Campbell's "Scoup"

Grandma Rae

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today was my Grandma Webb's funeral. She passed away almost 2 weeks ago, on December 21st (my brother Matt's birthday) but today was the day that worked best for her very large family to gather together for her funeral. I hadn't shed many tears about her death until today. Today they just kept coming. I am not particularly sad that she is gone. I do miss her and I'm sad that I won't see her for a long time (hopefully), but I am at peace with her death for many reasons. She was 91 years old and lived a long full life. She has also been going downhill for many months so I was able to prepare myself before it happened. Most of all I am so happy for her. My dad called me about 10 minutes after she passed to tell me she was gone. I felt sad and shed a few tears but then almost immediately I pictured what she was probably doing right at that moment. She was being reunited with my Grandpa who died almost 20 years ago, as well as her son Alan, her granddaughter Amberlee, her grandson-in-law Joe, her sister Virginia, and her parents as well as her many friends and not to mention her loving Savior. She was free of her earthly body and the many cares of this world. I think it was hard for her to go and leave her children, especially her daughters who she knew would be heartbroken by her passing. She had 9 children and one "adopted" daughter (Eva wasn't officially adopted was she?) My dad is the 8th of the 9. She had 46 grandchildren and 66 great grandchildren (so far). Wow thats a lot of people to love and miss her.

Anyway, I think the reason I couldn't stop crying today was because everything was just so perfect. I think that after somebody dies its so easy to remember only the good about that person and forget the bad and its easy to think of that person as being practically perfect in every way. But with my Grandma, she genuinely was about as perfect as they come. She may have been about the second most perfect person to walk this earth. My Aunt Julie gave a beautiful talk about my Grandma and told the perfect story that is just so descriptive of the person she was. One day at their family dinner, Grandma was over and they were telling her to say the absolute meanest thing that she could possibly think of about Corey (her grandson-in-law) so she sat there and got this little "mean" scrunched up face and said, "Corey, you are so...... rotten!" Haha, that's the meanest thing she could come up with! She never said a mean thing about anybody and her life was devoted to her children and grandchildren. I learned from her obituary that she served in many callings in the church including Den Mother, Relief Society President, but her favorite was Relief Society Teacher. I also learned (or probably re-learned) that her anniversary is August 9th. Mine is August 10th and my other grandparents' anniversary is the 11th. How cool is that? It must be a magical time to get married because it seems to produce strong happy marriages. I also met her 2 younger sisters today. I feel awful that I didn't even know that she had 2 living sisters still. She was the oldest of 4 girls but one of her sisters died many years ago from cancer. I am sad that I don't know them at all. I am told that she was really close to her sisters. I guess that is one thing we have in common.

Coming away from her funeral I feel so inspired. If I could be half the woman she was I would be so proud. After I am gone I want to be remembered the way she is being remembered. As somebody who devoted her life to serving others and uplifting those around her, somebody who never spoke a mean word, someone who gave everything she had to her family and cried when they cried and laughed when they laughed. Somebody who had an unshakable testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and taught it to her family. Somebody who was so beautiful and had the most beautiful smile with the cutest dimple. I can still hear her voice and her adorable laugh. I can smell her and feel her soft skin. She was so silly and said the funniest things ever! After she started losing her mind she started telling people all the miraculous things she had done. She claimed that she had been on "that ship that sank... you know, the Titanic" and apparently she was having a sleepover at Elizabeth Smart's house the night she got kidnapped. Oh she was a funny lady whether she was trying to be or not. Her favorite necklace was a strand of silver mardi gras beads that she probably got at Julie's New Year's party or something. She wore it non-stop!
I have such a long way to go to be like her. I am far to self-absorbed with my own problems and issues. This year my goal is to be more like my Grandmothers. I have two incredible Grandmothers who I look up to so much and who I want to be just like.

I love you the most, Grandma.

Grandma Rae at her 90th Birthday Party on June 17th 2010

Though days seem dark, and joy is gone.

And we are left all alone in despair.

Though troubles rage through endless age

And many have ceased to care.

Let our hearts express our faith and hope

As we kneel at eventide.

For though the future may seem clouded

How can we fail with God as our guide?

Let us be free from selfishness,

Cease to wear a troubled frown.

Let's spread cheer among our fellow man

Smile, let hate not get us down.

Giving thanks will bring us new courage,

As we kneel at eventide,

And the future will take on new brilliance

How can we fail with God as our guide?

-Rachael Christensen Webb

Liahona, May 26, 1942- Published

I Pinned It, I Did It.

2012-01-02T01:16:00.003-07:00

It sounds so cheesy but I think Pinterest has honestly changed my life- improved it for the better! I was skeptical to join because I thought it would just be another time waster but I'm so glad I did. (Thank you Jana and Brittney.) I make dinner way more often. I do more fun things with my kids. And I even craft once in a while.

I have pinned 25 things in my I Pinned It, I Did It folder.

This one is my favorite so far.

Taken from: http://www.designsponge.com/2010/12/diy-project-vintage-postcard-calendar-journal.html

I made it my own.

