A fresh start

The cake I made for Charlie's birthday on August 6th. He loves trains lately. I was quite proud of myself for making it and Charlie was so excited about it.
New cowboy boots. That's all you need to be in fashion when you're 2.
So hi. I don't know exactly why I'm back but here I am. Last time I posted was October last year. A lot has happened and changed since then and even though I took my blog down, looking back on old posts made me realize how grateful I am to have details of my life documented and I've had a lot of people ask where the blog went too. I didn't know that many people cared so thanks! :)

I still don't know how to get the pictures on here in order. So here is a quick mumbo jumbo of what's been going on this past month in my life...

Above, Cody is teaching Lulu to ride a big girl bike! She also started kindergarten, is learning to read, and generally growing up way too fast.

Hide and seek. Good hiding spot, right?

Charlie's new obsession... underwear! Let the potty training begin!
Think he hangs out with me a little too much? Here is my boy pretending to talk on my phone and he is drinking the end of my diet coke.


Charlie opening his new cowboy boots from his dad on his birthday. He was so stoked!
After Charlie opened all his gifts at his party, we set up his new train track. BIG HIT!





Laundry day at our house was spent like this the other morning....


This is what happens when you have a big sister as your only playmate...

We spent a lot of time at the pool this summer. Dance is about to start back up again, we are all healthy and doing the best we can do. What more can ya ask for right? For those of you who know more details than I'm willing to write about on a blog, I want to apologize if I told you too much, and I know I did to several of you. When it all comes down to it, I will never regret taking the high road and just keeping my mouth shut. I do however, regret saying too much and doing more to frustrate an already frustrating situation. I don't want people talking bad about the father of my children- it will eventually get back to them and they don't need that. I just want them to be ok.

So much!

Remember when I used to blog? Ya, its been a while. Its been so long that my background somehow expired and I can't get it back! Oh well. Here is our life since July. Charlie turned one in August. He is such a fun little chunk o love. That is his nickname in fact. We had many parties, he was spoiled, learned to walk one week after his bday, just like Lulu, but didn't start getting teeth until just last month! Cody turned 33!! Old man. We moved to Mantua. That was our 9th move in almost years of marriage. Grrrr. Fortunately, the house we are in now, I LOVE! Its 130 years old and has so much character. And the rent is cheap enough that we can afford to save for a down payment because the next time we move, we are buying and NEVER MOVING AGAIN!!! I am so tired of moving. We celebrated Halloween, raked a lot of leaves, Lulu started a new preschool, the twins turned TEN!!, and then had Thanksgiving at my parents this year. It was a lovely dinner, great to see family, we were planning a ski trip with my Pa Rich, my mom's dad, and then exactly one week later, he died. We are having his memorial tomorrow. My heart is breaking. He was such a funny, clever, whitty, decent, intelligent, kind human being. I am sad that my kids won't get to know him as well as I have. The twins have taken it really hard. He was so easy to love. I'm very grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel though, and that I know that I will see him again someday. But anyway, here are a few catch up pictures so I don't feel like my life is completly passing me by...

Lulu's new haircut!

Chunk loves our kittly, Louie. Maybe a little too much...

I am obsessed with this little guy; he has my heart.

My babies both have their own vaccum and love to help me clean!

Bath time! In a real tub! Another reason we love this house.

I ran over Lulu's kitten, Dorothy. This is while Dorothy was on her way to kitty heaven. Lulu cuddled her. I sobbed.

Raking the leaves in our yard from the BIGGEST tree in Mantua.

Little monster got into my lipstick!

Belle and a dalmation

Seriously? How cute is he!!?

She loved getting dolled up for her Belle costume

Cody and I went to the Davis County benefit gala. I was a flapper while he did valet parking. It was a great date night.

Hurd annual Halloween party

And last but not least, my sweet Pa Rich. I love you forever Pa!

a random thought post

I found a perverted animal cookie that I think we could've sold on EBAY!! Cody took a picture and then ate it. Money down the drain I tell ya. Or down the belly rather.
Here are some of my summer parade dancers. We did our first parade on July 17th in Mantua. It rained only during the parade. They were so cute though and we had fun so that's what matters. Go superheroes!

