl) died yesterday. she was an incredible woman with a beautiful smile. she will be missed.

and michael jackson...oh how i loved him. i had pictures of him taped to my wall and his poster...you know the one with him in yellow and white...he was my favorite!!! he truly was the king of pop and what an influence he had in music and dance. he too will be missed very much!!!
here is to you, our favorite angel and to mj!!!

i hope you and your families enjoy a very fun and safe summer!!!!

remembering Grandma C

2009-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

one year ago today, june 15th my grandma passed away. it was on the morning of fathers day. the birds were singing, the sun was shining, it was a beautiful summer morning. when i walked into grandmas room there was a sense of peace all around, a quiet spiritual peace which i immediatly felt. the sun was shining through her window and cast a beautiful light on her face. she was in a much better place, a place where she was greeted by friends, her husband, and her Savior Jesus. when grandma passed away i told kenadee that grandma lives with Jesus. she asked, 'in our hearts?' yes kenadee, always in our hearts.

kenadee putting flowers on grandmas headstone at her funeral

grandma we miss you. you are our angel watching over us.

we thank you for being the special person you were to so many people.

kenadee loves balloons, and when we let them go up into the sky i tell her that we are sending the balloon to grandma. today we will let off another balloon...

we know where it will go...to our Grandma 'C'

we love and miss you...

bEsT FRiEndS

2009-06-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

last night we were outside playing. the johnsons (mine and kenadee's best friends) are moving...

but only a few houses down the street.

kenadee stopped and talked very serious to jilly beene.

'jilly beene, you are my best friend. no matter where you move, near or far, you will always be my best friend'

jillian, julles and kenadee
(BFF)

all academy preschool graduation

2009-06-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

kenadee graduated from preschool...wahoo!!! we are such proud parents!!!

what a cute little graduation ceremony they had...

they sang songs, had cupcakes, and had lots of smiles!!!

they also got a scrapbook of their preschool year with pictures of them

with all the letters of the alphabet...so cute!!!

teacher blaire and kenadee

(she loved her teacher)

teacher michelle (the owner) and kenadee.

what a fantastic school she has!!!

next year...KINDERGARTEN!!!

my little tueller

2009-05-31T07:11:00.001-07:00

okay, so my posts are not in chronological order...oh well!!!

kenadee's 'tueller' dance review was a couple of weeks ago

and she was so adorable (of course).

after the last few months of dance lessons i wondered if we were going to make it to the 'big stage' for the review!! she did not want to go and once we got there she would cry when i would leave. it was heartbreaking, but when i came to pick her up she was having a great time! well we made it...here are a few pictures of our little dancing girl...

oh so pretty...

the theme was "rockin' through time".

they did the dinasaur dance, you know...

'open the door, get on the floor, everybody walk the dinasaur'

(yes i know you will be singing it all day)

showing off and striking a pose!

how can you dance so well and NOT recieve flowers...she had to

have all of her flowers in her room!!! the daisies she got from dad

and we planted them in the back yard.

at one point watching kenadee mike turned to me and said 'i just realized there are other kids dancing!!' yes there was but when kenadee was on stage she is the only one we saw!!!

next year she said she wants to take tumbling so we will take a break from dance. but i am sure ther will be many more dance reviews in our future!!!

our weekend in boise

2009-05-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

we spent memorial weekend in boise at mike's little brothers house...along with the rest of the family too!! we had a GREAT time. farmers market...water park...bbq...games...fishing, (kenadee has her very own 'princess' fishing pole. she cast out the line, waited, and reeled in her very own fish...all by herself!!)...not much sleep...family and fun!!!

uncle judd, kenadee, and aunt jill

you know us!!

check out the next post for kenadee's exciting day...