Together with my shrub Rachelle we made this adorable 1-line Journal. Every day you write one line about what you did that day and you can cycle through for 14 years (because there are 14 lines on each index card). We bought the materials at Office Depot (just under $20). The most annoying part was ripping out the two dividers that were in the middle of this lovely little contraption, whatever it may be called. The longest part was stamping the date in the upper right hand corner. The monthly dividers are just scraps of scrapbook paper that I had. We finished it just in time to begin on January 1st!

This one is actually Rachelle's but mine says something similar and I added that it was Canyon's first day in Primary today. He's a sunbeam! He did great by the way. Anyway, so I know many of you are probably thinking that I probably won't keep up on it but I can assure you that I will (I think). I have been a faithful journal writer since before I can even remember. I have 25+ journals packed away somewhere so I think I will be able to keep up on this easy one-liner journal. Only time will tell, however. I think this would be a great gift too! Especially for a newlywed or new mother. So make one today before its too late! This would be a great New Year's Resolution. I would love to hear some of your New Year's Resolutions as well as your thoughts on Pinterest and things you have pinned and then accomplished! Happy Pinning! hehe

Mischievous Boys

2011-12-25T00:16:00.001-07:00

This little boy is trouble.

Yesterday he told me that he is going to punch all the bad guys in jail in the face. I told him we need to be nice to everybody. "But they are bad." he said. "They went to jail because they said bad words like suck and stupid." If only that were the case, sweet boy.

Last night he gave me a package of sour chewy lemon heads. He was so excited to give them to me because he "saved them" for me. (Aka he doesn't like them). Today I ate them and he found the wrapper. "Mommy!!! You ate them all gone???!!! That is so great!! I just love you so much. I need to give you a hug and a kiss!"

This little one melts my heart. He is similar to Canyon in ways, but so different in ways. He is definitely a mama's boy:) I may or may not have brainwashed him into being a mama's boy by sending him subliminal messages while he was in the womb. I needed a mama's boy. He cuddles with me. aaaaaahhhh. I love it so much.

My favorite thing about this earthly existence is seeing these two play together. I love seeing Greyson's face light up when he sees Canyon. You know, he is probably more of a Canyon's boy than a mama's boy. And Canyon has turned into more of a Greyson's boy than a Daddy's boy. The first person he wants to see when he wakes up is Greyson. He has to hug and kiss him multiple times before Greyson goes to bed. They spend hours entertaining each other. In blue buckets nonetheless.

In this bucket is the first time Greyson ever pulled himself up onto anything.

I am getting a run for my money on this one. He's a stubborn little guy. He must get that from his Dad:) He knows what he wants and he gets it.

Another Canyonism: "Mommy, do you have a school?" "No," I replied. "When I be a tractor guy I will build you a school. Then I will turn into a Canyon again."

And another: Canyon at breakfast: (singing) I get to go to school today, I get to go to school today. Me: nope, not today. Canyon: No, my eggs are saying that. My mouth is a school.

In November I had the last of the pears from my pear tree in baskets in my kitchen. Greyson's favorite thing to do was to reach into the basket and pull out a pear to munch on. Good thing he has 8 teeth!

He couldn't get enough of them!

It was quite a sight to see. Good thing I got it all on video.

mid-cough i think!

melt my heart.

There is something so special about having your first baby but having your second is even more fun BECAUSE they play together! With your first, you have to be the constant source of entertainment. With your second, they play together and you can get way more accomplished.

Best Buddies Forever (BBF)

Allen's Birthday

2011-12-25T00:12:00.001-07:00

The Campbell Elves Are Back!

2011-12-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

I mostly do this for Canyon. He could watch it 50 times a day!

Halloween Festivities

2011-11-16T21:22:00.001-07:00

Annual Campbell Family Pumpkin Carving Contest

This year we added a new twist of dressing up in costume

Angry Birds

The very talented Sage made these costumes.

Greyson was "angry" about his costume. Where's Waldo?

These are indeed the same person.

Triplets! I'm sure you can't even tell who is who in these pictures. I know I can't.

The Pound

Bert & Ernie, otherwise knows as costume contest winners.

80's peeps. (right? I don't know my decades very well)

The pressure is on!

Who will win the bag of chocolate mint sandwiches this year???

My personal opinion is that this one should have won.

This one's not too shabby either.

But lo and behold, the spooky dragon eye won.

We had some good pumpkins this year!

Challenger Costume Parade

aka biggest waste of time ever.

They walked about a 7 foot walk in front of admiring parents

The End.

Lots of parents missed it because they were 30 seconds late and the walk was maybe 10 seconds long. They didn't pause. They didn't sing a song or do a dance. They didn't walk through twice. Nothin. Lame.

Then we went to Bert & Ernie's place of work and trick or treated there. Got lots of delicious candy and got to see some pretty intense costumes and Halloween decorating. I can't believe how into Halloween this company is! It's awesome! I should have taken more pictures.

Greyson was not happy that he didn't get any chocolate.

BOO!