I have been bad at taking pictures lately because everytime I go to use my camera, the memory is full and I just haven't gotten around to transferring them onto the computer and erasing the card. Gonna do it tonight! Charlie is going to be a year old in 2 weeks. WHAT!!!!??? How did this year go by so fast? He is such a sweet fun little guy. So happy and mellow. He loves me best, which is great with me! He is starting to stand up by himself, still has no teeth, laughs at anything Lulu does, wrestles his daddy, cuddles and naps on me, and is just pretty much our happy pill. Lulu is still wonderful but also FOUR! This age is pretty demanding and impatient so far, which makes me short-tempered with her, which then makes me feel guilty. We are working on it. I think I have more expectations of what a four year old is capable of and I sometimes forget how little she is and how much she is still learning. She has been really imaginative lately. I love the random songs she makes up and how she names EVERYTHING- even the butterflies she tries to catch. She is pretty easy to please. A trip to the D.I. equals HOURS of fun for her. She will do anything to have a girls night with me and now that Cody took a whole day to get a swingset from some very sweet new friends of ours, I think our days will be even easier, as they will be spent in our backyard "schwinging," as she calls it. She could schwing all day long if we let her.

I am now an Avon lady, a server at Iggy's, and still directing/owning my own dance studio. Oh life. The blessing of having these 3 jobs is that not only the much-needed $ but also that I can still manage to be a stay-at-home mom! This is such a precious time in their lives: they are ALL MINE! There are just a few short years where I get to have them home and not be sending them off to school all day to be basically raised by someone else. I do Avon and dance stuff like books and choreography while they sleep at night and I serve at Iggy's 3 nights a week so Cody has them during that time. Besides teaching dance on Tuesday mornings, all the rest of my time is theirs and I am SO grateful for that. Cody is STILL looking for a job. It is a nightmare out there. Not even the grocery stocking jobs will take him because with his credentials and education, they all know he won't be a long-term hire. It has been so much fun to have him home though. I am really going to miss him when he does finally get a job. Its sad how much of your life is spent working and not enjoying. Besides the HUGE stress of money right now, we really are happy. Which believe me, that is saying a lot. Life is so full of ups and downs and surprisingly, this is part of an up time! Cody is a great cook, a goofball that always makes me laugh, a motivator who is always challenging me, a tease, a great daddy, and my best friend. I think one of the lessons in this trial we've been given of him not working is that we got to realize how much we really like each other and its reminded us how good we really can be together. I think I'll keep him. :) So ok, we've learned some great lessons so can we please move on from this trial now Heavenly Father?

I have no idea how to upload these in the order I want! So in no particular order, I am catching my blog up on what we've been doing the past month and a half. :) This is Lulu playing with Charlie in his crib. She loves him so much and it is just my favorite thing how well she plays with him. I didn't get along too well with my little brother and I so don't want that for my kids. My sister in law Sharla has been so good at teaching her children to love each other and that is my goal for my kids as well. So far, so good... on the youngest two that is.
Our neighborhood has a Flag Day celebration where everyone meets in the Bishops' cul-de-sac, the kids decorate their bikes, ride in a parade (throwing candy to the adults who are watching), then we have a big bbq potluck and then a waterfight! Summer fun at its finest!
Charlie and Cody watching the parade.
Lulu getting ready for her parade.
Charlie posing by the balloons. He got thrown a lot of candy that I got to enjoy! I love salt water taffys and fruity tootsies.
Charlie really likes those little banana puff things. He's cuddling the container!
This was a great day. Oakley and Lulu started giving me a foot rub (which I LOVE) then Lulu wanted me to give her one. So I had Oakley rubbing my feet, while I rubbed Lulu's feet, and while Charlie cuddled. So heavenly.
Lulu graduated from preschool! This is Charlie wearing her graduation cap and holding the diploma.
Here is the real graduate with her diploma!
This was the cutest little preschool. They went on field trips every month, learned Sign Language, Spanish, and by the end of the year, Lulu not only knew all her letters, the sounds they make, and how to write them, but she was also learning how to put them together and starting to read!
She wanted to dress up for the occasion. Of course.
Just a cute picture of our cute little girl. She is the sunshine to us.
Here is the only picture I had time to stop for the night of our recital. Lulu had to pee and I was due to start the show so we didn't have time to get a better one. At least I have one this time though!
Lulu did a duet to "Monster Mash" with her friend Ellie and she loved her monster costume so much! She changed back into it after her class performed and ended up in the wrong costume for the finale number, as seen below.
Here we all are on dress rehearsal night. I LOVE these girls and my job. I feel blessed.
Here is my cute little fat man at Bear Lake. We took a little daycation to go see Alisha and family. We miss them SO much now that they have moved to Bear Lake and are following their dreams. They started an amazing restaurant up there and its going very well but I still miss my sister!
Lulu was doing some impression of being in a shower that had everyone laughing. I don't know where it came from but it was CUTE!
Here are all the grandkids on my side of the family, minus Charlie. He was napping. Jake, Awran, Nate, Lulu, and Cooper. Lulu is the only girl but she is enough girl for all of them! There is nothing tomboy about her! Can ya tell? :)
Gramma Net with my babies.