'the best day of my entire life'

2009-05-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

we had quite the eventful weekend, but the greatest moment was when we were on our way to dinner, hooters...yes hooters and it was my choice because i do LOVE their wings!!! out of the blue kenadee said 'maybe i should get my ears pierced'. what??!! we have not talked about this for several months and she said she did not 'have holes in her ears' (meaning she didn't want her ears pierced). she asked all the questions that a very nervous 4 year old would ask...is it going to hurt...how do they do it...will i choose my earrings...and so on...we answered all her questions and told her that she is very brave and it would only hurt for a second!!! 'okay she said' i told her to ask dad since he had said we would wait until she was a little older. he said okay too!!! and off we went to the mall...she walked right into claires and found kelly. 'i want to get my ears pierced' she said. and here are the before, during and after pictures...enjoy!

kenadee and kelly...getting to know each other. she was terrific with kenadee!!! and answered all of her questions...there were many!

getting the 'dots' on...'are they even?'

squeezing the 'claires' bear!!

double duty...ready, set...

done!!!!

'i can't believe i got my ears pierced,

this is the best day of my entire life!!!'

kenadee was so brave and so cute. what a great time!!

continued pics of 'best day'

2009-05-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

all smiles...and absolutely no tears or screams!!! she was so happy. she kept tucking her hair behind her ears, which she rarely does!!

a close up of her 'chosen' earrings...pink daisies

kenadee and daddy

mommy and kenadee

kenadee was so excited to have her ears pierced!!! she told everyone, everywhere we went,

'i just got my ears pierced!' all she would say throughout the day was

'i can't believe i got my ears pierced'. we can't believe it either!!!

now she keeps asking, 'when can i change my earrings...how many more days... and so on!!!

mother's day...

2009-05-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

what a special day.

i LOVE mother's day, especially since it took me so long to become a mom. my day was spent with my beautiful family and fabulous mom...going to breakfast, and buying lots and lots of flowers and planting

them in my mom's yard, (our tradition).

grandma donna, kenadee and keri

i hope all mom's got the great recognition they deserve for being a great mom to their children. kenadee gave me a beautiful book 'why daughters need a mom' and a very cute picture frame that she made at school with her picture in it.

you may not know this about me but i LOVE cards. mike knows this and i tell him all the time...'all i want is a nice card'. he did GREAT this year.

kenadee's card was perfect, this is what it said...

'thanks for taking good care of me, for loving me lots, and raising me right. thanks for being the perfect mom for me.

mike's card was great too...

'you are the one who makes family occasions happy, our private times a joy, and our home a place of comfort and support.'

my family...oh how i love them!!!

what special women moms are, especially all the ones that have touched me. i have five, yes five sets of parents and that makes five very special mom's in my life and i appreciate all of them so much. i can't celebrate today without thinking of another very special mom; kenadee's birthmother, whitney. because of her unconditional selfless love, i became a mom!!! i respect and admire her for her strength and the most precious gift i have ever recieved...a child.

happy mother's day...

and thank you to everyone who made my day so special!!

teacher appreciation week

2009-05-04T17:16:00.001-07:00

thanks to my great friend emily, she let me know that it is

teacher appreciation week.

luckily i saw her blog yesterday and it reminded me of this week and what i could do for kenadee's great pre-school teacher...blaire. after racking my brain i decided to do one of my cute magnet boards so she could put pictures of her class on it. so here it is...

the little magnets are hard to see but they actually spell out blaire's name. kenadee has loved her teacher and has so much fun in school. to all teachers out there, you are much appreciated and i hope you are told that many times this week. thanks for all you do for our kids!!

FOX

2009-04-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

while watching american idol tonight with mike and kenadee i had a proud moment.

i thought kenadee was watching and listening to danny gokey sing but she was

concentrating on something else.

kenadee sounded out the word at the bottom of the screen...

f ah x...f ahx...fahx...fox.

'mom that says fox!!!'

she is on her way to reading.

what proud parents we are!!!

i still can't believe my little girl will

start kindergarten in the fall.

pay it forward

2009-04-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

okay...i am in on the 'pay it forward'

this is how it works...
the first three people to comment on this 'pay it forward' post will receive a special something from me sometime during the year. when and what will be a surprise. (to me as well...ha ha)
in order to play along, you must post this on your blog and 'pay it forward'. that means that sometime this year you will send three gifts as well...got it???
so...good luck!! and have fun!!

this post is different from my 'copy cat' post!!!

CoPy CaT!!