At the Zoo

It was really fun, really crowded, and had really long lines. But it was worth it. Only because I have a membership though. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who doesn't have one.

My little Abu Mailman.

Trunk or Treat

So much fun. The weather was absolutely perfect. It didn't get dark until an hour into it. They played fun music and the kids danced and trunk or treated and got way too much candy. Halloween has always been my favorite but it is even more fun now that I have kids. I love watching Canyon's enthusiasm for free candy. This was by far the best Halloween I've ever had. It couldn't have been more perfect.


Canyon's girlfriend Bella. He is so cute with her. He's super protective over her and is always looking out for her. He got her a piece of candy at each car.

Canyon and his 2 best buddies.

These two are always holding hands. At school they were supposed to be saying the Pledge of Allegiance but Canyon had his left hand on his heart. The teacher kept motioning to him to use his right hand but he just stared at her with a blank stare. So she went over to him to help him and noticed that he wouldn't switch hands because him and Bella were holding hands. Precious!

2 Cute Boys

2011-11-02T21:57:00.000-06:00

Bloopers

Labor Day

2011-11-02T20:56:00.002-06:00

We spent Labor Day in Logan with Matt and Krista. Way fun, as usual.

First on our agenda was eating at Angie's (where the locals eat). If you haven't eaten there, then you obviously aren't local. Scones... mmmmmm. Allen loves to flirt with the waitresses at Angie's for some reason. He's a sucker for small town gals, I suppose.

Then we drove to Bear Lake and played on the beach. Except wait, there wasn't a beach. But it was still fun. Then we got raspberry shakes.

I can't remember what we did after that, but I'm sure it was fun. At least my husband looks drop dead sexy in my beach hat.

Summer Zoo Trips

2011-10-25T18:31:00.001-06:00

Silver Lake & Guardsmans

2011-10-25T10:33:00.001-06:00

September 2011

THE DIRTY THIRTY

2011-10-12T11:44:00.000-06:00

After a year of planning my 30th Birthday Party it finally came, and it won't be forgotten. All I wanted for my birthday was to have a huge party, so I simply threw myself one. This party was ultimately for me, but I decided to invite some peeps to enjoy it with me. I can't explain in words how fun this was for me, I enjoyed every minute of it.

I partied it up in my backyard

Holmgren surprised me with a cotton candy machine, Wes looks especially excited to partake, and my mom is wondering if the candy is going fly into Dave's hairy armpit.

I had Victor set up shop in my driveway. We ended up serving 238 tacos.
(I had 12...YUM)

I came up with 30 facts about Allen Davis Campbell. I guess my sisters Cheri and Anne know me best, they only missed 4.

They won 30 bouncy balls (Gomer smile)

I had two pinatas, one for me and another for the kids.

No I'm not a lefty, but I still hit a home run

I got some gifts, most people weren't sensitive to me needing to drop a few lbs, but hey who cares. I've enjoyed everything thus far, especially those green bullets.

Here are some of the cool peeps that attended

Yes that is a nipple Murph, and Wes I'd have to agree

My beautiful and amazing wife who helped me pull this all together.

Yes that is a freakin huge Slip'n Slide, and yes it was more fun than I had expected, and I expected it to be pretty freakin fun.

My Freakin Awesome Mom!

See you in 30 years!

Toes, Pig Nose, Swings, & 6 Months Old.

2011-09-22T16:11:00.000-06:00

Greyson is:

The smiliest boy you have ever met.

The king of 20 minute naps...

as well as the lightest sleeper on the planet.

A pooper! He poops at least 5 times a day.

A tiny little guy- only 10th percentile in weight.

The best buddy of his big brother Canyon.

Finally a good eater- he'll eat anything.

A SCREAMER! His scream is ear-piercing

(especially if I'm not feeding him fast enough.)

A binky boy. He loves his binky and can put it in all by himself even in the dark.

A Mama's boy. At least that's how I'm training him.

A Kisser. I love his open-mouth, wet, slobbery kisses.

Not a cuddler. He likes to be put down to fall asleep.

The sweetest little boy and I love him!

Canyon's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-13T09:45:00.000-06:00

So excited for his first day!!!

My baby boy is getting so big!!!

He loves school. Everyday when he gets home I ask him what he did at school and he always says, "Mom, you say that Erry Day!" All I can get out of him is that he had a snack (crackers and juice) and he played outside on the playground in the sand, and he played with Bella. He's starting to show me little snippets of what he is learning, though. He will sing little bits of songs and he talks about letters more. Especially "Sissy Snake".

Its been SO nice for me because my neighbor takes him and brings him home! I get almost 4 hours to get things done with no interruptions (while G-Funk naps) and to bond with Greyson. I honestly do love having Canyon in school. I know some Moms don't, but its so good for us. I have more patience for him when he gets home and then Tuesdays and Thursdays are play days.

Utah Game

2011-09-12T10:52:00.000-06:00

Go Utes!!!

