Camping in the Uintahs

This weekend I took the kids up to camp with mom, dad, my brother, and his family. I think my kids had a blast, but oh my, was it a lot of work. Unfortunately Casey had to work. He stopped in for a few hours on Saturday, but then had to head home to bed.
Zoey and Maizy got a lot of 4-wheeler time. I think Zoey would have been content to ride one the entire time. Dad and Casey took the 4 older kids on a LONG ride to the top of Elizabeth Ridge. They were gone for what seemed like forever. Here is a picture of the kids next to the sign. Notice the elevation!

This is a picture of my nephew Parker after they got home from the previous mentioned ride. He fell asleep on the way down behind Casey. He was still holding on. So cute.

This is a picture of me and Parker after getting back from a ride with my dad. I didn't know where we were going on the trail, so we had to ride behind my dad. Needless to say, we ate A LOT of dust. My mom laughed at me when we got home because my face looked like this!

My kids didn't sleep all that well up camping, and I am glad to be home, but we did have a blast. Thanks to mom and dad for hosting and for being a huge help with the kids. 11 people packed in one trailer is not easy.

I also want to sent out my condolences to my sister-in-law DeLys and her family. I just learned that her father passed away today. He had been sick in the hospital since last week. I know that he is no longer suffering. I am thinking about you!!!

Zander turns 11 months

Yesterday, my baby turned 11 months old. To think, in just another month he will be 1. Crazy I say!!!

Zander has brought so much joy to our family. He is such a happy baby.
He is growing up so fast...in more ways than one.
I know I sound crazy, but I can't wait until this kid can walk so I don't have to pack him around anymore. He is killing me!

Zander is meeting many milestones and we couldn't be more proud. He doesn't say many words, but that is okay with us as the house is already loud enough as it is. He does say mama and dada. He waves goodbye and smiles at everything. He has 7 teeth with an 8th in view, just not through the skin yet. He is loving having teeth so he can eat yummy food off the table instead of baby food. He pulls himself up and walks along furniture and is extremely close to walking. He lets go of things and has great balance for quite a long time, but doesn't have confidence to walk. He gets as close as he can to where he wants to go by using furniture and then lunges forward. He has taken a few steps without holding on, so we are hopeful it is just around the corner. Love you bubba!

Hair...and more hair

I wish I could post this as my baby's first official hair cut, but unfortunately I can't. This is Zander's 6th or 7th (lost track) hair cut since he was born. He has been buzzed down to nothing a few times and trimmed a few more times. This hair cut was done with a #3 blade on an electric shaver. I love that all my kids are blessed with a full head of hair that they never loose after birth.

Both of these pictures are post shave.

This is the pile of hair in the sink. Quite a bit of hair for using a #3 blade.

Saturday was a very long, but fun day. It started out with cleaning the house as usual. But not most cleaning Saturdays, this was the "oh my, people are coming to my house today" frantic cleaning. We celebrated Zoey's 2nd birthday even though her actual birthday was 2 weeks ago. We did a Mickey Mouse party, although we tried to do a "Wow, Wow, Wubbzy"party. There just isn't much Wubbzy stuff out there, but that is Zoey's favorite show right now.
Maizy and Zoey are below-pre party showing off the Mickey ears.
Here is my neice Alexxis and nephew Spencer helping out with Zander.
Thanks guys!

Here is the official cake. I think it turned out pretty cute-we have an "in" with the Wal-Mart bakery!!!

Zoey had no clue what to do when it was time to blow out the candles, so mom had to help out.

There were lots of babies/children around the house. These are just a few.

Group shot of the packed kitchen.

More visitors. I believe there were around 34 people here to help Zoey celebrate. Thanks everyone for your support. It means a lot to know that our children have so many people in their lives that care about them.

I want to thank my neice Kaysee Marie for her help in babysitting Zoey after the party so Casey and I could have a somewhat quieter night with the other 2 kids at the Demo Derby. It was fabulous this year!
Get togethers are always a little chaotic, but in the end I am so glad we did it.
Good food, good company, good fun!!!

So, since I can't get my ad to post on to KSL.com for some reason, I have decided to have another blog to post my stamps that I have for sale. Please visit and let everyone you know who would be interested. The address is:
brianas-stamps.blogspot.com

Zoey Turned 2

My little Zoey turned 2 on Monday the 13th of July. According to her attitude, one would have thought she turned 2 quite a few months ago. I should have guessed what we were in for when she started pulling these faces all the time. :)

These top 2 pictures are when she was around 8 or 9 months old.

This picture with her in the hat was taken at the end of June. What a cutie.
Here are her official stats from the Dr.'s office:
Height: 35.2 inches 84%
Weight: 28.44 pounds 73%
OFC: 19 inches 70%
Zoey is still going to be tall, but I don't believe she will be as tall as her sissy. That's okay-I'm sure we will still struggle to find pants that are long enough for her as well.

All I have to do is look at her and know she is mischief wating to happen. Plus, she is my accident prone child. She has had a broken leg, a mishap with our bed (hence the scar on the bridge of her nose), several fat lips, multiple scrapes and bruised everywhere from falling off things, running into things, and tripping over EVERYTHING. Oh, and did I mention the 3 hours I was in the ER with her when she fell backwards off the couch twice within 15 minutes directly on her head on our wood floor and projectile vomited? Needless to say, she ends up being okay pretty much every time. A few scars and a walking boot for 2 weeks have been the extent of things so far. Let's hope this common occurence ends soon or we may be in trouble.

Zoey loves to play outside, ride her little 3 wheel bike, go for rides in the bike trailer/stroller, watch movies, climb on EVERYTHING, eat EVERYTHING as long as it is on someone elses plate, and torture her sister. She didn't talk for the longest time, and now won't be quiet. She still mumbles things we can't understand, but is also saying phrases like:
"Let it go"
"Come back here"
"Let me out"
"I don't want to"
I'm sure these are phrases you all want your 2 year old to be saying, right???

Happy Birthday Zoey!
Even though you are a handful, you are still the cutest little thing and I love you to pieces.

Hogan Family Reunion

On June 27th, my grandparents hosted the annual Hogan Family Reunion (my grandma's mothers side of the family) at a park near their home in Tooele. I haven't had the opportunity to go to one of these over the past few years. I have either lived too far away, been working, or been way pregnant and uncomfortable to go and sit in the heat. So, of course I got a lot of "now who are you again???"

My Aunts had put together a few crafts for people to do.

My mom and Jessica had brought games to keep the kids entertained.

And of course, you have to have food. Potluck just to make things interesting!

My mom happened to be my saving grace, as she is many days. Without Casey there to help (he had work and was SO sad he had to miss out on the fun), my mom became my extra pair of hands for my rug rats.

Here is my cousin Jessica and her baby Zachary.

My sister in law DeLys helped with some late in the day entertainment and painted faces for the kids.

My Grandma even decided to join in on the fun.
Thanks for hosting a great reunion Grandma and Grandpa!!!