2009-04-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

okay...so i am being a cOpY CAt!!! many of my bLoGGiN' fRIeNdS have been doing

give-aways, or prizes or yummy treats for the first ones to comment (which i am never quick enough to win!!)...so here i go!!!

as you saw at Christmas time i made very cute 'names' for my nieces...NO that is not your prize...well now i am making very cute magnet boards for their birthdays to match.

a very cute magnet board made by 'yours truly' is YOURS

for first two to respond.

i hope you live close by, because it may take me a while (never) to ship it to you!!! (deena if it is you i will bring it to you someday when i am at my dads!)

here is a couple that i made for b-day presents.

my way of saying thanks for reading all my non-sense CrAZy bLoGgiN' mUmbO jUmbO!!!

'friendship lightens every burden and makes the sun shine brighter!!!'

thanks to you ALL for being a friend!!

ready, set, GO comment!!!

missing...

2009-04-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

as you all know by now, kenadee has an imaginary friend...charlotte. well the other night i asked her where she was and she told me that 'charlotte is missing'. kenadee decided to hang up posters so everyone could look for her. remember...charlotte is invisible so it might be hard to find her!! if you see her please call kenadee at the # on the poster!! the next day i was doing kenadee's hair and she told me not to bump her because she was holding charlotte's baby. so i asked if she had been found.

'no mom, i am taking care of her baby. she has one every day and she mails it to me so i can take care of it!!'

we believe charlotte is back. (although i have not yet 'seen' her!) on our way home tonight i asked kenadee if charlotte had been found and she said yes, but she

'will not be back for 15 years!!! she fell on the dresser and broke her head and she is with the doctor.'

she then picked up her princess phone and called the doctor.

'doctor, how is charlotte??? yes ...okay...good bye' then she tells me,

'good news mom, charlotte is coming home tonight!'

so after we were home for awhile i asked her if charlotte was home and she said she was at the door. we are glad to say that

'charlotte is back and her head feels great, except she got stitches...and oh...she is having another baby'

where does she come up with this stuff????

what an imagination.

i feel as though i should start a blog for

'the adventures of kenadee and charlotte!!!'

i hope you all get a giggle out of this like we do!!!

easter...

2009-04-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

what a great time we had this year for Easter.

we had the traditional egg hunt at grandma donna's with kenadee's cousins from springville (my brothers kids!!)

charlie,kenadee, & hali.

after the egg hunt we colored eggs at grandma's. then it was time to go home and color MORE eggs at our house for the Easter bunny to hide.

kenadee woke up Easter morning about 5 minutes after the Easter bunny had finished hiding the eggs...yep...the bunny almost got caught. in fact, mike told kenadee that he saw the Easter bunny in our neighborhood when he was driving home from work!!! she said she was 'just so excited'...the Easter bunny left her a hula hoop, jump rope, flip flops, slippers and spring/summer clothes...and also a littlest pet shop 'duckee' for the computer. and of course some 'peeps'

kenadee had a great morning finding all the Easter eggs...then we went to grandma's again for a big Easter dinner...yummmmyyyyy!! ham, mashed potatoes and ham gravy, jello salad (of course!) and more. i made my yummy strawberry/lemon triffle!!!

kenadee was our little sunshine with her cute Easter dress.

we hope you all enjoyed your Easter holiday as much as we did. we are so grateful for the blessings we have. and especially JESUS who sacrificed so much for US!!!

God bless you and your loved ones.

kenadee's easter prayer

2009-04-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

oh how PROUD i am of my little girl. friday night we read the story 'what is Easter' (it is great, i highly recommend it...and also 'what is Christmas'). i really didn't think kenadee was paying that much attention to the story. it talks about the Easter bunny and candy, the new Easter dress, jelly beans, coloring Easter eggs...then it tell the real story of Easter and how Jesus died on the cross for us, and how he now sits next to God and wants to be in our hearts. well...saturday night at bed time i told kenadee it was her turn to say prayers, after the 'no it is your turn', and 'you have to repeat', and 'isn't it daddy's turn', and 'i dont' want to say them', she finally gave in and said her prayers. this is what she said...
(i wish i had the camcorder out so i remembered every detail...but who knew this is what would happen??!!)

"Heavenly Father, thank you for this beautiful day. bless all the children. thank you for all that you give us. thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for us. bless the Easter bunny will come to our house. thank you God for all of our blessings. we pray that you will have a great day in heaven, and grandma C too...and that her wings don't fly off in heaven. thank you God, i love you so much and Jesus too, you are the best. hope daddy drives home safe from work in the morning.