Melanie & Alfred's Marriage

2011-09-07T14:28:00.000-06:00

I know this couple, their names are Melanie and Alfred. They have the strangest marriage I have ever seen. Like, *totally* weird. In fact, let me tell you this story she told me. Last Saturday she went and got her hair done. She decided on a whim to chop her hair off. She cut off 6 inches- aka half of a foot of hair. That's a lot, right? Well when she got home she was having a bit of a panic attack. She couldn't believe she chopped her hair off on a whim. Despite her distress, her dear husband Alfred didn't notice for TWO HOURS. Oh no, wait. He NEVER noticed. Two hours later he said, "Your hair looks nice, babe. Did she take any off the bottom?" Exact words. Well, at least that's what Melanie told me. Anyway, so Melanie was slightly bugged with her husband. It brought back painful memories of the time when they played the Newlywed Game (after TWO YEARS of marriage) with some friends and on one of the answers, Alfred put down that Melanie's eyes were brown. Clearly they are not brown. Even I know that. So Melanie was pouting and they went to a wedding reception and came home and she was still pouting. She finally vented all of her frustration to Alfred and he felt a little bad. He asked her what he could do to make her feel better. She thought about it for a while and thought of the perfect remedy: take him outside in the backyard, and spray him down with the hose. Naked. So they went outside and he stripped down and she tested out every single spray on their hose attachment. And he didn't even protest. Then she felt much better.
Who does that??? What a crazy couple!!!

A Dream Come True

2011-09-03T17:25:00.000-06:00

We went to Eden a few weeks ago for a family reunion. We drove to the top of some mountain and it was there that Canyon's lifelong dream was fulfilled.

I'm glad I was there to share that special moment with him.

The Fruit of My Labors

2011-09-03T17:05:00.000-06:00

There is something so rewarding about growing a garden.

soon to be a watermelon... i hope!

the fruit of Allen's labors

from my Grandma's raspberry patch

I love to garden for so many reasons. For one, I can hold the reward of my labor in my hands. There's no question about whether I did a good job on growing my tomatoes. I know I did because I pick them and eat them and they taste delicious. Second, I feel like I am in nature when I am working in my garden. Third, I have improved and learned so much in the few years I have been doing it and I already know what I will do different next year.
Its a fun and easy hobby and if you don't already, you should grow one too!

A Brief Glimpse into the Complicated Mind of Melissa

2011-08-26T22:01:00.002-06:00

I am reading the best book right now. It's called The Happiness Project. I'm sure you've heard of it. I love it. It is exactly what I needed to read at this time in my life. A few weeks before I got the book at the library, I had been thinking a lot about fun. Its not something I have a lot of. I am a task-oriented person. I like to cross things off my lists. I do things out of obligation. There's not a lot of yellow in my personality. When I look at my life objectively, I think it must look pretty great. I have a husband, 2 beautiful healthy boys, a house, a VAN!!!, the gospel, amazing friends, I live by my family, I go on an occasional vacation... I have chickens for cryin' out loud. I have so much to be thankful for. But I want to be happier and enjoy this life I have and stop doing the same crap every day that is basically pointless. This is what has been on my mind all summer. So I was introduced to The Happiness Project at the perfect time. The author, Gretchen Rubin, feels pretty much the same way as I do, so she decided to devote a year of her life to being happier. I read about 3 pages a day and then I have to stop because its just too much for my brain to process. I want to do everything she does. And so I am. Believe it or not, I have had to restrain myself from cleaning my house. I am such a clean freak. I can't think when my house is messy. When I want to relax or unwind, I clean. I ENJOY cleaning. You know how they say that people with eating disorders have them because its the one thing in their life they can control? That's how I am with cleaning. I can't control my 3 year olds tantrums or his habit of saying "suck," or my baby's crying, or my husbands obsessive game-playing on his iTouch (I could totally go on a tangent right here but I won't), but I CAN control how clean my house is. But at the end of the day, who the heck cares about a clean house? It's going to get dirty again the next day. So when my kids are napping or are down for the night, I have begun to make a conscious effort to NOT clean. It's hard at times. I ask myself what would be the best thing I could do at that moment, and I do it. Rarely do I choose to clean up. Lately I have been doing all of the things that I have put off because I don't have time for them. Blogging! (my house is dirty right now and yup, I am on the computer) Reading- The Happiness Project is the first book I've read since Greyson was born. How pathetic, but I'm so glad I'm reading again. Gardening- more on that in a different post. Scrapbooking online- I was supposed to get caught up on my scrapbooks in 2010. Oops, I didn't even finish one. Maybe by the end of 2012. That's my new goal. But I am going to order my first completed book today! PLAYING with Canyon & Greyson. I recently realized that I am good at entertaining Canyon, but I'm not very good at playing with him. We go to the Zoo, the Aquarium, Discovery Gateway, Wheeler Farm, but I talk to my friends while he runs around. I have been making a conscious effort to play with him. In the last week we have colored and painted, played play dough, made brownies, played outside in the backyard, and even played Sea Witch/Nemo/Sunken Ship/Waterfall/Boat in my bedroom on my bed. I played Pretend for the first time in years. It was fun! And best of all, Canyon LOVED it. These are the kinds of things that last. That aren't undone in 10 minutes (like cleaning my house).
My sister Krista came down from Logan for 3 weeks in August while her husband was in Peru. It was so fun. I wish she lived down here. Next door, in fact. We had the best talks and she gave me some great advice. She should probably be the older sister. She told me that every day she tries to do 2-3 productive things and then she tells herself she has done enough productiveness for the day and she allows herself to do fun things that she wants to do. She has a lot more yellow in her than I do. But I just love that idea and it has totally stuck with me.
Last week was kind of like a new beginning for us. Canyon started preschool. We now have a child who has to be in bed by a decent hour because its a school night. It so weird for Allen and I every time we say those words. Sunday night brought back a flood of memories of going back to school each year. We are trying to get into a routine now and get into some better habits- waking up early, working out, getting ready, family prayer, family dinner, getting to bed earlier, etc... By the way, Canyon is LOVING preschool. His orientation was last Friday and he was super clingy so I thought he would have a bit of an adjustment. Nope. Monday he was a little timid. Wednesday on the ride there he kept asking if we were there yet. He loves it! I'm so happy. I, on the other hand, was a little more sad than I expected I would be. I think the hardest part for me was not knowing what he was doing. I have known exactly what he was doing 24/7 for the last 3 years. Now I pretty much just have to rely on what he tells me and what they send home in his bag. I won't be getting all the precious little details anymore. But I know he has learned about squares, triangles, and has been able to play on the playground and is learning the "Alphabet" song (different than the ABC's). I thought him being in school would give me all the time in the world to do what I need to get done but it goes by so fast. I don't even know what I have been doing with the time. I need to use it more wisely.