Amen"

wow!!! how my heart swells and my eyes water...she makes me so proud.
i hope and pray for YOU and your loved ones this beautiful Easter season. may Jesus live in your hearts like He does ours. and to all of our angels in heaven...hold tight to your wings 'so they don't fly off in heaven'.
smiles

update...

2009-04-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

on charlotte...
i was cleaning out kenadee's closet and i found a little stuffed animal, i guess it was not an animal but it was a ghost. and i remembered how 'charlotte' came about!! my mom gave kenadee this 'ghost' for halloween and she named it charlotte...and now here we are with an imaginary friend.
yesterday kenadee was telling me and a friend that charlotte lives in mexico now and she is eleven and a half!! she had a baby...'one hour ago'. the baby looks like minnie mouse!!!
i will keep you updated on the happenings of charlotte!!

update: april 10th
charlotte got married the other day (its a good thing since she keeps having all these babies) she is still in mexico. kenadee told me today that she had to go to the dentist to 'have a cavity...she had to get a shot in her teeth and in her gums' she also was in a car accident and had to have a shot in her neck...oops, now the shot was in her foot. but now she is in heaven???!!! where does my kenadee come up with this stuff!!??

charlotte...

2009-04-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

kenadee has a best friend...her name is charlotte...

she is her imaginary friend...she is a ghost (most of the time)

i am not sure where or how charlotte came about or even when,

it has been at least a year, but what an

adventure it has been with charlotte around!!!

i asked kenadee this morning about her and this is what she said:
'charlotte is at mckaylas house (her other friend...imaginary too)...she is great...she lives in America...her skin is white (she is invisible)...she is really great to have as a friend...she used to live in Utah, England ('it is not winter there' she says) and Nebraska...she loves to do flips in the air...she is sometimes nice and sometimes naughty...we like to play on the merry go round, it is very big but it doesn't touch the ceiling.'
does that give you an idea of charlotte?? :)

after picking kenadee up at my moms one day she told me:
'we left charlotte at grandmas'
me:
'well we can not drive back and get her'
kenadee:
'we have to mom'
me:
well, she can hear YOU so you call to her and tell her to hurry and catch us in the car'
kenadee:
'charlotte...get in this car!!! okay mom, she is here. charlotte you stay in the car!!'

when i was a little girl i had an imaginary friend also...her name was paula. she went everywhere with me. we even had to set a plate at the table for paula.

what an imagination kenadee has. it has been alot of fun listening to kenadee play with charlotte, and even blaming her for some things!!! we have not yet had to set a plate at the

table for charlotte...that day may come.

did YOU have an imagnary friend?? does YOUR kids have one???

i think charoltte will be with us for quite sometime!!!

shabby apple

2009-03-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

i just heard that SHABBY APPLE is having a contest. they are looking for a 'picture princess'. of course i think my little kenadee is the perfect picture princess. the dresses are so adorable with bright colors and fun prints. kenadee loves pictures and loves to dress up in cute dresses...her smile is beautiful and she loves to show off her personality. kenadee would be perfect for this!!! there are so many cute dresses to choose but i have to say my favorite is 'fields of gold'. i love the yellows and oranges and the big flower print. kenadee looks so cute in the bright colors!!

little girls and girls dresses from shabby baby, go to www.shabbyapple.com

the haircut of cuteness!!!

2009-03-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

we knew she would want it sooner or later!!!

kenadee told me a few weeks ago that she wanted her hair cut. i told her she had to ask her dad if it was okay...thinking he would talk her out of it!!

instead he said, 'are you sure you want to cut it?'

kenadee says 'yes, to my shoulders!'

dad said 'okay!' of course she wanted me to do it right then!!! i told

her we would make a very special appointment at mommys salon.

we had it set for last friday after school. that morning she was so excited and told me she wanted it 'cut to here' which was by her ears!!! i said that was too short, and she wouldn't be able to wear ponytails (thinking that would change her mind) nope...she said she didn't want any more ponys!!! well...i was not about to cut my little girls hair that short!!! she is still my baby!!!

so...here she is at her first 'salon' haircut!! she had the full experience, shampoo, cut and style!!!

yes...

she thought she was 'all that!!'

almost finished...

looking pretty cute!!

and here she is...

my little girl with her

'big girl hair cut'

what a little sweet heart...

my little girl...kenadee

twilight...the second time!!!