Lately I have been surrounded by a lot of sad things. Well, more like people I know and love are dealing with sad things- depression, divorce, death. I hate all 3 of those "D" words. (Are there more sad things happening in the world lately or am I just more aware?) Fortunately, it has allowed me to evaluate my life. I have learned a lot through other people's trials. I have learned to be a little nicer to my husband, write down and record the little things about my kids that I never want to forget, and spend quality time together each day. I don't want to have ANY regrets if anything ever happens. I have also learned better to trust in the Lord and His plan.

I feel like I am rambling but I just want to say that the last few months have been a period of growth for me and I am grateful for it. Maybe I am being prepared for something. But that's a scary thought. Hopefully I just had to learn a few small lessons.
Congratulations if you made it this far. You deserve a medal. I guess this post was more for me than anyone else. But thanks for reading!

Silver Lake

2011-08-26T15:35:00.001-06:00

Silver Lake is one of our most favorite places on Earth. Probably because its cool up there when we're burning up down here. It was chillier than we expected it to be though! 60 degrees maybe. Luckily my tendency to be over-prepared served me well this time. I brought jackets. And dinner too.

Cheetos-fingers

I love my family.

24th of July

2011-08-22T14:48:00.003-06:00

Parade in my Grandma's neighborhood in Holladay.

I used to be in this parade when I was little. Year: 1986

Kamas Rodeo

Cabin

The men made this dam in the river.

Then they tubed down it.

Riley was a lot braver than Canyon.

Hiking up Provo Falls

I carried the Babe.

Canyon found lots of rocks to throw in the river.

"Rocks in the ridder. Rocks in the ridder"

Check out their hands in these two pictures. They totally throw the same.

The Tree

2011-08-21T15:14:00.000-06:00

We did this.

The kids did this.

Now the wall looks like this.

And not like this.

Much less dangerous.

Canyon's 3rd Birthday

2011-08-18T00:08:00.000-06:00

This little shark of mine had a birthday in July.

He turned 3.

My first attempt at a cute cake. Didn't turn out the greatest (mostly due to not having a cap for the frosting) but at least you can kind of tell what it is. Hopefully I'll do better next year. Or buy one.

Canyon is obsessed with Garbage Trucks. He is awoken every Wednesday morning bright and early by the sound of the garbage truck on our street. I swear he can hear them from a mile away.

Spoiled Rotten once again.

From Family: A light saber, Cars2 cars, soccer ball, goggles, nerf gun, bath toy, blow up basketball hoop for the pool.

From us: Garbage truck, dragons, train track, tube of tiny sharks.

Some of the lovely guests:

Weston

G-G

Mike holding Greyson. A true Christmas Miracle.

Riley

Jane

Shellfish

Wiwwie

Wiwwie's Peruvian Smart Ag

Papa

Birthday Day:

What did the little shark want for his birthday breakfast?

Bacon.

And what the little shark wants, the little shark gets. Whether

YOU

like it or not.

Opening his presents from us

(dragons, train track, and sharks)

A Happy Birthday Boy

We went and saw Kung Fu Panda 2 aka "Unky Panda" that afternoon. Canyon did great! He sat through the whole thing and only got antsy once. But we quickly solved that with pinata candy.

He wanted to let his balloons go up into the sky. He told us he wanted to let his binkies go up into the sky but when it came down to it, he wouldn't let us. I didn't push it. I'm not ready. They are WAAAAAY too good of a bribe.