2009-03-12T09:08:00.001-07:00

okay...so some friends and i went to see 'twilight' again. this was my second time as well as stephanie and jolenes...as for emily and katie it was their fourth!!! i have to say the second time was better. but the best part was seeing james!!! i know i know...he is the bad vampire, but damn, could he be any hotter!!!??? emily and i had a little debate over which one was cuter, she of course loves edward...yes he is very cute and sweet and the perfect boyfriend!!! but just look at james...total eye candy!!! he could bite me anytime, anywhere!!! and those abs, and those sexy 'i'm coming to bite you' eyes...i mean...damn!!!! i am just very sad that they used cam gigandet to play 'james'...he shouldn't have been killed off...he needed to be in every 'twilight' movie!!! why couldn't he be one of the cullens??

so...what do YOU think??? who do you think is the hotter vampire (excluding personalities...we all know edward wins that one)

okay...my husband definitely wins for hottest real person...this is just fantasy!!! love you mike, your the best for me in my real world!!! this picture was taken on our anniversary in july (11 years). i always put on my veil for a picture...i know kind of corny but lots of fun!!! mike really is the sexiest!!! i mean damn...

is it ever going to stop...SNOWING!!!

2009-03-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

my husband called at 7 am to see if i had looked outside, (he is working graveyards) of course i was up and trying to get koko (our puppy) to go potty. and yes i had to shovel a little walk for her. i thought i would be a good wife and start to clean off the driveway. i got enough for mike to get into the garage and for me to get out so i could get kenadee to school.

i measured the snow on our garbage can and it was

17 inches!!!!

when we got back from school (12:00) i decided to snow blow the rest.

it took me over an hour and i could go back and do it AGAIN!!

like i said...

IS IT EVER GOING TO STOP!!!

this is our front side walk about 10 minutes after i was finished snowblowing...and it is still coming down!!!

well kenadee...we are homebound for the day...

i think we will skip dance today!!

chopsticks...

2009-02-24T17:58:00.001-08:00

this was kenadee's first time 'really' trying to eat with chopsticks!!

we went to salt lake and had lunch at 'happy sushi' at the gateway mall.

kenadee really did great with the chopsticks...she had adamame, chicken, tempura veggies, oranges (why do all sushi places give oranges??) and rice.

she never actually had a bite of a sushi roll...but are you ready for this...

she loved the fish eggs on one of our rolls and ate them like crazy!!!

mike and i really love sushi...it is our favorite and we have been craving it like crazy lately. if anyone would like to go out for sushi ...we would love to go...anytime!!!

sweet kenadee

2009-02-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

me and kenadee at her
preschool valentine party.
she is my little sweetheart!!!

so i had to post a couple of pictures and share my little moment with kenadee. i had just tucked her into bed and left her room. this is how it went:

kenadee: mom, come here (this happens a lot)
me: what do you need kenadee?
kenadee: just come here mom
me: kenadee it is past your bedtime and you need to go to sleep
kenadee: please mommy, just come in here

of course i give in and go to her room. she reaches out to me and wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a big hug. i am sure it only lasted a minute but it felt like much longer. she looks up at me and says
'mommy, you light up my whole world'
oooohhhh how my heart melted and oooohhhh how i love her and these special little moments!!!

my sweet little girl all tucked in (no this was not tonight) and of course she has her dolls and animals tucked in too!!!

tagged

2009-02-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

8 things tag

rules are:
post rules on your blog
answer the 6 '8' items
let each person know they are tagged by leaving them a 'comment'

here goes

'8' favorite TV shows
1. greys anatomy
2. private practice
3. american idol
4. dancing with the stars
5. the biggest loser
6. the bachelor
7. oprah
8. survivor

'8' things i did yesterday
1. took kenadee to school
2. went to work
3. went to lunch with my sis-in-law christine
4. missed my husband...he is working graveyards!!!
5. read 'fancy nancy' to kenadee for our bed time story
6. called my husband to tell him goodnight
7. played on face book and my blog
8. went to sleep watching 'say anything'

'8' things i am looking forward to
1. mike being off work for a few days
2. being outside on sunny days
3. getting 'fancy' with kenadee and mike...have you read fancy nancy...that will be us this week!!! can't wait!!!
4. spring!!!
5. class at our salon on monday (will i have new do??)
6. sleeping in tomorrow morning
7. spending forever with my family!!!