I love you so much my little Canteen.

6 Years

2011-08-10T09:01:00.000-06:00

6 Years ago I married this Handsome Man

We were sealed for all Eternity in this Temple

What a perfect day it was

What a lovely couple we make

3 years later we added this to our family

then 2 1/2 years later came this one

Now we are this.

And this.

Happy Anniversary Babe! I love you so so much. I can't believe all that has happened in 6 years and how much we have grown and learned. I love you now more than ever and I am so grateful for the man and father you are. You amaze me and make me so happy. Love you so much!

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-29T08:52:00.000-06:00

Winter Coats at the Fireworks???

Gooooood Times

2011-06-28T15:45:00.000-06:00

Liberty Park

Jungle Jims

Riley's Birthday

My Utah Boys

A Serious Getaway!

Both Hands Up!!!

(well, sort of)

The Smiliest Boy

A Day at the Pool

Swimming Lessons

taught by Rachelle

call Krista at 8018095661 to sign up!

floating

big ice cream scoop arms

blowing bubbles

Canyon, Riley & their class

big kicks

jumping in

I Heart Babies

2011-06-23T17:02:00.000-06:00

Cali Lou

Saturday June 18th

8 lbs 5 oz, 21 inches

Daughter of Jayne and Rick Bengtzen

...and the livin's easy

2011-06-15T22:53:00.003-06:00

Brothers

I made a birthday chain for Canyon because he really, and I mean really, wants a garbage truck. I told him he could have one for his birthday but he didn't understand how far away next month was so I told him when all the papers were gone he could have his
dang garbage truck!

Can-Man and Ri-Guy

"Canyon, open your eyes and smile!"

"K now smile big!"

"K now look at me and open your

eyes and smile big!"

"Perfect!"

Canyon loves to go out front and play with the "big kids" on our street. He thinks he's such a big boy when he rides scooters with them. He does awesome on this scooter! I don't know where he learned to do it but he does it perfectly!

Oh i just love this handsome baby. He is so happy and smiley all the time. I feel like I am finally totally adjusted and I'm loving having my two boys. Greyson's on a schedule now and he's a peach! He's such a good baby and I'm so grateful.

Matt + Mary = True Love

2011-06-06T15:49:00.001-06:00

I had the opportunity to take some pictures of this lovely couple over the weekend. Mary is Allen's sister. Isn't she cute?! And Matt is hilarious (have i mentioned my children will now have 4 uncle Matt/Matthew's?) I certainly do not claim to be a photographer, but I think a few of them turned out so good! Probably because they are just so cute together.

(the first 7 are my favorite)

Thanks for the pointers Christy!!!

Thomas the Tank Engine

2011-06-01T23:26:00.000-06:00

Jayne and I took our boys to Heber on Friday to see Thomas the Tank Engine. We payed a butt load of money for the tickets but thought it would be worth it because our boys love Thomas. These pictures make it look like we had the time of our lives.

What you aren't seeing: Greyson's blowout in the car. My stroller's flat tire from parking in a field. Riley's and Canyon's multiple tantrums. The cold, rainy weather. The boy who had the tantrum of all tantrums on the train for a good 20 minutes because apparently he was up until 2am. But once we finally got on the train, we had a grand old time.

The boys loved it!

Showing off his Thomas tattoo

Sweet! A Hole in 20!

Riley's mid-air tantrum!


Choo Choo Choo What's Coming Down the Track?

ps I'm ready to quit blogging. I HATE BLOGGER! What the freak is wrong with it??? There are so many bugs and it took me like 2 hours to do this stupid blog post!!!!!

My Studly Husband

2011-05-28T10:49:00.007-06:00

My husband is a stud.

We bought this playset (with help from my parents) and he put the majority of it together all by himself.
He did get help from my Dad and brother Joe and our neighbors CJ and Allen, but he definitely did the most.
I am so proud of him.
When we were first married he wasn't much of a handy-man. But after being a homeowner for almost 5 years now, he has learned a lot!
Thanks for all you do babe.
Canyon loved helping Daddy build the playset He LOVES the slide.
And he loves it when the neighborhood kids come over to play on the "playground" In other news...
we are the proud owners of...
A Mini-Van!
I never thought I would be so excited to own one. Growing up, I was so embarrassed by my parents van and I swore I would never own one. But now as a Mother, my opinion has sure changed. It was definitely the sliding remote-control doors that sold me. LOVE them. And it is so spacious and roomy and comfortable. It drives so smoothly and quietly. It is going to be A-MAZING on road trips.
It was a little sad saying goodbye to our Jeep, though.
I get sentimental with cars. Weird, I know.
I just have so many good memories with this Jeep. Allen bought it while we were dating. He took me to Churchill Jr High to overlook the city and dance in the parking lot on our "last date." The battery died and his friends had to come jump it!
I made him a very special CD to listen to in it while we were dating.
It was the car we drove as newlyweds.
It was the car we brought home both of our baby boys in.
And lets not forget the time I crashed this very Jeep into our Corolla. That was fun.
Goodbye trusty old Jeep.
Luckily we sold it to my brother so we still get to see it on occasion. Unluckily it had a major problem with it the day after we sold it to him. Oops. I feel bad. But I swear it wasn't doing that the day before.