'8' favorite restaurants
1. kobe japanese grill and sushi bar
2. cafe rio
3. red lobster
4. happy sushi
5. olive garden
6. watermans grill in north carolina
7. old town mexican cafe in san diego
8. hamiltons

'8' things on my wish list
1. win the lottery (hey...if your gonna wish...wish big!!!)
2. for bridges and roads to start being built...gotta have steel for that...get nucor melting lots of steel!!!
3. kenadee to stay as happy and healthy always
4. that my friend emily doesn't move too far away :(
5. that i could get warm...i am freezing right now!!!
6. to see oprah someday
7. the snow to melt and spring come...now!!!
8. to always have chocolate available

'8' people i tag
1. jamie
2. emily
3. cassie
4. kristen
5. cindy
6. ashley
7. syndee
8. jenna

krafty kenadee and her daddy

2009-02-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

kenadee is in the stage where she wants to make a 'craft' about every day. (today she is making something with play doe and letting it dry). she gets a great idea and says, 'i have an invention to make' or 'lets make a project'. some of the things she comes up with are quite the 'craft' and i have saved many!!! (but there is only so much room to save all of them). what i love about these 'craft' projects are a lot of times they are daddy's idea and he does it full out!!! unfortunately i am usually at work when they are doing these fun projects so i don't get a picture of them in action. but here are a few of their finished work.

these are kenadee's binoculars. made out of a granola bar box, toilet paper rolls and a pencil for the handle. oh...i did help with this one, kenadee and i made the crown for the top. look closely and you can see the face they drew on it!

this is kenadee and daddy's drum. mike called me at work and asked where the ribbon for wrapping gifts was. i asked him why and he told me that they were making a drum. i didn't ask anything more and waited until i got home and this was the finished project. i told you he went all out on things!!!

some of my friends have told me that mike needs to be a preschool teacher because he is so 'crafty'. he could handle craft time but i think that would be about it!!

i love that he really takes the time with kenadee and does some fun things. i am not sure who enjoys it more...kenadee or mike...or me, i love to see her face beaming when i come home and she is so excited to show me what they have done.

what an amazing family i have,

i feel so blessed.

new website...check it out

2009-02-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

hey friends...
the kutting edge salon & spa
website is finally updated!!!
check it out...
i have a link on my side bar under
'sites i like'!!!
enjoy

first kiss

2009-02-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

i knew it would happen some day but i didn't think it would be at four and half years old. yes kenadee kissed a boy...not one but actually 3!!! what am i in for?? we were at our friends house having a little party and gavins sister came downstairs and whispered in my ear, "kenadee just kissed gavin on the lips and two of the other boys on the cheek!" what!!??!!??

so i went to talk to our little kissing girl. of course kenadee was all smiles and thought it was great...the boys were a little shocked!! i told kenadee 'no more kissing'. hopefully we won't have much more 'kissing' for a long time.

mike and i and gavins parents, chris and staci, have previously talked about an arranged marriage between

gavin and kenadee. what a great story to tell of their first kiss at their wedding!!! ha ha ha!!! it won't be for al least 20 years!!!

gavin

and

kenadee

summer

2008

my friend, meredith

2009-01-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

some of you may have heard me talk lately about my friend, meredith. as you can see by her picture she has an infectious smile that every one noticed. i met meredith about 14 years ago when she came into the salon, her 2 year old son justin needed to go 'potty'. and so our friendship began. she met the love of her life, bekah, around the same time i met mike. they were so happy and showed everyone what love really was all about. i remember many times spent with them at parties we had or mike taking meredith on a 'harley' ride, and of course every few weeks getting their hair cut. yes, she was one of my favorite clients, but even more she was my friend. she has such a big heart and cried & cried when we moved to north carolina. when we moved back, she cried and cried again. meredith was so excited when we told her we were finally going to be parents and adopt. yes, your right, she cried many happy tears for us. we still have the dr.seuss books she gave kenadeee when she was born. our lives became very busy and we lost touch for awhile, but when we saw each other again a year ago it was like we never lost a day. she still had that amazing smile and zest for life. meredith had an amazing spirit about her. if you knew her or even saw her you would understand. she was my friend.

meredith passed away on january 15th as a result of injuries from a car accident in december. mike and i went to her funeral yesterday and what a beautiful service it was. i have never been to a memorial service that was so incredible. we laughed, we cried and mostly we were inspired. mike and i talked after and we both agreed. 'it was inspirational' just like meredith. she had touched so many lives with her own. she gave so much of herself to others and her community. she absolutely loved bekah. her 3 sons were everything to her as well as her 3 grand children. meredith lived life to the fullest and enjoyed every minute of it!!! meredith knew what was most important and that was family, friends, love and giving of herself to others. she gave everything 100% and more. she inspired so many.

meredith, thank you for being my friend. i hope i can follow in your steps and inspire and live life as you did. meredith, you are our angel and you will be greatly missed by so many. we will carry your memory and your love with us always. bekah, anthony, cj, and justin...my thoughts and prayers and love are with you now and always.

smiles for you meredith.

kenadee's pictures and messages

2009-01-20T17:25:00.001-08:00

kenadee got her very own camara for Christmas. she has really enjoyed taking pictures. (kes&s girls...i did not post your photos, although the were pretty cute!!) she has taken pics of the TV, everything in her room, her fingernails, and toes, the carpet, crazy pics of mom & dad (which are also not posted) and more. here are the ones she chose to 'post on mom's blog'. enjoy

kenadee' silly picture with a 'mustache, glasses and a silly nose!!'

"my pillow that hangs on my door that i got at 'baby kenna's' birthday party"

kenadee's princess pillow 'that we bought one time'

'twinkles' my littlest pet shop.

"my puppy 'posh', she loves to dance and eat pretend doggy food!!"

hope you enjoy my photos.
from kenadee

not too bad for a fisher price camara!!!
she is quite the little photographer, we are so proud!!

mother goose

2009-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

HAPPY
NEW
YEAR!!!!!

for those of you who do not know about mother goose, here it is...grandma donna (my mom)has a party on new years eve for all of her grand kids. (all grand daughters!!!) it is great because it lets the parents enjoy the evening too!!! any way...the girls have pizza and watch movies and in the morning the floor is covered with feathers that they immedietly pick up. mother goose comes in the night, (only to grandma donna's house) and leaves a lot of goodies. t-shirts, hats, jewelry, candy, fruit, lip gloss, etc. this year was 'hannah montana'. you guessed it...everything was hannah montana. bless grandma donna, she had 5 girls, charlie (11), madison (11), shantel (9), hali (6) and kenadee (4). my brother and his wife were there to help out, (i was not...i did my mother goose duty for the last 2 years...i spent the evening with my husband!!!) everything was going well until kenadee decided to not sleep until 12:30!!! (last year she didn't sleep and we went home at 3 am!!!) ohhhh it gets better...she then woke up at 1:30 and woke up grandma too. she went back to bed. grandma wakes up at 3 am to check on kenadee and she is not in bed...she is down stairs picking up feathers!!!!!! she tells grandma "i just couldn't help it, the feathers are so beautiful". again grandma puts her back in bed. she then wakes up at 4 and at 5!!! and does not go back to bed!!! well the girls found their goodies from mother goose and loved it!!! grandma donna was exhausted!!! and so was kenadee.

mike and i had a great time with family and friends at dave and christine's. we talked to grandma at 10 pm and she said kenadee was going to bed!!! we didn't worry the rest of the night!!! we figured grandma got kenadee to bed....we were mistaken. mike and i have not spent new years together for 2 years...it was a fun night of playing games and ringing in the new year.
christine...dave...top of jim's head...
mike...keri...darren...judd...jill...heather

when we got to grandmas kenadee was crying, not necessarily because she only got 2 hours of sleep but because madison burned her ear with the flat iron...ouch!!! i did get a traditional stair picture of the girls in their matching t-shirts and hats...notice kenadee!

kenadee...madison...charlie
hali...shantel

needless to say it was a very very long day.
kenadee fell asleep on the way home at 6 pm
but woke up and would not go back to sleep...
we put her to bed at 8:30 and she finally
fell asleep at 10!!!

here she is peacefully sleeping..finally.

hope you all had a great new years CELEBRATION.