Worth Every Pound!

2011-05-23T08:17:00.049-06:00

If I were to sum up our trip to Arizona in 2 words, they would be PINOCHLE and FOOD. (I gained 6 pounds while we were there. We were there for4 days.) However, that's not nearly as fun as posting 84 pictures and telling you all about it. So here we go:

Wednesday

The Flight:

The kids did great! Canyon loved sitting by the window and watching us take off and fly up into the air. He didn't understand why the cars looked so small though.

Greyson stayed awake the whole time but he was a peach!

Susan picked us up at the airport and we went back to her house and let the kids play outside in the gorgeous weather. Canyon loved the underground trampoline...

... and the slip and slide.

Allen having way too much fun with the ball and trampoline.

Canyon and Layla picked up right where they left off. He took her cruisin' in this Escalade for their first official date. They were jammin' to Mexi-music.

Layla is a little princess.

I love her smile!

She absolutely loved Greyson and loved to hold him and talk to him and give him his binky.

Layla thinks she belongs to a nudist colony. Canyon was all about that! Layla always wanted Canyon to be naked with her:)

Thursday

We went to the Wildlife Zoo. It cost way more than we expected but it was so much fun!
Way more fun than our zoo.

"Canyon and Layla!!!"

"Huh?"

Feeding the Giraffes:

Gross tongues!!!

They're so long!

I love these pictures of Greyson.
I couldn't choose my favorite.

The betrothed couple...

BFFs

This weird-looking monkey had some weird looking thing on his bum. It looked like a hemorrhoid! Canyon says, "Mom! Look at that monkey! He has an apple on his bum! That's kinda silly."

Friday
the day of my birth

Susan and I went and got pedicures earlier that day and then went and got me a *free* box of Krispy Kreme donuts and went to get some lettuce wraps and chocolate cake at PF Changs. The men went golfing but met up with us at Changs. That night we got a sitter for the kids and went to see the movie "Something Borrowed" and then went to Ah So for dinner. Our favorite place.

Allen eating their infamous mushroom broth soup.

His FO face

I turned the big 2-7. Get it?

Susan still has the magic touch. That's why I tell her she needs to have one more.

Our cute pedis!

Our chef. I swear we had the same chef last time. I need to look that up.

That night we played pinochle, as we did every single night. The girls KICKED A, as usual. Allen laid on the floor after and fell asleep. He started sleep-talking and asked, "what's trump?"

Saturday
pool day

The Princess. She has quite a set of lungs!

what the?

tricky-trickster

"look at this dinosaur!"

My poor fair-skinned husband

Saturday night we roasted hot dogs and hung out around the fire in Susan and Ryan's awesome backyard.

Chandler & Dawson
Canyon had the time of his life on this trip. I loved watching him and seeing how much fun he was having. He followed these 2 boys around everywhere. One time they were all jumping on the trampoline and Chandler yells out "Cannonball!" "Cannonball?!?" Canyon asks. "Chandlerball!" He thought Chandler had said "Canyonball!"

Ryan is so bugged in this picture ;)

My beautiful BFF

My sexy hubby

Sunday
the day we left:(

The plane ride home was bumpy. Canyon had a sick and worried look on his face. I asked him if he felt sick. He nodded his head. I asked him if he was going to throw up and he nodded his head. Luckily he didn't. But he said, "I don't like this airplane. It's scary. I want to go on a different one."

We had so much fun and I hope we can do it every 6 months!!! Thank you Susan & Ryan & Family for such a wonderful vacation!!!

ps.. I still have 1 more pound to lose. But it was so worth it!

Mother's Day

2011-05-23T08:12:00.003-06:00

Greyson's Blessing

2011-05-01T15:19:00.009-06:00

We blessed Greyson at church today. It went perfectly. Allen did a great job giving the blessing and we had lots of family members there to help him, including Allen's Dad Clyde, my Dad Scott, Grandpa Roy, Grandpa Campbell, Matthew, Rick, Matt aka Sparky, Blair and Matt James. (p.s. Mary got engaged last night so now my children will have 4 Uncle Matthew/Matt's. Thats a lot.) I told Allen he had to bare his testimony since I did last time with Canyon, so he did and he did a great job. But I still felt like I should too, so I did. I'm glad I did. I haven't since Canyon's blessing so I was due plus I wanted my family and friends to hear me bare my testimony. After Sacrament Meeting we went to my parents' for a breakfast. I was hoping we could do it outside but it was too chilly and our house is too tiny for that many people.

We tried to take some cute pictures but it's soooo hard with 2 little kids!!!

This is such a classic Greyson face

4 Generations

My Cute Niece

p.s. will someone please teach me how to use my camera?!

Easter Festivities

2011-05-01T14:59:00.009-06:00

Playgroup Easter Egg Hunt

Family Easter Egg Hunt

Empty Baskets

Finding Eggs- there were 106 total!

What's in this thing???

The Loot!!! He got 21 eggs and 3 dollars!

Full Baskets
The little Grandkids and 2 Great-Grandkids
with G-G and Howdy

Remembering Jesus Christ This Easter

2011-04-18T19:34:00.005-06:00

It all started when I was trying to find something cute and Springy to put on this table.

I was trying to think of something Easter themed and thought about going to get an Easter Bunny and maybe a carrot to put on there. Then I went to my Mom's house because one of my friends needed to borrow her Crown of Thorns that she got in Israel. She had a few extras in her basement so I grabbed one for me too and realized that would be the PERFECT Easter decoration. I put it on the table and framed a picture of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane to accompany it.

These 2 simple things have brought the true spirit of Easter into my home and have allowed me to think about Easter way more this year. The more I have thought about it, the more frustrated I am with the way Easter has become. Here we are trying to celebrate the most important event in history but most of us think of Easter Bunnies and Easter Eggs first. How sad! It sickens me that kids get/expect gifts on Easter! So Allen and I discussed it and decided that we will still do the Easter Bunny and Easter Egg Hunts but not on Easter Sunday. And no gifts. Maybe a new outfit to wear to church, but that is all. Not that any of you have to or should do this but I encourage all of you to remember the true meaning of Easter and teach it to your kids! I'm curious to know some of your fun Easter Traditions...

by Del Parson

by Simon Dewey

‘He is not here: for he is risen.’

Watch This
(its only 2 minutes)

Bodily Functions and more...

2011-04-18T13:52:00.007-06:00

Once again I will attempt to keep up-to-date on this blog so that it can be my journal & family history. Ugh I have too many methods of record keeping. It's a little excessive. I do digital scrapbooking through Heritage Makers (super behind on that), I keep a personal journal for myself, as well as one for Canyon and Greyson. Plus I do this blog. But I don't know how to simplify. I don't want to cut out any of them because they each serve a purpose. But I feel so overwhelmed by it all.
Any suggestions?

Anyway, here are some pictures we took yesterday.
Greyson is 7 1/2 weeks old now. He is such a cute boy. Not quite as easy as Canyon was as a baby, but still pretty easy. He sleeps great at night- usually at least a 6 hour stretch but he isn't the best at taking naps during the day. With Canyon I used to just lay him in his bed wide awake and he would go to sleep. Not Greyson! I usually lay him in his bassinet first, then he cries so I move him to his crib. When that doesn't work I try the swing, and sometimes I have to repeat the cycle. He seems to be liking his swing more though and he has started naping pretty good in there. He is not a carseat lover, much to my dismay. Canyon slept in that thing til he was 12 months old. Greyson isn't a fan and won't sleep in it longer than 10 minutes or so except on rare occasions like last Sunday when he slept all 3 hours of church in it! Another difference between him and Canyon is that Canyon would go days without pooping but it never seemed to bug him. If Greyson just goes a few hours he gets really fussy. Not fun!

(I can't decide which Mommy & Greyson
picture I like better)

My Mom was tickling him and playing with him yesterday and I got these super cute pictures of him smiling! He's been smiling for about 2 weeks now. I LOVE it. I love this stage. And he's been cooing/talking too. So precious- it melts my heart. I just love having a baby again. Its been quite a hard adjustment having 2 kids but I absolutely love having a baby in the home. There is such a special spirit around when there is a baby.

Mommy and her 2 boys

We have officially begun potty training. Hence the naked bum. Canyon turns 3 in July and starts preschool in August. He has to be potty trained to go, so I'm feeling the pressure. Plus I'm sick of him kicking me while I wipe his poopy bum. We half-heartedly started on Saturday. I was going to a Stake Women's Conference and then going to get my hair done so I told Allen that I wanted Canyon potty trained by the time I got home:) He quit by 11am. So we got him to go on the potty a few times when I got home and got him excited about it and told him what a big boy he was. Then yesterday he did great! He only peed in his pull-ups when we were at a missionary homecoming. We just kept him naked most of the day. Today has been pretty good. He knows when he has to go and he'll sit on his potty without me prompting him. But he has peed on the carpet a few times. But he's peed in the potty LOTS of times. I think he does it for the treats. He pushes out a few drops every time he needs a piece of candy:) No poop yet though. Is potty training going to constipate my child?

Canyon only has a shirt on in this family picture!
Good thing you can't tell!

p.s. sorry about all the talk of bodily functions!

Lillie's Blessing Photos

2011-04-01T15:59:00.006-06:00

Krista and Matt blessed Lillie on March 20th up in Logan. We went to the blessing and took these funny pictures afterward.

This one cracks me up because of both of their faces! "Baby Wiwwie" as Canyon calls her, was 3 months old and Greyson was 3 weeks old.

Our first attempt at a family photo. Not the cutest.
But it will do.

Krista and her Babe

Me and Mine

Us and Ours
(Before & After)

The 3 Webb Grandkids

Canyon's arm???