MAY WE ALL
HAVE GREAT
2009!!!

2009-01-05T10:17:00.001-08:00

celebrating CHRISTMAS

2009-01-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone but what a great season it was. We really enjoyed the holidays this year. Kenadee was so much fun and really understood the meaning of Christmas. She is such a blessing to our family and has added so many laughs and smiles.

here are some of our Christmas memories!!!

Christmas eve dinner at our house... my family; grandma donna and grandpa andy, mike, keri, kenadee and koko.
mikes family...dave, christine, makena, madison, roxy (dog), judd, jill, bella (dog) grandma betty, mike, keri and kenadee...oh and koko (dog).

santa found kenadee and brought just what she wanted...a hannah montana guitar!!!

and a few other special things...

and of course every little girl has to have a new baby doll!!!

we hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that we can all carry the joy and love that we feel throughout 2009!!!

krafty keri

2008-12-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

okay so i got a little crafty this year for Christmas. i made these cute mod podge letters for ALL of my nieces.
they turned out really cute. these of course are not all that i did.

i did 8 names in all; makena, madison, charlie, hali, shantel, sam, sav, and princess!!!

(cindy these pics are for you)

kenadee's holiday message 2008

2008-12-14T22:59:00.000-08:00

Twas the weeks before Christmas & all through our home,
we are enjoying the season & writing our poem.
Our home is ready with mistletoe and holly,
santa will be coming with toys so jolly.
What fun we had in the year 2008,
we drove to California; Disneyland was great.
We saw mickey & minnie; princesses too,
then down to San Diego to see shamu.
In heaven now is where Grandma ‘C’ lives
along with Jesus in my heart she is.
Grandmas love & smiles we will always remember,
she’s our angel watching over us, we really do miss her.
August was my birthday & right before my eyes
Cinderella was there; what a big surprise.
I’m 4 years old now & I started preschool
I am learning a lot, it’s really fun & cool.
To Moab again we went in dad’s jeep
we crawled up the rocks, they were really steep.
Daddy still works safe at Nucor Utah;
Mommy styles hair at the Kutting Edge Salon & Spa.
We are very thankful for our health & happiness.
with our family and friends we feel so blessed.
Let us remember the meaning of Christmas,
the birth of Jesus & the love he has for us.
Mom and Dad send their love & a holiday of good cheer,
our prayer for you is a blessed new year.

quote of the week by cindy

2008-12-13T22:36:00.000-08:00

my friend cindy posted this and i hope she won't mind that i copied it to my blog...i loved it so much and i wanted to share it with all my 'blog' friends

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
~Calvin Coolidge
I was trying to find a good Christmas quote for this week and stumbled upon this one. I loved it. And it is so true. Why is it that every Christmas, we are more generous, more kind, more patient? At least it seems that way sometimes during this oh-so-over-commercialized thing that warrants a "Happy Holidays" on every retail store sign rather than "Merry Christmas." I believe this. As we celebrate the birth of Christ during this season, it is only appropriate, and best, to celebrate His life all year. He certainly isn't just available to us during the Christmas season, and we should show our love and gratitude to Him for His life and sacrifice throughout the entire year. That truly is the real spirit of Christmas. To remember that this season is not really about lights and trees, packages and bows, or chocolates and fruit cake. It's about remembering He who lived and died so that we can have eternal life. And how should we thank Him? By keeping the Christmas spirit all year long. So, in January, when the tree is gone, the toys are broken or lost, the Christmas music has been shelved for another year, remember the season. Remember how you were extra nice to that waitress or the cashier at the toy store. Remember all the donations you gave to those in need. Remember all the time you spent with loved ones. And keep the spirit alive. * CINDY

don't you love it too??!! thanks again cindy!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!